Design

Land Rover’s made a really hot James Bond-themed V8 Defender

Three hundred of the Defender V8 Bond Edition edition vehicles will be made, inspired by the upcoming 007 film, 'No Time To Die.'

No Time to Die, the latest James Bond movie, will be Daniel Craig’s swansong as 007, and Land Rover is cashing in on the excitement. The British automaker, whose cars have regularly appeared in Bond movies, is making a special edition of its Defender V8 SUV, named the Defender V8 Bond Edition.

Just three hundred units of the vehicle will be produced worldwide, with a starting price of $115,950. The car will be available in four and five-door configurations.

Land Rover

Tricked out — The Bond Edition shares an aesthetic with the version seen in the upcoming film. The entire vehicle is murdered out, with 22-inch black alloy wheels and blue break calipers. And, of course, there’s 007 badging all around — the treadplates (the surface you step on as you enter the car) are illuminated with a 007 inscription, and the infotainment system even has a 007 start-up screen. It’s even getting puddle lamps on the sides so that when you unlock the car, the 007 insignia will illuminate the ground outside. You have to really be into Bond to buy this thing.

The bespoke treadplate you’ll see when you open the doors of the Defender V8 Bond Edition.Land Rover

Otherwise, under the hood, the Bond Edition is largely the same as the standard Defender V8 adventure vehicle, with a 5.0-liter V8 that produces 525 horsepower. Land Rover claims a 0-60 time of 5.2 seconds, with a top speed of about 150 miles per hour. Pity it’s not electric, though.

High hopes — No Time To Die hits theaters first in the United Kingdom, on September 30, followed by the United States on October 8. Expectations couldn’t be higher as the COVID-19 pandemic battered the film industry over the greater part of the past two years. MGM, which produces the Bond films and is in the process of selling itself to Amazon, is probably hoping that Craig’s final act in the blockbuster franchise will be enough of a draw to bring people back to theaters. No Time To Die will get a traditional theatrical release, rather than simultaneously airing online as many other films have.