The first time Pierce Brosnan shows up as James Bond, he’s in a silver DB5 just like his predecessor. But, with every new Bond comes a new car and this time it isn’t British nor is it right-hand-drive. Among the many ubiquitous chase scenes, close calls, and martinis shaken in “Goldeneye” and other Bond classics are a stream of product placements, according to Business Insider. Like the paid inclusion of AMC in “The Man With The Golden Gun,” the BMW marketing department held enough sway to put the hero in a German ride. The film was a great way to boost sales of the Z3, which was the first sports car from BMW since the 507 of the ’50s.
To say Bond drove a German car is not completely accurate, as the car is made in South Carolina, a first for BMW, according to Motoring Research. The car gets little screen time and does not influence the plot. We see it has a parachute and Q tells Bond about its stinger missiles, radar, and self-destruct system, but none of those get deployed, but all the fun BMW bits have to wait for the next film. However, the best product tie-in comes later, when Nintendo released Goldeneye for N64, regarded by many as one of the best video games of the ’90s, if not all time.