The National Motor Museum at Beaulieu received a touch of Tinsel Town’s red carpet treatment as celebrities, tv camera crews and journalists from around the world gathered for the opening of a spectacular new James Bond vehicle exhibition.

With fifty vehicles on show, 'Bond in Motion' is the largest exhibition of it’s kind staged anywhere in the world and coincides with the 50th Anniversary of the first day of shooting of the first Bond movie, Dr. No.

Assisting Ralph Montagu perform the official ribbon cutting ceremony were former Bond girls Eunice Gayson who appeared in Dr. No and From Russia with Love, Britt Ekland (The Man with the Golden Gun), Jenny Hanley (On Her Majesty’s Secret Service) and Madeline Smith (Live and Let Die). Other celebrities included actor Colin Salmon from Die Another Day, The World is Not Enough and Tomorrow Never Dies, legendary stunt co-ordinator Vic Armstrong and 'Little Nellie' autogyro creator and pilot, Wing Commander Ken Wallis, who amazed audiences in You Only Live Twice.

Iconic cars on display include Goldfinger’s Rolls Royce Phantom III, the Lotus Esprit S1 submarine car from The Spy Who Loved Me, the two wheeling Ford Mustang Mach 1 from Diamonds are Forever, the ice racing Mercury Cougar XR7 from On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, the high flying Tuk-Tuk taxi from Octopussy, the remains of the Aston Martin DBS that performed the spectacular high speed roll in Casino Royale and many more. Other vehicles include motorcycles, boats, hovercraft, jet skis, planes, 'Little Nellie', a crocodile submarine and even the famous cello case used as a sled in The Living Daylights.

For any Bond fan, a visit is a must but there’s no rush as the exhibition is due to run for a year.

Details at www.beaulieu.co.uk