Many of us dream of owning a car that is luxurious, drives and parks itself or even flies. But no matter how spectacular your dream car is, it probably can’t drive under water. Unless you’re the proud new owner of James Bond’s submarine car from “The Spy Who Loved Me.”
Driven by Roger Moore as 007, the Lotus Esprit became famous in the 1977 film for vaulting into the sea, promptly converting to submarine mode, and dispatching a few baddies beneath the waves. But after languishing in a Long Island storage locker, the aqua-car has seen the light of day again, selling for $968,000 (with fees) at a London auction.
RM Auctions sold what it described as the “fully functional” 007 Lotus Esprit Submarine Car on Monday for 616,000 pounds ($968,000). The prop actually doesn’t have wheels and isn’t a real car — another vehicle was used for the road shots. But it is a real “wet submarine,” meaning it is full of water while submerged, and can be driven under water.
On RM Auctions’ lot description, Ian Fleming Foundation’s co-founder Doug Redenius details the submarine’s unique appeal.
“No Bond car has ever done anything as outrageous onscreen as transform itself into a submarine; none except for this Lotus in the epic ‘The Spy Who Loved Me,'” he writes. “Breaking with tradition, Q is never given the opportunity to explain the car’s features to 007. So, when the Lotus is fired off a jetty into the sea, the audience was stunned, and captivated.”
The car was known as “Wet Nellie” during production, and was later displayed at auto shows to promote the film. After that, however, it was stored on Long Island with the locker rent paid in advance for 10 years. When the lease expired, the tenant mysteriously couldn’t be found. Its contents were sold in a blind auction and a local couple reportedly acquired the sub in 1989 for less than $100. It was restored, exhibited again, and later presented for the first public offering by RM Auctions.
This story seems to be a tale of turning a pauper into a prince, so to speak, by way of a submarine. Whoever it was that ended up with this car in 1989 is lucky as it is probably one of the most probable flips in history
