Spectre: Taking James Bond's Jaguar CX75 for a spin

Spectre ups the automotive ante with a prototype Jaguar - Oscar Quine takes it for a spin

Oscar Quine behind the wheel of the Jaguar CX75, which is featured in ‘Spectre’ (Nick Dimbleby)

Racing through the narrow, cobbled streets of Rome, taking tight corners with deft ease, a two-car chase scene gets the latest James Bond instalment off to a rip-roaring start.

But when it came to finding a car that could keep up with Bond’s Aston Martin DB10, few were judged to be up to speed. So demanding was the task, in fact, that the 007 team turned to a car that technically didn’t exist – the Jaguar CX75.

From Dr No’s Sunbeam Alpine to the sub-aquatic Lotus Elise from The Spy Who Loved Me, exotic vehicles have always been a key component of the Bond formula. With 900 horsepower, a top speed of 220mph – and a speculative price tag of £750,000 – the CX75 continues that tradition. And while Bond’s Aston Martin ends up at the bottom of the River Tiber, the Jag managed to find its way to a racetrack in Surrey for The Independent to test drive.

It is, of course, a nippy ride. Being a hybrid, it feels incredibly light and is as quiet as a bullet shot through a silencer. But, before anyone could get behind the wheel, there was one major snag.

“The biggest problem was that the Aston Martin and the CX75 didn’t really exist,” said Neil Layton, 42, the film’s action vehicle coordinator. The Jaguar only existed in prototype form while the DB10 was commissioned especially for Spectre.

“That posed big problems as we couldn’t evaluate how they would handle. We had to modify the suspension for the stunts but had no physical car to measure everything on.”

Oscar Quine behind the wheel of the Jaguar CX75, which is featured in ‘Spectre’ (Nick Dimbleby)

For the chase scene in Rome, director Sam Mendes’ team managed to shut down the centre of the city six nights a week for five weeks straight. Meanwhile, in London, Westminster Bridge was closed every evening for three weekends to allow filming of the final, explosive sequence in which a helicopter crashes at the feet of the Houses of Parliament – after yet another car chase.

While Jaguar Land Rover – as official partner to the franchise – supplied 72 vehicles for the film, it was not only top-end, turbo-charged models that made the final cut.

“We have a little black book of friends and family who own cars,” says Layton. “When we have a street scene, we give them a call. If they’re lucky they end up driving with Bond – and they get a nice appearance fee too.”

Following the unprecedented success of Skyfall – the most profitable British film ever made – Mendes knew, for Spectre, he had to pull out all the stops.

A meticulously coordinated press campaign – including carefully timed speculation as to whether this will be Daniel Craig’s final outing as James Bond – will undoubtedly help fill cinema seats comes Spectre’s international release on Monday. But, having spent a massive £200m on the film, the director – and his bosses at Sony Pictures – will be holding his breath to see whether it can match Skyfall’s £500m international ticket takings.

So what is the CX75 like to drive? Firstly, with its low-slung body and just-so curves, it is a pleasure on the eye. A Jaguar rep promises me “instantaneous power” – but quickly adds I will not be allowed to drive it at over 30mph.

This seems a shame, considering there is a 1.6-litre turbocharged four cylinder engine under the bonnet. And the car can apparently reach 100mph in six seconds flat. But still, the steering is as tight as anything and with the faintest touch of the accelerator, I get a sense of the power that could be unleashed. Ignoring the nervous look from my escort in the passenger seat, I push it to 40mph, pull my best bad guy grimace and savour my fleeting moment as a Bond villain.

Oscar Quine in the driver's seat (Nick Dimbleby)