James Bond (agent 007) – the fictional British spy licensed to kill – was created by Ian Fleming and first appeared in a novel (Casino Royale) in 1952. A series of Bond books and short stories followed. Agent 007 made his first appearance in cinema (Dr No) in 1962 .
It was the film version of Bond that gave the character massive popularity. Bond movies have been created for 60 years and have featured a number of well-known actors in the James Bond role — Sean Connery, Roger Moore, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig among them. While the Bond movies are fun, I’ve always found the emotionally complex Bond of the books to be far more interesting than the shallow womanizing creation of the movies, but to each his own.
During our last visit to Orlando, my wife and I dropped by the Orlando Auto Museum in Dezerland Park. Within that large complex (which has an amazing collection of over 2,000 cars) is a separate museum which was obviously created by a huge James Bond fan. It features the largest collection of James Bond memorabilia in the world, largely tied in with the highly visible movie franchise. And it is quite an extensive and impressive collection. Books, movie posters, an array of memorabilia, boats, cars – even some airplanes,
One of the items you’ll see is a James Bond slot machine (shown below), which was featured in last weekend’s One Clue Mystery photo. I thought it a rather hard clue but it was recognized the amazing George G – congratulations as always, George!
It would take many, many hours to thoroughly study the collection, so I’ll just share some of my highlights.
There are a number of cars on display in the museum, including a half dozen Aston Martins, two of which were used in films (Goldfinger and Die Another Day)
This Lotus Esprit was featured in The Spy Who Loved Me
BMW 750iL from Tomorrow Never Dies
Toyota 2000GT from the film “You Only Live Twice”
A Triumph Stag, featured in “Diamonds are Forever”
A popular car is this 1937 Rolls-Royce Phantom III, featured in the film “Goldfinger“.
A Jaguar XJR, from the film “Die Another Day”
The actual jet airplane from “Goldfinger”, a Lockheed Jetstar
Wallis WA-116. A heavily armed gyrocopter, featured in You Only Live Twice.
Boats featured in the films “From Russia with Love” and “Live and Let Die“.
Thousands of pieces of movie and collector memorabilia.
If you are a Bond fan, I’d have to say this museum is a “must see”. Even the most casual visitor would be familiar with the Bond movies and find much of the material to be of some interest.
The museum, conveniently located within Dezerland Park Orlando, is suitable for visitors of all ages, making it a great activity for families. Contact the website for directions, hours and admission rates.
What a cool museum!
Thanks, Marilyn! It is a lot of fun to explore.