007 has licence to kill car sales - BMW Z8 and Lotus Esprit sales plummet

The Times have reported on an interesting story about the fate of two ex-Bond cars, which have seen sales plunge since Bond got back in his Aston Martin.

Two cars stylish enough to be chosen for James Bond in previous missions have ended up featuring on Britain`s worst-sellers list for 2002. The Lotus Esprit (The Spy Who Loved Me, For Your Eyes Only) and the BMW Z8 (The World Is Not Enough) were bought by 20 and 23 people respectively, putting them 9th and 10th from the bottom respectively.

But unlike Bond`s latest selection, this Aston Martin V12 Vanquish, both of these exotic cars are coming to the end of the line. The Esprit has had too many facelifts and costs too much for a car that is 30 years old; production will stop this summer. The retro-style Z8 was always going to be a one-off project and will end its days as the automatic-only Alpina Roadster V8.

Thanks to Simon for the alert.

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