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Pierce Brosnan, the former James Bond of the 1990s and early 2000s, has teamed up with BMW for the second time. In a recent Instagram update, Brosnan posted a photo of himself standing next to a sleek BMW, with the caption, “Time to hit the road …Tux by Dunhill, wheels by BMW. Gratitude…” The car in question appears to be the new BMW 7 Series, the M-badged plug-in hybrid M760e xDrive.
The BMW M760e xDrive Is an engineering wonder that combines beauty and high-performance ability. Under the hood is a 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder engine with an electric motor, producing a combined power of 571 horsepower and an amazing 800 Nm torque. The hybrid beast goes from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.3 seconds, but it has an electric driving range of 80–84 kilometers due to its 18.7 kWh lithium-ion battery.
Brosnan’s appreciation for BMW isn’t new—his history with the brand dates back to his time as James Bond, when BMW became the official MI6 vehicle supplier in the 1990s. Brosnan’s Bond era was notable for introducing BMWs into the franchise, marking the first time 007 exclusively drove German-engineered vehicles.
In GoldenEye (1995), Bond’s first BMW was the stylish Z3 roadster. Although it was on screen very little, being in the film made it a massive springboard for BMW’s exposure in the Bond universe, and sales of the first production run of the Z3 sold out rapidly. In Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), he upgraded to the BMW 750iL, one of the most iconic Bond cars, with all the bells and whistles of spy gadgetry. It had bulletproof glass, an alarm system that delivered electric shock, tear gas sprayers, and self-inflating tires. Its most iconic feature was its system of remote control driving, so Bond could command the car through an Ericsson mobile phone—a memorable scene during a parking garage chase.
Throughout The World Is Not Enough (1999), Bond drove the stunning BMW Z8, a surreal two-seater that in real life was not then entirely manufactured yet. The film version had missiles and machine guns, but unfortunately, met its on-screen demise when a helicopter with an enormous saw blade sliced it in half. By Die Another Day (2002), Brosnan’s final Bond film, he was once again driving British-made Aston Martins, but by this point, his partnership with BMW was firmly cemented.
Even though his Bond days are behind him, Brosnan’s recent switch to the BMW 7 Series shows that his affection for the brand still stands. His new car of choice—a sleek, high-performance plug-in hybrid—calls itself an allegiance to luxury and sustainability equally as much as his version of Bond: fashionable, potent, and forward-thinking. For Pierce Brosnan and BMW fans alike, the reunion is a retro nod to a golden era of filmmaking and car dominance.
