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The Silver Beast

3rd September 2016

In this vintage interview from 1981, author John Gardner demonstrates 007's gadgets in the Saab 900 Turbo

MI6 logo By MI6 Staff
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John Gardner took over the 007 literary torch in 1981 after a long hiatus since Kingsley Amis' one James Bond novel 'Colonel Sun' in 1968.  In his first outing 'Licence Renewed,' he let Bond venture away from his traditional Q-Branch vehicles to a new brand car - the Saab "Silver Beast".

The SAAB 900 Turbo saw Bond depart from his earlier Bentley's and Aston Martin's and have his own personally modified car by the multinational "Communication Control System" and not Q-Branch. A specially created SAAB was developed based on what had been written by Gardner. The car was a fully working version of its fictional cousin.

In this 1981 video, John Garder is interviewed by ATV about 007's new vehicle and the gadgetry contained within.

1981 ATV interview with John Gardner

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