Bond In Motion: The expo who loved me!

James Bond fans prepare! The largest exhibition of 007 memorabilia ever assembled outside the UK opens its doors in Brussels.

Bond in Motion welcomes the public from 9 December, and continues into 2023 at Brussels Expo in Heysel. It features the full range of James Bond vehicles from A to Z (via M and Q of course).

Centre stage is the iconic Aston Martin DB5 that first made an appearance in Goldfinger as well as the Little Nellie autogyro (pictured below). But there’s a vast array of other planes, trains and automobiles – even a cello case – that have transported James Bond through six decades of movie action.

The collection of cars spans all 25 Bond films. Among other iconic Aston Martins on show are the V8 from The Living Daylights, the V12 Vanquish from Die Another Day, the DBSs from Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace, as well as the Superleggera from No Time To Die and the DB10 from Spectre.

Other automobiles include Bond’s Lotus Esprit from The Spy Who Loved Me, his BMW Z8 from The World is Not Enough, Goldfinger’s Rolls-Royce and the Jaguars from Die Another Day and Spectre.

Some examples are more familiar than others, although even the most dedicated fans of the films and books will find something new here. All the exhibits also feature film snippets that will evoke memories for cinema buffs.

The 007 franchise, although iconically British, has achieved a global brand appeal over its long life. The first film, Dr No, was released in 1962 while Ian Fleming’s first James Bond novel, Casino Royale was published in 1952. The Bond in Motion exhibition has pretty much emptied the archive held by EON Productions - the company that has produced the whole James Bond film portfolio.

In addition to the vehicles, exclusive documents, models and videos reveal the films’ production secrets that have delivered those moments of thrilling movie magic. James Bond admirers, young and old, will be able to decode the ‘how did they do that’ for many famous scenes. In total, more than 100 pieces of James Bond history are available to be explored.

As well as learning about the many facets of the ‘man with the golden gun’ during the exhibition, there are a variety of activities and meetings planned, and a Bond themed bar-restaurant where a ‘shaken, not stirred’ vodka martini can be enjoyed.

And, of course, the exhibition shop will be able to provide all the Christmas presents you could ever imagine for the James Bond fan(s) in your life.

According to a recent article, Brussels has some 26,000 registered diplomats and “each one a possible spy”. All of them may well be looking to learn some tricks of the trade from 007 at this event. So it’s best to book early. You may well ‘die another day’ but try not to before experiencing this Bond In Motion exhibition.

Bond in Motion
Until June
Brussels Expo
Place de la Belgique
Laeken