Fleming didn't reinvent the wheel; he rode the one Sapper (H. C. McNeile original pen name) built. He took the high-octane entertainment engine of Bulldog Drummond completely intact. This includes:
- The mega-rich, cartoonishly evil villain.
- The elaborate, slow-moving deathtraps.
- The formula of a lone British hero saving the Western world.
- The love of high-end sports cars and luxury clubs.