Book of the Month, Octane (Germany), German to English translation (using Google Translate)

'Until now, Jason Barlow's "Bond Cars" (2020 in English, 2022 in German translation, 45 euros on Amazon) was considered the reference on the subject. But now, two hardcore experts are delving deeper into the history of 007's film cars than ever before. They conducted hundreds of interviews with filmmakers, actors, stuntmen, automotive industry executives, museum curators, and private film car owners. They scoured magazines and other secondary sources and discovered over 800 previously unpublished photos. They spoke with the family of the Jamaican woman who lent her Sunbeam Alpine to the makers of "James Bond: 007 Jagt Dr. No" and complained that the car never felt the same after Sean Connery's drive through the Blue Mountains! They revealed the fascinating history of the Bentley 3 1/4 Litre, which appeared in "From Russia with Love" had a storied history before Bond, and is now housed in a museum in America. A huge section is dedicated to the Aston Martin DB5 – the ultimate Bond car. This includes previously unseen photos of the Rolls- Royce Phantom III from "Goldfinger" and a Ford Mustang. The authors went to particular lengths to track down the film's cars – among them, they found the Mercury Cougar from "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" in excellent condition in Sweden. They interviewed stuntman Erich Glawitza, who put together the sequence, about the background to the ice race filmed in the same film. They reveal the story of the two Toyota 2000 GTs that were
converted into convertibles for "You Only Live Twice." They spoke with the Toyota engineer responsible for the conversion, Bond girl Ika (played by Akiko Wakabayashi), and the current owners. The latter share their restoration stories and how they found the Toyota (one was painted blue and rotting in Hawaii). With photos and drawings from the archives of the man who built it – Dean Jeffries – the reader also learns all about the "Moon Buggy" from "Diamonds Are Forever" With so much material, the layout of this volume, which covers the first seven 007 films, can sometimes seem a bit cluttered. But cinephiles and Bond nerds will be able to get over that – and are already looking forward to the two sequels.'

Jaguar Driver, September 2024

'This is the ultimate Christmas read and a no-brainer for the 007 fan in your family… or for you! Marking the 60th anniversary of Goldfinger and the fabulous Aston Martin DB5 that graced every toy box, ejector seat, machine guns, gizmos and all, in the 1960s.'

Speedweek, April 2025

'Spy Octane presents, for the first time, the definitive, unsurpassed history of each of these exciting vehicles—and many more. The book is based on hundreds of exclusive interviews with filmmakers,
actors, stunt drivers, automotive executives, museum curators, and private vehicle owners, as well as countless journals, books, magazines, and unpublished documents from the automotive and
entertainment industries.

Spy Octane received rave reviews in its first few weeks of release. The Telegraph calls it "the definitive Bond car book." Octane praises it: "Every page of this wonderful book seems to contain gems, an absolute masterpiece." And Classic & Sports Car emphasizes: "The depth of the research is breathtaking, yet crafted to remain wonderfully accessible."

Field and Chowdbury achieve a balancing act that many book authors have failed at before: they manage to captivate both Bond connoisseurs and Bond novices. Cinema fans, car enthusiasts, and
Bond lovers alike will get their money's worth here.

Spy Octane features an extraordinary collection of never-before-seen images. Author Matthew Field: "Some of these images have been lying in attics for more than half a century. We've been given access to private and corporate archives around the world, including those of Ford and Toyota, who have provided us with a wealth of incredible, never-before-seen photos."

Prepare your companions for the fact that you'll be immersed for many hours when you pick up Spy Octane—you'll find it quite difficult to put the book down.'

Classic & Sports Car, February 2025

'That will come as no surprise to anyone who has read and enjoyed co-author Matthew Field’s award-winning The Italian Job tribute, The Self Preservation Society (Books, August 2019). For this new project he has linked up with fellow 007 expert and enthusiast Ajay Chowdhury, with whom he has previously collaborated on Bond books, to produce an exhaustive analysis of every vehicle from the longest-running movie franchise. And I mean every vehicle: not just cars, but also an autogyro, a lunar buggy, a dragon tank, trains, helicopters, boats, submarines and more.

The depth of the research is staggering at times, yet this is never a heavy read and has been written and laid out to make it delightfully accessible - ideal if your kids love Bond, too. Former C&SC art editor Martin Port has done a wonderful job to make the most of the 1000-plus featured images - including movie stills, publicity photographs, magazine covers, production sketches and documents, newspaper cuttings, candid behind-the-scenes snaps and even family photos of the cars in use after filming - and his efforts are complemented by quality reproduction.

It feels very early to be talking about books of the year, but it’s hard to believe this masterwork won’t be there or thereabouts come the end of 2025. I’m just sad I've got to wait for my favourite Bond car to arrive in Volume 2.'

Best of British, December 2024 

'While we will have to wait for the next cinema blockbuster to feature 007, here’s a big, bold book that will delight fans of the superspy, who will also welcome the fact that it’s the first of three volumes.

The enthusiastic authors have left no stone unturned to find out all about the different vehicles in the Bond films, conducting thorough interviews and combing through many articles and books, while sourcing previously unseen photographs galore to share with eager fellow fans.'

Classic Car Weekly, Nov 24 

'Another James Bond vehicle book? Well, yes - there have been a few since 007 first burst onto cinema screens. But this latest takes things to a whole new level. It’s the first of three volumes covering Dr No to Diamonds are Forever. That’s just seven movies from 1962 to 1971, yet this glossy hardback contains more than 1000 images throughout its hefty 416 pages. This is a measure of the detail that it goes into, with much hitherto little-known information and rarely seen photos (not just the usual familiar promo shots). The various Aston Martin DB5s of Goldfinger and Thunderball naturally get the lion's share of the in-depth analysis, but aircraft, boats, submersibles, motorcycles and um, moon buggies are also covered in addition to the cars. Superbly researched, beautifully illustrated and genuinely worth the near-£100 price. We hope the following volumes are as good.' 

Classic Cars, January 2025 

'This is no mere coffee table book - if you dropped this 415-page monster on the table it’d probably break it - going into exhaustive detail on every major vehicle to feature in the film series.

In each case, Field and Chowdhury track down people involved in the films, from production design to filming and marketing, to tell the stories of the cars, the stunts, and where possible the lives of the cars after the films, including the OHMSS Mercury Cougar’s second life on the dragstrip and the tracking down and restoration of all the Diamonds are Forever Mustangs. Yes, of course the Goldfinger Aston Martin DB5 is here, but with enough material to extract and release as a book in and of itself, including Ken Adam’s original sketches, and the real story regarding the would-be Bond E-type Jaguar reputedly turned down. 

An incredible undertaking, it's a book that renders other Bond-car attempts lightweight. And impressively, this is only Volume One - the next edition will closely examine the Bond vehicles of the Roger Moore years.'