James Bond has been in the news on a regular basis, thanks to the hugely successful release of Skyfall, along with the 50th anniversary celebrations of the film franchise.

This has got auto enthusiasts reminiscing about the many exotic, classic cars that the super spy has driven onscreen over the years, with Aston Martins, BMWs and Lotus models all being associated with 007's exploits.

However, in an article for Jalopnik, Zac Estrada points out that perhaps the least regularly recognised car ever driven by Bond is the Saab 900 Turbo.

The Saab 900 Turbo first arrived on the scene at the end of the 1970s and it became very popular during the 1980s, because of its power and unusual looks, so it made sense that it would feature in the Bond novels that were composed by author John Gardner, during this period.

Since it never appeared onscreen, the 900 Turbo might be seen as something of a second tier Bond car, although its credentials cannot be questioned, if you appreciate all entries into the canon of this series.

Saab even produced a version of the 900 Turbo based on the books, nicknamed the Silver Beast, which had a 240bhp engine, run flat tyres and a HUD pulled from the manufacturer's aircraft experience.