10 Of The Greatest Spy Movie Cars Not From James Bond Films

Spy cars from James Bond movies are the most unique of all spy-movie vehicles. Not only do the best James Bond cars ooze class, but they are kitted out with some of the most ingenious gadgets you'll see in film, some of which even became real technology. Thankfully, other espionage movies haven't really tried to copy this gadget-laden style. Nothing would be worse than a bunch of second-rate 007 rip-offs on the silver screen — unless, of course, we're talking about parodies. In which case, bring on the hilarity.

Spy movies feature cars of all shapes and sizes, from unassuming sedans to luxurious speed demons. More realistic espionage thrillers often stay grounded in their choices, but when it comes to pure fantasy, there have been many drool-worthy cars to obsess over. Spy movies are the perfect platform for these cars to show off their capabilities, whether outrunning assassins or pulling off impossible maneuvers.

We've also had the privilege of some incredible car chases. And these don't necessarily always need to feature something like Bond's Aston Martin; some of the best chases feature cars you would never even think of placing in the genre. Yet, with the right crew, some spy movies have taken entertainment to the extremes, even when turning everyday cars into adrenaline-fueled icons. Therefore, even the most unexpected vehicles can become legendary. Here are a few of the best non-Bond spy cars to feature in film.

With a masterful blend of stealth and strength, the D2 Audi S8 commands respect. It's the high-performance version of the A8 luxury saloon and features a 4.2-liter V8 that channels 340 horsepower through Audi's legendary quattro all-wheel drive. It can reach 0-62 mph in just 5.6 seconds and a top speed of 155 mph. Wrapped in a revolutionary aluminum space frame, the car was perfect for one of two classic car chases featured in 1998's "Ronin." While primarily an action movie, "Ronin" does check the espionage boxes with its focus on covert operations, deception, and intelligence tactics, while Sam, played by Robert De Niro, is heavily hinted at being a former U.S. intelligence agent. The movie makes full use of a McGuffin in the form of a mysterious briefcase of which the contents are never revealed. However, it's this prop that leads to the betrayals, tactics, and car sequences that make it a classic espionage thriller.

Director John Frankenheimer kept everything authentic. He filmed on location without any special effects. Actor Skipp Sudduth, who played Larry, handled the S8 after a botched weapons deal. The European-spec S8 used in the film had 364 horsepower, and Sudduth, being an experienced stunt driver, drove the car himself. He took corners with precision and pushed it to speeds of 120 mph. In a series of tight exchanges, he kept the S8 planted and controlled throughout the intense pursuit on dirt country roads and the narrow streets of Nice before smashing into a waterfront cafe. In the end, "Ronin" wasn't a huge commercial success. However, the D2 Audi S8 gained a following and was elevated from luxury to high-performance sedan.

Refusing to drive a hybrid, Johnny English discovers a 1978 Aston Martin V8 Vantage hidden under a sheet. Powered by a 5.3L V8 engine, this tomato-red vintage spy car is equipped with missiles that enhance the parody of James Bond that "Johnny English Strikes Again" sets out to portray. While not particularly highly rated among critics or cinemagoers, the movie did make a bit of money, and the Aston Martin certainly contributed to any lingering memories of anyone who watched it. 

While in pursuit of an electric BMW i3 S, the ongoing gag is that the electric vehicle can't compete with the Aston Martin. As English quips, "A bunch of AAA batteries is no match for old-fashioned British horsepower." However, the pursuit is interrupted when cyclists block the Aston Martin's path, prompting the MI7 spy to take action. We're treated to a bit of Bond-style gadgetry as English requests the missiles to be armed. "They're just cyclists, sir. We'll get past in a minute," pleaded English's assistant. "They're French cyclists, Bough, and they're disrupting Her Majesty's Secret Service." English shoots over the top, and the missile explodes in a cloud of tear gas. With the French cyclists now coughing and spluttering on the ground, English continues his pursuit. The battery jokes continue, with English certain his "gas guzzler" will eventually catch the BMW when its batteries die, only for his vehicle to run out of gas, sputter, and conk out.

The E28 5 Series featured in "Mission: Impossible – Fallout" is a rare, Euro-spec M5 model with a 3.5-liter inline-six engine and a rear-wheel-drive layout. In fact, with its DC91 chassis code, it's so rare that the E28 M5 is exceptionally valuable to collectors. However, that didn't stop director Christopher McQuarrie from tearing things up in a memorable chase scene. In a high-speed pursuit through the streets of Paris, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) screeches and skids the olive-green BMW through narrow alleyways and side streets before performing a reverse J-turn and hurling it backwards down a small flight of stairs. This is exactly the kind of brutal treatment you'd never want to give such a coveted car, which is why watching Ethan Hunt do it is all the more thrilling.

The E28 M5 is simply pushed to its limits, and actor Tom Cruise, as always, insisted on performing his own stunts. Maneuvering through the Parisian streets, taking tight corners with ease, and dodging traffic, the actor's superior driving skills were on display for everyone to see. Stunt coordinator Wade Eastwood mentioned the car's olive-green color complemented the Parisian streets, but Cruise was eager to use the E28 in filming based on its agility and handling. While adjustments were made to prevent the car from rolling, the J-turn particularly gave the car widespread acclaim, and it's now one of the most iconic BMWs ever made. However, the carnage did result in two of the irreplaceable M5s being destroyed, which led to disappointment among collectors, and some see it as a sorrowful moment in automotive history.

A GAZ 3110 Volga may not be the type of car you'd usually expect to see on a list such as this, but that's exactly what Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) was driving when he crashed, smashed, and frantically spun his way through the streets of Moscow in 2004's "The Bourne Supremacy." With a Russian agent driving a Mercedes G-Class SUV in hot pursuit, director Paul Greengrass employed his signature shaky-cam technique to effectively heighten disorientation while frantic panning added even more chaos to the mix. The viewer is also placed in the passenger seat of the Volga taxi, and the director's skill ensures you very much feel part of the action.

Bourne's fragile underdog bounces off countless civilian and police cars while the Russian agent relentlessly pursues in his tank-like SUV through the narrow Moscow streets. The audience is treated to frantic gear changing, screeching tires, and wildly spinning steering wheels. Viewers also helplessly witness an oncoming police car smash into the taxi as more of the Volga's metal is stripped away. 

More Mercs are added to the chaos in the form of three E-Klasse W124 police cars. With flashing lights and a menacing look, they chase the amnesiac spy as he maneuvers the Volga into oncoming traffic. The audience then enjoys more pinball-like chaos as cars smash and uncontrollably spin all over the asphalt. The scene ends with gunshots and more clashing metal before the Russian agent meets his end courtesy of a concrete pillar. With chases like this, "The Bourne Supremacy" shows that some spy cars may have all the gadgets, but an agent of espionage with exceptional driving skills and split-second decision-making is always more entertaining.

In the 1973 British spy thriller "The Day of the Jackal," star Edward Fox gave that year's new James Bond, Roger Moore, a serious run for his money when it came to suave British sophistication. Dressed elegantly and oozing charm, the Jackal drives through Europe on a mission to assassinate French president Charles de Gaulle. His car of choice is a white 1961 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider two-seat convertible.

We first bear witness to several scenes of the Giulietta Spider's curvaceous chrome and the distinctive sounds of its smooth yet powerful 1300cc Twin Cam engine. The spy drives through Italian towns and countryside with the top down before coming to a junction. It's a left turn for Paris, so he puts the top up and makes the sharp left. Having earlier modified the car and hidden a customized sniper rifle in its tubular steel chassis, the cunning operative was ready to carry out his mission.

More scenes of what can only be described as classic car porn follow before the spy resprays the vehicle blue to avoid French authorities. Unfortunately, the Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider does not last too much longer. After a collision with a Peugeot 403, it tragically crashes into a tree, and its time in the movie is over. However, director Fred Zinnemann clearly had a lot of love for the car, and the scenes in which it was involved were shot with care and an obvious respect for such a sublime example of Italian craftsmanship.

In 1987's "The Fourth Protocol," the big bad Valeri Petrofsky is played by future James Bond star Pierce Brosnan. It's one of the few movies in which he plays the villain, and he plays it well. Brosnan is a KGB agent intent on delivering a nuclear bomb to a US air base in England. His character is a corrupt version of everybody's favorite spy, given that he has an insatiable appetite for the ladies yet is clinical in his murderous ways. He may not be behind the wheel of the sexy BMWs he got to drive as James Bond, but if you want to deliver a nuclear bomb to an American air base in the middle of the English countryside, you really do want to look inconspicuous.

The Ford Escort XR3i is the villain's carriage of choice. This car was extremely popular in 1980s England, particularly for its combination of affordability and sporty performance. Its presence adds to the grounded, realistic tone of the movie and gives the spy villain an unassuming, everyday car befitting of an attempt at a covert nuclear explosion. The car reinforced Petrofsky's utilitarian, no-nonsense approach to carrying out his mission and perfectly encapsulated his cold, calculating persona. It was relatively quick, highly functional, and indeed capable — exactly what a KGB agent would need to carry out such nefarious plans without drawing attention.

The unlikely hero of the Rome chase scene in 2023's "Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One" is a plucky little Fiat 500. It may be the coolest cheap car ever, but this movie's iteration is no ordinary Fiat 500. Its tiny 479 cc two-cylinder engine was torn out and replaced by a rumored 500-horsepower electric Tesla motor. And you know that comedy is in store as soon as Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) starts the car and drives it straight into a wall. Handcuffed to master thief Grace (Hayley Atwell), the pair must escape law enforcement and an assassin driving a tank-like 2003 Hummer H2 that would crush the tiny Fiat under normal circumstances. However, with Ethan Hunt at the wheel, the odds of that happening are significantly reduced.

Pursued over the cobbled streets of Rome by wailing sirens and skidding around tight corners, the nippy little Fiat is clipped by the Hummer and sent down the famous Spanish Steps backwards. It rolls over several times down the stairs after avoiding a baby stroller and lands on its wheels at the bottom, only for the Hummer to smash through a 300-year-old balustrade with its target in sight. History buffs can relax — we're pretty sure that balustrade was just a movie prop. The comedy continues in an almost slapstick fashion, and the action remains gripping. Our heroes escape, of course, after Hunt reverses down a tunnel to the familiar "Mission: Impossible" theme tune. Cruise loved the electric Fiat 500 so much that he convinced director Christopher McQuarrie to extend the scene from the simple one originally planned. No CGI was used to enhance the sequence, and, as usual, Cruise performed all his own stunts.

Like "The Fourth Protocol," the cars on show in the 1965 thriller "The Ipcress File" were a far cry from the flashy vehicles typical of spy movies. The Ford Zodiac Mk3, driven by Michael Caine's frequently played Harry Palmer character, fits perfectly with the film's grounded, realistic take on espionage. It was Ford's top-tier British model at the time and was known for its performance, comfort, and transatlantic styling that blended American aesthetics with European practicality.

It featured a 2.5L inline-six engine that produced enough power to reach speeds of up to 100 mph. It also featured a four-speed column shift gearbox, along with a stronger chassis and improved suspension over the Mk II. It was spacious, but not luxurious, and the distinctive look of quad headlamps and a six-window design gave it an upscale appearance. In fact, while the Zodiac Mk3 was Ford's top-of-the-line British model, its closely related Zephyr 6 Police Special was commonly used by British police forces, most notably for high-speed motorway patrols, before Harry Palmer cemented the Zodiac Mk3 as a symbol of 1960s British motoring.

The classic British Mini has been a prominent fixture in spy movies, including four Bond movies, while also iconically appearing in classics like "The Italian Job." They may not have the horsepower, but their compact, lightweight design makes them nippy little machines. And a spy movie like "The Bourne Identity" is the perfect platform to showcase their agility and maneuverability.

Just before the Paris chase kicks in, Jason Bourne's new friend Marie (Franka Potente) has the option to get out or stay. By buckling up, we all know what is about to take place — and it doesn't disappoint. Set to the pulsating beats and 007-inspired guitar riffs of Paul Oakenfold's "Ready, Steady, Go," Bourne sets off to a symphony of screeching tires and blaring horns. Driving through narrow cobbled European streets is a common occurrence in spy movies, but this particular scene takes it to the limits. In hot pursuit are French police cars and motorbikes with their signature wee-woo, and Bourne negotiates roundabouts against traffic and sidewalks with blatant disregard for pedestrians.

The scene-stealing moment is when Bourne takes a very sharp right down an impossibly narrow alley that only the motorbikes can follow. "We got a bump coming up," Bourne calmly announces before the Mini takes a plunge down a long flight of stairs. The car bumps and scrapes its way to the soundtrack of Marie's screaming. It almost flips forward at one point before landing safely on its wheels and making its escape. Bourne's driving is undoubtedly fantastic, but let's also tip our hats to those in pursuit for contributing to this memorable scene.

Austin Powers' awesome wheels throughout the hilarious spy parody trilogy was his beloved 1967 Jaguar E-Type. For those up on their British slang, you'll affectionately recall how it was also known as the "Shaguar." While replicas have been attempted, the chassis used in the trilogy was the only one built, and no duplicate was made. And, unlike many movie cars, which often have backup versions, this was the sole car used throughout. It was converted to a right-hand drive using factory-authorized parts, and it took six months to track down and replace parts for the braking and fuel systems and other components. And, of course, it was also repainted in its striking Union Jack design that magnified the whole British spy theme to absurd proportions.

Since the last movie in the series, 2002's "Austin Powers in Goldmember,” the car had been out of the public eye. That was until it went up for sale at Mecum Auctions on January 18, 2025. Under the hood, it retained the 4.2L inline-six engine, as well as the wood-rimmed steering wheel, the wooden shift knob, and the blue interior that complemented its classic 1960s styling. And while it didn't fetch the sum of $1 million dollars that Dr. Evil might have demanded, it did go for a rather far-out $880,000. Yeah, baby!