By Matthew Field
Last Thursday Cinema Retro was invited by Beaulieu
Motor Museum to an exclusive peak at two Honda motorcycles that will feature in
an epic action sequence in the latest James Bond movie Skyfall.
Honda announced its partnership with Skyfall by showcasing two CRF250Rs,
which have been dressed exclusively for the film. The first is a Turkish police
bike ridden by henchman Patrice (Ola Rapace) and the second is a Turkish
merchant bike ridden by James Bond. The vehicles were used for the thrilling
pre-title sequence, which was shot in Istanbul and Adana earlier this year.
Both bikes feature extensive modifications, courtesy of
Chris Corbould’s award-winning special effects team. Stunt co-ordinator for Skyfall, Gary Powell, commented, “We
needed a highly verstatile and quality off-road motorbike that could easily be
modified without compromising performance or safety. Honda’s CRFs are probably
the best off-roaders out there so it’s great that we’ve been able to partner
with Honda, as the bikes, whilst heavily modified, were superb to work with.â€
Twenty motorbikes were supplied ot the production and
dressed accordingly. An example of each now forms part of the Bond in Motion
exhibition at Beaulieu, which runs until January 6. Click here for more.
