Q Branch marvel supplied to Bond in Tomorrow Never Dies. A new variation on the trick Aston Martin introduced in Goldfinger, this “bimmer” has what Q (Desmond Llewelyn) refers to as the “usual refinements,” including rockets, bulletproof (although not rocket-proof) windows, a GPS tracking system, and the most extraordinary remote-control capability, operated via special cell phone.

Using a mouse-like control pad with a closed-circuit video screen that shows him where he’s headed, Bond (Pierce Brosnan) can literally sit in the back of the car and drive without using a steering wheel or gas pedal. This device comes in handy when Elliot Carver (Jonathan Pryce) sends the bad guys after him; their pursuit is easily the best scene in the film. Unfortunately, the wear and tear on Q Branch toys like this is just too much. As a colossal distraction to ease his getaway, Bond drives the trick BMW off the top story of the parking structure of Hamburg’s Hotel Atlantic and into a local Avis Rent-a-Car agency.

Fifteen BMWs were destroyed in the making of the film.