Like any sensible man, I would happily give up physics in a heartbeat if I could be James Bond. Sure, the hot foreign spies, the perfect martinis and the miraculous tailoring are all part of the draw. But, of course, it's all about the gadgets really. Now I've always assumed that the gadgets in Bond movies aren't real - I just thought that well thought out special effects and some fake blades/bullets/electronics made them look like they were doing the jobs they were supposed to do. So I was amazed to read an article in The Guardian reporting that the Aston Martin used in Goldfinger and Thunderball just sold for over $2 million, partly because most of its gadgets are in working order!
Driven by Sean Connery, the car boasts built-in Browning machine guns, tyre slashers, an oil slick ejector and a retractable rear bullet-proof screen.
Really? These are actually features of the car? (I had a model of this particular car as a kid and so am very familiar with the features). Apparently so: the guy who demonstrated it fired blanks from the machine guns and said
"If there had been real bullets in the guns I would have taken out the whole front row of these people who have more money that most countries do."
(and don't pretend you weren't tempted). Well, now I've got to figure out how to get me one of these Bond cars (Clifford, I'll ask around to see if they've got a Bond bike that folds up into a watch for you). And it's got to be a good one - not one of those stupid 70s car/boats that Roger Moore drove - it's a Connery or a Brosnan for me. Lest you be thinking that all the original features can't have been real, I'll leave you with this
Other gadgets include three revolving number plates including the registrations 007JB and JB007. But a passenger ejector seat with removable roof panel has been replaced with a standard seat.
Mum, Dad, Sara - if you read this and you're stuck for what to buy me next Christmas ... One thing's for sure; if I do decide on this career change, having been a scientist will give me remarkable options when choosing my Q.
