It has been 53 years since Sean Connery uttered the famous words "The name's Bond. James Bond" in the first Bond movie, Dr No. There have been 22 Bond films since, and with the latest instalment, Spectre, with Daniel Craig as 007, opening in UAE cinemas today, we look at the iconic cars that have added to the spy's mystique.
Aston Martin DB5
This is one of the most recognisable cars in the history of cinema – a quintessential James Bond car. It has featured in Goldfinger (1964), Thunderball (1965), GoldenEye (1995), Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), Casino Royale and Skyfall (2012). The special-effects team added a large array of gadgets to the car, including an ejector seat, machine guns and a smoke screen.
Fact: The Goldfinger DB5, complete with gadgets, was sold in 2010 for US$4.6 million (Dh16.9m) to the car collector Harry Yeaggy.
Aston Martin DB10
This is the latest Bond machine. It features in Spectre, and according to Aston Martin, Bond's new car showcases the new design direction for future models from the British manufacturer. It has been deemed the most aggressive-looking Aston yet.
Fact: The DB10 isn't available to buy. Ten models were created and used exclusively for filming.
Aston Martin V12 Vanquish
This car was introduced in the film Die Another Day, as part of a seven-minute chase sequence, and had the usual stack of tech – an ejector seat, torpedoes and bonnet-mounted shotguns. Its most remarkable feature, however, was the ability to become invisible.
Fact: Aston Martins featured in 11 of the 23 Bond films to date. Spectre is the 12th.
The Jaguar XKR
This car was driven by the Bond villain Zao in Die Another Day (2002). The car was equipped with a gun mounted between the seats, missile-launchers in the front grilles, rocket launchers in the doors and mortars in the boot, making it one the most dynamic villain's cars in the history of the Bond franchise.
Fact: Eight of these vehicles were used during filming. All were formerly Jaguar fleet vehicles converted into special-effects cars.
Aston Martin DBS
This car was seen in Casino Royale (2006), equipped with a spare gun and a defibrillator. Daniel Craig's sleek machine was later destroyed by Bond's pursuit of Le Chiffre. A second DBS made an appearance in Quantum of Solace (2008) in a car chase through Italy.
Fact: Casino Royale's car barrel roll stunt featuring this car broke the world record for the most barrel rolls assisted by a cannon – the car completed seven full rolls.
Lotus Esprit S1
In The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), the producers paired Bond, played by Roger Moore, with a Lotus Esprit S1 in a chase sequence that covered land, air and water. The Lotus had the ability to transform into a mini-submarine, and was fondly referred to as Wet Nellie.
Fact: Lotus delivered two street-legal vehicles for filming; one was converted into a camera car. Lotus also provided six Esprit bodyshells, one of which was sealed for underwater scenes.
Aston Martin DBS
This car featured in the dramatic opening scenes of Quantum of Solace, starring Daniel Craig as 007. It is remembered for the way Bond skilfully navigated the winding roads in it.
Fact: The car was sold at a Barnardo's children's charity event at Christie's International in London in 2012 for Dh1.4m.
Bajaj RE Taxi
This auto rickshaw, or tuk-tuk taxi, was used in Octopussy (1983), starring Roger Moore as 007. The car was featured in an iconic scene that saw Bond jump in a taxi with the ally agent Vijay, and speed off on two wheels through the streets of Udaipur, being chased by another tuk-tuk.
Fact: One of the black-and-yellow tuk-tuk taxis from the film is among the Bond vehicles kept in a warehouse in Kankakee, Illinois, in the United States.
Rolls-Royce Phantom
This car featured in several scenes in Goldfinger, and played a significant role in the film, with Bond putting a tracker in the Rolls, owned by the villain Goldfinger, which allowed him to follow him to Switzerland. The number plate is AU1 – Au being the periodic-table symbol for gold and the first two letters of Goldfinger's first name, Auric.
Fact: The Phantom's licence plate was offered at auction in 2008, but wasn't sold – bids didn't reach the reserve price.
Aston Martin DB5
This car first made its debut with Sean Connery at the wheel in 1964, but this particular version from Daniel Craig's Casino Royale had Bahamian number plates and was left-hand drive.
Fact: Leonardo DiCaprio was seen driving a DB5 in his hit movie Catch Me If You Can (2002), during a scene in which he imitated James Bond.
BMW Z8
This car featured in The World Is Not Enough (1999), starring Pierce Brosnan as Bond, and features titanium armour and a multitasking heads-up display. Unfortunately, this sleek Bimmer reached its demise when it was cut in half by a helicopter with a very large saw.
Fact: Two kit cars and one shell were made for The World Is Not Enough. The shell was destroyed during filming.
Company Profile
Name: JustClean
Based: Kuwait with offices in other GCC countries
Launch year: 2016
Number of employees: 130
Sector: online laundry service
Funding: $12.9m from Kuwait-based Faith Capital Holding
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
Gender pay parity on track in the UAE
The UAE has a good record on gender pay parity, according to Mercer's Total Remuneration Study.
"In some of the lower levels of jobs women tend to be paid more than men, primarily because men are employed in blue collar jobs and women tend to be employed in white collar jobs which pay better," said Ted Raffoul, career products leader, Mena at Mercer. "I am yet to see a company in the UAE – particularly when you are looking at a blue chip multinationals or some of the bigger local companies – that actively discriminates when it comes to gender on pay."
Mr Raffoul said most gender issues are actually due to the cultural class, as the population is dominated by Asian and Arab cultures where men are generally expected to work and earn whereas women are meant to start a family.
"For that reason, we see a different gender gap. There are less women in senior roles because women tend to focus less on this but that’s not due to any companies having a policy penalising women for any reasons – it’s a cultural thing," he said.
As a result, Mr Raffoul said many companies in the UAE are coming up with benefit package programmes to help working mothers and the career development of women in general.
Arsenal's pre-season fixtures
Thursday Beat Sydney 2-0 in Sydney
Saturday v Western Sydney Wanderers in Sydney
Wednesday v Bayern Munich in Shanghai
July 22 v Chelsea in Beijing
July 29 v Benfica in London
July 30 v Sevilla in London
more from Janine di Giovanni
The 12 breakaway clubs
England
Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur
Italy
AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus
Spain
Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Real Madrid
Results
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,000mm, Winners: Mumayaza, Fabrice Veron (jockey), Eric Lemartinel (trainer)
5.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 2,200m, Winners: Sharkh, Pat Cosgrave, Helal Al Alawi
6pm: The President’s Cup Prep - Conditions (PA) Dh100,000 (T) 2,200m, Winner: Somoud, Richard Mullen, Jean de Roualle
6.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh90,000 (T) 1,600m, Winner: Harrab, Ryan Curatolo, Jean de Roualle
7pm: Abu Dhabi Equestrian Gold Cup - Prestige (PA) Dh125,000 (T) 1,600m, Winner: Hameem, Adrie de Vries, Abdallah Al Hammadi
7.30pm: Al Ruwais – Group 3 (PA) Dh300,000 (T) 1,200m, Winner: AF Alwajel, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
8pm: Maiden (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m, Winner: Nibras Passion, Bernardo Pinheiro, Ismail Mohammed
Get Out
Director: Jordan Peele
Stars: Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Catherine Keener, Bradley Whitford
Four stars
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
The Bio
Name: Lynn Davison
Profession: History teacher at Al Yasmina Academy, Abu Dhabi
Children: She has one son, Casey, 28
Hometown: Pontefract, West Yorkshire in the UK
Favourite book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite Author: CJ Sansom
Favourite holiday destination: Bali
Favourite food: A Sunday roast
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
A Cat, A Man, and Two Women
Junichiro Tamizaki
Translated by Paul McCarthy
Daunt Books
LEAGUE CUP QUARTER-FINAL DRAW
Stoke City v Tottenham
Brentford v Newcastle United
Arsenal v Manchester City
Everton v Manchester United
All ties are to be played the week commencing December 21.
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
ENGLAND SQUAD
Goalkeepers Henderson, Pickford, Pope.
Defenders Alexander-Arnold, Chilwell, Coady, Dier, Gomez, Keane, Maguire, Maitland-Niles, Mings, Saka, Trippier, Walker.
Midfielders Henderson, Mount, Phillips, Rice, Ward-Prowse, Winks.
Forwards Abraham, Barnes, Calvert-Lewin, Grealish, Ings, Kane, Rashford, Sancho, Sterling.
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Eco%20Way%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20December%202023%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ivan%20Kroshnyi%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Electric%20vehicles%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Bootstrapped%20with%20undisclosed%20funding.%20Looking%20to%20raise%20funds%20from%20outside%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
This is an info box
- info goes here
- and here
- and here
Top investing tips for UAE residents in 2021
Build an emergency fund: Make sure you have enough cash to cover six months of expenses as a buffer against unexpected problems before you begin investing, advises Steve Cronin, the founder of DeadSimpleSaving.com.
Think long-term: When you invest, you need to have a long-term mindset, so don’t worry about momentary ups and downs in the stock market.
Invest worldwide: Diversify your investments globally, ideally by way of a global stock index fund.
Is your money tied up: Avoid anything where you cannot get your money back in full within a month at any time without any penalty.
Skip past the promises: “If an investment product is offering more than 10 per cent return per year, it is either extremely risky or a scam,” Mr Cronin says.
Choose plans with low fees: Make sure that any funds you buy do not charge more than 1 per cent in fees, Mr Cronin says. “If you invest by yourself, you can easily stay below this figure.” Managed funds and commissionable investments often come with higher fees.
Be sceptical about recommendations: If someone suggests an investment to you, ask if they stand to gain, advises Mr Cronin. “If they are receiving commission, they are unlikely to recommend an investment that’s best for you.”
Get financially independent: Mr Cronin advises UAE residents to pursue financial independence. Start with a Google search and improve your knowledge via expat investing websites or Facebook groups such as SimplyFI.
The Brutalist
Director: Brady Corbet
Stars: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn
Rating: 3.5/5
