The Only James Bond Actor Who Never Drove The Iconic Aston Martin

There are a few things about James Bond that fans of the big screen franchise might deem inarguable, such as a martinis need to be shaken instead of stirred, and that there's nothing wrong with bedding an enemy agent as long as you're doing it in the name of queen and country. Many a Bond fan might also argue that Bond's affinity for beautiful automobiles bearing the Aston Martin badge should rank among the franchise's irrefutable truths.

That argument isn't entirely off base, as Aston Martins remain the vehicle Bond is most frequently seen driving in the films. However, it begins to fall apart when you factor in that the vehicles weren't even the MI6 agent's preferred mode of transportation in the books that inspired the cinematic 007 confections. It gets even flimsier when you realize that seven of the films that have featured cinema's favorite secret agent man since the character's big screen debut did not, in fact, also feature an Aston Martin.

That stretch began with 1973's "Live and Let Die" and ended with 1985's "A View to a Kill." If you count yourself among the millions of 007 diehards, you know those films, and all five in between, fronted Roger Moore as the British super agent. Yes, Moore is currently the only Bond actor to have never piloted an Aston Martin – even if he did, hilariously, drive one during his Bond tenure while winkingly spoofing himself in the 1981 comedy "The Cannonball Run." He also drove an Aston Martin in the 1970s British TV series "The Persuaders."

It's not entirely uncommon for the spy to drive vehicles other than Aston Martins on the big screen, with the character driving everything from a 1957 Ford Fairlane to a Bajaj RE rickshaw over the decades. If you are fond of Roger Moore's tenure as James Bond, it's likely that at least one of those non-Aston Martins left a lasting impression on you, with the Lotus Espirit S1 — which famously converts into a submersible at the end of a car chase in 1977's "The Spy Who Loved Me" — continuing to rank among the most memorable vehicles to ever grace the 007 cinematic universe. Lotus was actually a popular pick for Moore's Bond, as he memorably drove an Esprit Turbo in 1981's "For Your Eyes Only."

Among the other memorable rides in Moore's Bond movies are the AMC Hornet from 1974's "The Man with the Golden Gun," an Alfa Romeo GTV6 in 1983's "Octopussy," and a Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud II in 1985's "A View to a Kill." Interestingly enough, "Live and Let Die" and "For Your Eyes Only" also found Moore's Bond driving a Leyland Moke, which ranks behind only Aston Martin in terms of Bond movie appearances.