Two iconic brands – James Bond and Caterpillar Inc.– join together for the 23rd Bond adventure, Skyfall. The Bond films are known for action-packed opening sequences, and in Skyfall part of the thrilling sequence features James Bond, played by Daniel Craig, operating a Cat excavator. Of course only the British Secret Service agent does it on a train that’s barreling down the tracks through the Turkish countryside.
“Seeing our machine on the big screen is exciting. Seeing it featured in the world’s longest running film franchise is simply amazing,” said Diane Lantz-Rickard, Caterpillar Global Brand Marketing Manager. “Our brand has been featured in more than 20 movies dating as far back as 1927, and we worked with the Bond films previously in THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH, 1999. We’re proud to continue the association with such a respected and globally known brand.”
Caterpillar prides itself on designing and building equipment to meet customers’ needs. In this case, the customization involved something unique – putting the cab on the opposite side of the 320D L as requested by EON Productions, the James Bond production company.
“The cab switch, required for the location of the shoot and interaction between characters, took several months of pre-planning,” said Robert Woodley, Caterpillar Communications Manager for Europe, Africa, Middle East and the CIS. “The biggest challenge involved changing the electronics and hydraulics to accommodate the cab on the other side of the machine.