Boxwish Blog

Auto of the week: Ford Ka MkII from Quantum of Solace

Posted by Team Boxwish on 04 November 2008 at 12.49PM

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Bond purists can sleep easy knowing that in Quantum of Solace, our suited and booted hero gets behind the wheel of his trademark Aston Martin DBS (it even gets a name check by police officers watching it frantically out race an Alfa Romeo 159), but his leading lady Camille (played by Olga Kurylenko, soon also to be seen in Max Payne) opts for something less flashy to get from A to B – the new Ford Ka. It’s a big screen debut for the re-styled compact car, having been first presented to the eyes of the world by Olga herself at the Paris Motor Show in October and its certainly setting tongues a-wagging.

So, is a Ford Ka a comedown for 007? He might not drive it, but does ride in it with Camille and one source from the set thought they detected blushing cheeks. “When the Ka arrived on set everyone thought it was a wind-up,” reveals the anonymous insider. “Bond is famous for his high-powered flash motors. It’s part of the man’s make-up, but this isn’t sexy. Daniel [Craig] knew he was getting a ribbing from the crew.”

Ribbings aside, Ford were thrilled to partner up with Bond having paid a reported $35 million for the pleasure of appearing onscreen and according to Stephen Odell, Ford of Europe’s Chief Operating Officer: “The new Ka is the perfect match for the character of Camille – adventurous, individual and thoroughly modern,” adding: “We are delighted that the launch of the film coincides with the launch of such a significant new model for Ford of Europe.”

Sadly for Ford fans, the metallic gold Ka as driven by Camille is completely unique and so won’t be available to the wider public. It has exclusive exterior graphics and interior trim and marked a collaboration between Ford’s design team and QoS’s production designer, Dennis Gassner. Still to hit the market, the car manufacturers are yet to release more information on the new model but promise that it “retains all the qualities which made the Ka so popular – compact size, great looks, lively dynamics and fun personality.” Looking forward to more news.