- It was saved from a Paris scrapyard years ago – now it could now sell for $500k
There are plenty of iconic Bond cars. The Aston Martin DB5 from too many films in the franchise to list, the Lotus Esprit-turned submarine from The Spy Who Loved Me, and the Renault 11 taxi that has its roof lopped off in A View To A Kill to name just a few.
But none of these – or any other Aston Martin used in a 007 flick – was Roger Moore’s most loved Bond car ever.
Instead, the one he said was his all-time favourite was the Citroen 2CV from the great chase scene in For Your Eyes Only (1981).
And one of the motors used in the all-action sequence is currently available at auction – after it was rescued from a Paris scrapyard.
It is the only 2CV from the movie to ever be offered for auction, despite being one of six cars trashed by the film crew to capture the seven-minute chase with Hector Gonzalez’s men giving chase in a pair of Peugeot 504s through the outskirts of Madrid, Spain.
The month-long online sale is already up and running with the highest price offered so far of $120,000 (£89,000), though the company overseeing bidding is hoping for it to reach half a million dollars (around £370,000) by the time it ends on 17 July.
The chase scene is remembered as one of the best Bond car sequences of all time.
Moore jumps into the passenger seat of Melina Havelock’s (Carole Bouquet) dinky Citroen to escape the fun fire of Gonzalez’s heavies.
To avoid a head-on collision with an oncoming coach in a small village, Havelock’s evasive manoeuvre results in the 2CV rolling onto its roof.
With the help of a few locals, 007 flips the little Citroen back onto its four wheels and takes to the wheel of the diminutive French city car before receiving a bump start.
Out onto a snaking mountain road, the two Peugeots are in hot pursuit of the sun-colour Citroen, with one side-swiping Bond’s 2CV into another barrel roll down the side of the pass, where it lands – partially crushed – on all fours before Bond puts it into reverse, driving backwards towards the next hairpin bend.
After disposing of one of the pursing 504s, Bond goes off-road through olive groves, delivering the famous line: ‘Love a drive in the country, don’t you?’, before leaping over the remaining Peugeot and its henchmen in the seemingly indestructible French motor.
To capture the high-octane scene, all six specially converted 2CVs were battered.
This particular car started out as the pristine vehicle used at the very beginning of the chase scene and – despite sustaining plenty of damage – was one of three that withstood the destruction.
The production team customised three of the six cars for filming – though not all were the same.
They were fitted with a more powerful Citroën GS 1,015cc engine not commercially available in a 2CV (which used a smaller 602cc powertrain), adapting and reinforcing the interior and giving them reproduction Spanish-style number plates with the vinyl lettering M-1026-A.
A number plate made in England prior to filming was identifiable by small print on the plate which read ‘TUCKERS BS AU 145’.
This car was used specifically for the driving shots with Moore and Bouquet, and so was not fitted with a roll cage as it would have been visible on camera.
Years later when recalling the famous chase sequence, director John Glen said: ‘I love that scene; it was the complete opposite of what one would expect, it’s usually an Aston Martin, so I thought let’s go the absolute opposite end of the spectrum with a Deux Chevaux.’
When interviewed on BBC’s Top Gear, Roger Moore proclaimed it to be his favourite Bond car and later wrote in his memoir: ‘It was huge fun to drive down through olive groves in.’
While the scenes are set in Spain, the filming took place on the island of Corfu in September 1980.
French precision stunt driver Rémy Julienne and his team handled the action shots using the other identical cars.
Once filming was complete, the three modified cars had very different lives; one was sold to UK collector Nigel Wild; another retained by Citroen for its private collection; and the third – this car – was sent to a vehicle recycling facility in Paris.
It was recovered by Philippe Wambergue, a collector and racer of Citroen cars, and acquired by the current owner in 2004.
To ensure this was one of the genuine Bond cars, the owner had Nigel Wild inspect this 2CV at Citromobile – a Citroen car exhibition in The Netherlands – where the owner of one of the other Bond-driven vehicles confirmed its authenticity.
As this 2CV was rescued from a scrapyard, it has been fitted with replacement but faithful period yellow doors and boot lid, yellow roof, and seats.
Areas of yellow paint are peeling, and it shows signs of production wear to both the bodywork and interior.
Heritage Auctions describes it as a ‘prop car for display purposes only’ and not a roadworthy vehicle. The winning bidder will be presented with a certificate of authenticity for the motor too.
‘The wonderful thing about this car is that it is imbued with the daredevil spirit of Bond,’ said Alastair McCrea, Heritage’s director of entertainment & pop culture for the UK and Europe.
‘The car chase is one of the most creative and imaginative action sequences of any Bond film, and it is easy to understand why Roger Moore favoured this car over some of the flashier models.
‘Because the other surviving models from the film are in permanent homes, this will be the only opportunity to acquire one of the 2CVs that actually appeared on screen, and this is the one that had Roger Moore in it.’
Earlier this year, Citroen’s global chief executive Thierry Koskas told This is Money that the 2CV could be reborn as a 21st century electric car.
In an interview with us, he said it will have the key virtues which made the original 2CV such a favourite first time around: simplicity, daring, comfort through clever suspension designed to deal with rough roads, practicality, value for money and – important in the modern era – strong green credentials.
Customers can expect to see a model on the market within two years – from 2027 – and other famous Citroen nameplates could also make a sensational return to the market, he indicated.
‘We want some of our iconic models to further lift the Citroen brand,’ he said.
‘We have a fantastic heritage – including models like the DS and the 2CV.’
