New car news

08 May 2012 - 10:00

Ex-Stig to star in new 007 film

Sacked and disgraced ex-Stig Ben Collins has a new job... drifting cars as a stuntman for the new 007 film Skyfall.

Collins, who was banished from TopGear and ridiculed by Clarkson as a "greedy twat" for ousting himself as the Stig in 2010, has been spotted in Turkey doing stunts for the new Bond film.

The UK's Daily Mirror has published the above photo of Collins on the set of the new flick, resting during a break from filming. Collins was driving a Land Rover whose driver's seat and controls had been moved to the car's roof in a specially-built frame, to allow room for camera equipment inside the car.

Collins was seen ramming a black Audi A5; the Mirror reports that no fewer than 15 Audi A5s, each $70k, were destroyed during filming of the scene, including six during pre-filming rehearsals.

Bond star Daniel Craig was seen riding an old brown motorcycle as part of the stunt scene, which was filmed near Istanbul's New Mosque.

It is the third Bond film Collins has worked on. He also assisted with stunt driving in Quantum of Solace and Casino Royale. American stuntwoman Katie Rowe, who has worked on more than 100 films, was quoted by the Mirror: "There is a lot of planning and rehearsal that goes into a single stunt and when it's a big car scene in a movie it can take up to a month of logistical planning for just two minutes of film.

"A single sequence can cost millions of dollars for all the equipment involved and often directors have to scale back their ideas because it's too much to insure. This line of work is very high risk and dangerous, it's a fast way to end your life or become seriously injured."

The new 007 film Skyfall is due for release in Australia on November 22.