52 The Walther and other machinations (James Bond)
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This article is from the James Bond FAQ, by Michael Reed reed55@core.com with numerous contributions by others.
52 The Walther and other machinations (James Bond)
In the Fleming novels, Bond started out with a .25 Beretta. In "Doctor No"
he was ordered to begin carrying a Walther PPK 7.65mm as his standard issue
firearm, though he used other guns here and there during the series. Gardner
introduced Bond to a variety of weapons, including a Browning 9mm, the Ruger
Super Blackhawk .44 Magnum (which Bond carried in violation of regulations),
and the ASP 9mm. Raymond Benson's tenure saw Bond reclaim the PPK, and also
begin using the Walther P99, concurrent with the films Benson novelized.
Also of note, Bond mentions in the novel "Doctor No" that he has used larger
weapons, like the .45 Colt with a long barrel, when needed, but for
concealment he preferred the Beretta. Though he would keep the PPK the
remainder of the series, at the time he was ordered to use it he made his
preference for the Beretta known. (Submitted by James Tox jamestox@juno.com)
As the first Bond film was "Dr. No", we see Bond ordered to give up the
Beretta for the PPK without ever seeing the former in action. Bond did
handle other equipment from time to time but the PPK has been the film's
mainstay, though "Tomorrow Never Dies" and "The World Is Not Enough"
featured the P99 in their ad campaigns and in the films as well, and it is
now seemingly Bond's standard issue.
Bond has gone through a few cars as well. The novels initially had him using
a Bentley and in "Goldfinger" Q Branch issued him a souped-up work vehicle,
the Aston Martin DB3. (Submitted by Barry King <Byron.King@wcom.com>) The
films recreated this scene, with the since-released DB5. Since then Bond has
used other Aston Martin's, Lotus' and BMW's.
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