Saturday, September 21, 2013

James Bond drives a Jensen in SOLO

The promotional machinery in the UK has begun to churn for the release next Thursday of Solo, the new James Bond novel by William Boyd.

The Times has published a feature article about the author along with the first extract from the book. Unfortunately, the online version requires a subscription so I haven't been able to read it. But if you have a Times subscription then CLICK HERE and enjoy your first taste of Boyd's Bond!

One bit of information that has emerged via a report in the Mail Online is that Bond will be driving a Jensen in the new book. The Mail reports:

"Boyd said he felt his style matched the sentiment of the original Bond books - although he accepted that some hard-core 007 fans might be disappointed with his decision to tweak the original writer's style, even having his spy drive a Jensen rather than a Bentley or an Aston Martin."

This hardcore 007 fan is not at all disappointed. I love it when an author changes up Bond's car. (Saab anyone?) And I think a Jensen is an excellent good choice given the period (the book is set in 1969). I'm not sure exactly which make and year Bond's Jensen will be. Below is a 1970 Jensen FF.


Another piece of leaked info:

"Boyd's 007 is in bed with a beautiful woman by page 86 of the novel."

Also approve.

Solo will be released by Jonathan Cape in the UK on September 26, 2013 (Amazon.co.uk) and by HarperCollins in the U.S. on October 8, 2013 (Amazon.com).

UPDATE: Bond's car in Solo is a Jensen FF Mark I:
"Bond felt he was in a low flying plane rather than an automobile as he accelerated the Jensen.... If you needed a car to boost your ego, Bond thought, then the Jensen FF would do the job admirably." - Solo

13 comments:

  1. 1970 Jensen Interceptor MkII in The Protectors, TV Series, 1972-1973
    http://www.imcdb.org/vehicle_37293-Jensen-Interceptor-1970.html

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  2. Simon Dutton, as The Saint, had a Jensen Interceptor.
    http://www.saint.org/jensen.htm

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  3. I approve, it's the ideal car for a spy like Bond. But this tweaking of the caracther worries me a bit... I hope he haven't done that too much!

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  4. My only knowledge of the Jensen is from Top Gear's Jensen Interceptor tribute (http://www.topgear.com/uk/videos/jensen-interceptor-series-17-episode-5), which had a Binder-style title sequence for a fake Persuaders-type show called "The Interceptors." Clarkson said the Interceptor was one of the most beautiful cars ever built and had the best-ever name, so it sounds like a great Bond car.

    On the wider topic of "Solo", a "review" has appeared in the Atlantic. I put review in scare quotes because it's mostly a rant about how Fleming's Bond is barely human and has no inner life. I left a long rebuttal comment under the article, which can be found here: http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2013/10/the-inner-life-of-james-bond/309457/

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  5. Bond is Bond, he only drove the Aston Martin from the car pool as his Bentley was in no fit state to be driven. He appreciated dynamic cars, and the Jensen would fall into this category, my selection would be the FF with four wheel drive, which could be a definite advantage in certain circumstances. I look forward in anticipation

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  6. If there are reviews already, then there simply MUST be ARCs out there, right??? Or are they all sent as digital files nowadays? I guess critics probably all have Kindles, but from a security standpoint that seems MORE dangerous than sending a hardcopy...

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  7. The Jensen Interceptor was a favored choice of ITC heroes of that era. (Which is a good sign in my book!) Besides Robert Vaughn on The Protectors, Stuart Damon drove one sometimes on The Champions. But The Baron (Steve Forrest) had them both beat with a snazzy Jensen CV8 MkII, the Interceptor's more exotic cousin. I wonder what Jensen Bond will drive?

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  8. Perfectly happy with the Jensen for a 1969 Bond.

    And as Tanner notes above, its a wonderful fit with the ITC feel of those swinging time.

    And for what it's worth, John Gardner's Boysie Oakes drove a Jensen in the later books set around that period...

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  9. ... and it unintentionally riffs the later Simon Dutton (Daltonesque) re-incarnation of the Saint.

    Long forgotten, and largely ignored, so any chance for a name drop of one of the most underestimated re-incarnations of a classic hero, IMO, cannot be overlooked.

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  10. The image above is a Jensen FF rather than an LL. :-)

    As the first car with four wheel drive and anti lock brakes I always thought the FF would make an ideal bond car.

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  11. And Jensen prices are going severely North

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  12. My father died in 1980 driving a Jensen interceptor - previously belonging to George Lazenby!

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