ORLANDO, Fla. – With 27 movies and a dozen actors playing the iconic British secret service agent, the James Bond franchise is celebrating the 60th anniversary of the first 007 film “Dr. No,” which was released in 1962.
And Central Florida is home to the world’s largest collection of James Bond memorabilia, including movie cars, tanks and an airplane.
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The Bond Museum is located inside Dezerland Park, on 5250 International Drive, in Orlando.
“We brought the James Bond collection from Miami to Orlando to be its final home. It’s the largest screen-used James Bond vehicles in the entire world,” curator Max Apodaca said.
In the films, James Bond is known for his fancy, state-of-the-art cars. Some of the vehicles used in the movies sit at the Bond Museum, like the iconic Aston Martin DB5 that actor Sean Connery drove while playing James Bond in the 1964 movie, “Goldfinger.”
“The car has all the gadgets. Everything that you saw in the movie including the machine guns, ejector seat and all the other gadgets. When people see that they’re usually blown away,” Apodaca said.
The Bond Museum also houses a replica of the Lotus submarine created for the 1977 film, “The Spy Who Loved Me.” The car displayed with some of the wheels tucked in to demonstrate how it transforms from a car to submarine.
The Bond museum collection is worth more than $100 million and has more than just cars.
“We actually have the jet plane used in “GoldenEye.” One side of the jet is GoldenEye, the other side is the presidential side. You can walk through, there are selfie stations inside,” Apodaca said.
Apodaca said the largest prop in the collection is the tank from “GoldenEye” that Pierce Brosnan used in the movie that was filmed in Russia.
There are thousands of other Bond pieces in the memorabilia room, taking you through the evolution of 007.
“This is the largest collection of anything James Bond, everything from albums, guns, watches, eight-tracks and cassettes. Here’s where you can see how big a franchise is on James Bond. Not just the cars, but everything you can imagine from casino machines, ties, hats, games and puzzles,” Apodaca said.
The entire collection is owned by one person.
“His name is Michael Dezer. A real estate tycoon, billionaire who has a unique passion for Bond and vehicles as a whole,” Apodaca said.
While the collection is expected to stay in Orlando, you may be able to take a souvenir home with you.
“Everything’s for sale.... everything,” Apodaca said. “For the right price.”
The Bond Museum also doubles as an event space and lounge that can be used for private parties and events.
A trip to the Bond exhibit wouldn’t be complete without stopping at the bar for a martini... shaken, not stirred.
The Bond Museum is just one of many themed rooms at Dezerland Park.
It’s an indoor attraction with everything from a bowling alley, trampoline park, go-kart track, Thunderfoam Arena and arcade.
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