James Bond may be forever linked with Aston Martin, but Daniel Craig apparently has room in his garage for something considerably slower, squarer and muddier.
A 1959 Land Rover 109 Series II pickup formerly owned by Craig and his wife, actress Rachel Weisz, sold Thursday on Bring a Trailer for $56,000 after 35 bids.
Earlier in the auction the truck had been sitting at just $15,000, making it look, briefly, like one of the cheaper ways to buy a vehicle with genuine 007 cred.
It’s no movie prop, though. The long-wheelbase Land Rover comes with a handwritten note signed by Craig and Weisz confirming that the truck belonged to them along with a signed portrait of Craig as James Bond. “We sell it with great sadness. Please take care of it,” the couple wrote.
Daniel Craig handwritten note
BringATrailer.com
There is one detail that’s a tad embarassing, though – Craig calls the truck a Land Rover Defender. Technically, it isn’t. This Series II was built in 1959 and Land Rover did not begin using the Defender name until 1990. The Series II itself arrived in 1958, ten years after the original Land Rover debuted at the Amsterdam Motor Show.
The truck is a 109, referring to its 109-inch wheelbase, and has been repainted in traditional-looking Bronze Green. It rolls on 16-inch steel wheels with aggressive-looking Cooper Discoverer tires, and carries the sort of equipment that makes modern luxury SUVs look slightly fru-fru – a bonnet-mounted spare, rope winch, canvas bed cover, side steps and fender-mounted mirrors.
1959 Land Rover 109 Series II
BringATrailer.com
Inside, things are agricultural. There are three individual seats across the cab, now trimmed in tan vinyl, along with sliding windows, simple Jaeger instrumentation and modern three-point seat belts on the outside seats. The odometer shows about 3,800 miles, but the seller says that figure is inaccurate and the truck’s actual mileage is unknown.
Power comes from a 2.25-liter gasoline inline-four rated at just 77 horsepower and 124 pound-feet of torque. It’s paired with a four-speed manual gearbox, dual-range transfer case and a RoverDrive overdrive unit. Recent improvements included a Carter carburetor, electronic ignition, rebuilt leaf springs, replacement generator and engine seals.
1959 Land Rover 109 Series II
BringATrailer.com
Seventy-seven horsepower sounds lawnmower-sized by 2026 standards, but speed was never the point. Early Land Rovers were designed as simple, durable working vehicles, and the formula became so enduring that the basic family line survived for decades and eventually evolved into the Defender.
The auction, despite the price not being astronomical, attracted loads of attention. Bring a Trailer recorded more than 16,600 views and 1,350 watchers before the hammer fell.
The $56,000 sales result lands it in respectable collector-car territory rather than celebrity-car lunacy. J.D. Power currently places average retail value for a 1959 109-inch two-door utility around $52,700, though condition and specification can move values considerably.
1959 Land Rover 109 Series II
BringATrailer.com
The Craig connection most likely didn’t turn this old Land Rover into an Aston Martin-priced trophy. It did, however, give a charming British truck a backstory that will be difficult to top in conversation. Want one of your own? Want to sell one? Click here.
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