James Bond’s remote-controlled BMW is now in the hands of a couple of Russian bloggers.
Only it’s not a BMW; it’s a clapped out Opel Vectra with 300,000km on the clock.
And the Ericsson phone controller has been replaced with an iPad.
Fine print aside, it works and it can also work on your car, as long as it’s an automatic.
“What makes our system different is that we really move the brakes and the accelerator pedals unlike some other experimental systems which work through a car’s electronic brain,” the pair blogged.
“This means our kit can be transferred to any car with an automatic gear box.”
The other point to note is that it doesn’t work in -30C. Having started the Vectra remotely and moved it back and forth a bit, the trials were then suspended due to the cameras mounted on the front and rear windscreens freezing solid.
More trials will have to wait until later in the Russian spring.
“When it gets warmer we will drive our Opel to an open area and arrange some more action,” they said.
“Of course, there are still many improvements to come till then.”