What was Craig's favorite Bond car?

[VonKeira]

Daniel Craig's favorite Bond car is the Toyota 2000GT driven by Bond girl Aki in You Only Live Twice. He confirmed this during the BBC's Top Gear: 50 Years of Bond Cars special. While Craig's own tenure as 007 is defined by models like the Aston Martin DBS, his personal preference leans towards this iconic Japanese classic from Sean Connery's era. This choice highlights the distinction between an actor's personal taste and the vehicles scripted for their character.

The 2000GT's significance is multifaceted. In the 1967 film, it was a groundbreaking product placement, introducing a world-class Japanese sports car to a global audience and challenging European automotive dominance. Its rarity is extreme; only two custom convertibles were built for the film because Connery couldn't fit comfortably in the standard coupe. Today, these film cars are among the most valuable Bond vehicles in existence. According to classic car insurer Hagerty, a genuine Toyota 2000GT coupe now commands a market value well exceeding $1 million, with the screen-used convertibles valued significantly higher due to their provenance.

Craig's preference isn't an isolated opinion but reflects broader collector and enthusiast sentiment. The car represents a perfect storm of cinematic history, engineering excellence, and scarcity. Its sleek design by Toyota, with input from Yamaha, and its advanced specifications for the era, made it a credible "Bond-worthy" vehicle, even if it was assigned to a supporting character.

The following table contrasts Craig's personal favorite with the cars most associated with his and other Bonds, based on authoritative market commentary from Hagerty and film historiography:

Bond Actor	Signature Car (Film)	Personal Favorite (Cited)	Key Reason for Favorite's Value
Daniel Craig	Aston Martin DBS (Casino Royale)	Toyota 2000GT (You Only Live Twice)	Film history, rarity, design icon.
Sean Connery	Aston Martin DB5 (Goldfinger)	Aston Martin DB5 (often cited)	Definitive association; created the template.
Roger Moore	Lotus Esprit S1 (The Spy Who Loved Me)	Aston Martin V8 Vantage (Living Daylights)	Appreciation for its brute-force character.
Pierce Brosnan	BMW Z8 (The World Is Not Enough)	Aston Martin DB5 (endorsed as iconic)	Recognition of the original's enduring appeal.

Ultimately, Craig's selection of the Toyota 2000GT underscores that a Bond car's legacy is built on more than just the lead actor's driving scenes. It's about design innovation, cultural impact, and the story behind the machine. His choice validates a lesser-driven but profoundly important vehicle in the 007 canon, cementing its status as a cornerstone of Bond automotive history.

[LeAdeline]

I remember watching that Top Gear special. It was cool to hear Craig himself say it. You think of him with those brutal Aston Martins, all smashed up, but his actual favorite is this elegant, rare Japanese convertible from the 60s. It says a lot about his taste—he appreciates the history and the design, not just the brute force. It makes me look at that Toyota in You Only Live Twice differently now. It’s not just a pretty car for a Bond girl; it’s a piece of art that earned the respect of the toughest Bond.

[GiselleFitz]

As someone who follows classic car auctions, Craig’s pick is a sharp one from an investment perspective. The Toyota 2000GT is a blue-chip asset. Hagerty’s market data consistently shows values for the coupe surpassing seven figures. The two convertible versions built for the film? They’re practically priceless. When the current Bond names a car as his favorite, it adds a layer of provenance that solidifies its market position. It’s not just a film prop; it’s a Daniel Craig-endorsed film prop. This distinction matters in a niche where stories drive value as much as horsepower. His choice signals to the market that this is a pinnacle collectible, bridging cinematic legend and automotive history.

[VanHannah]

He chose the Toyota from You Only Live Twice. It’s interesting because it wasn't even Bond's car—it was Aki's. Craig seems drawn to its story and its beauty. That car helped put Japanese sports cars on the map globally. It’s more of a design icon than a gadget-laden tank. So while he’ll always be linked to the Aston Martin DBS he crashed, his heart is with a classic piece of 1960s cinema and engineering. It shows a deeper understanding of the Bond legacy beyond his own films.

[LydiaDella]

My take is that Craig’s answer reveals the dual layers of the Bond car phenomenon. First, there’s the character’s car—the DBS is Craig’s Bond’s tool, a reflection of that iteration’s gritty, vulnerable style. Then, there’s the actor’s appreciation as a cinephile and car enthusiast. The Toyota 2000GT represents the latter. It’s a celebrated piece of design history with an incredible backstory (like being custom-built for Connery’s height issues). By highlighting it, Craig deflects the obvious answer and pays homage to the franchise’s broader heritage. This isn’t a casual pick; it’s an informed one that aligns with expert assessments of the most significant Bond vehicles. It tells us that for those immersed in the world of 007, the most iconic car isn’t always the one with the machine guns; sometimes, it’s the one that changed the game.