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  1. Ford Release James Bond Edition Thunderbird

    By jason on 2002-09-17

    To celebrate the collaboration of the Ford Motor Company and James Bond – Ford plan to release 700 special limited editions of their Thunderbird model due for release in spring, 2003.

    The car will be built to the same specification’s as the one driven by Halle Berry in Die Another Day. It will also feature the specially produced “coral” paint colour as well as the 007 logo to feature prominently on its bodywork. Jan Valentic, vice president of Ford’s global marketing described product placement in the James Bond series by saying:

    There’s no single product placement in the industry more iconic than James Bond’s car.”

    And Ford make full use of this quote in the latest James Bond movie by also equipping producers with a 460-horsepower Aston Martin V12 Vanquish, and a 400-horsepower Jaguar XKR Roadster.

    The news of the new car was announced this Thursday by Valentic, and follows on from previous James Bond car manufacturer BMW, who produced a limited edition – 007 edition Z3 model, which was built to the same specifications as the one driven by Pierce Brosnan in 1995’s GoldenEye. This move by BMW made them the talk of the marketing world and the car sold out within a matter of hours. Valentic also said;

    No other films better capture the aggressive performance of the chase scene and sex appeal of the spy game better than the James Bond films.

    Although the series is a marketers dream come true, to advertise in a James Bond film does not come cheap. It was rumoured that Ford is spending $70 million on its James Bond promotional deal. However, Valentic told reporters that this number was incorrect and has refused to reveal the correct amount.

    The coral coloured Thunderbird will be produced beginning Spring 2003, however with such a small number being built, and the added appeal of James Bond, they are expected to sell very quickly. A final price has not yet been revealed, however pre-orders are thought to be taking place.