James Bond’s Lotus Esprit submarine car from the 1977 film The Spy Who Loved Me is widely considered one of the most iconic film automobiles of all time, often topping polls conducted amongst movie fans. Now you have the chance to own this truly unique piece of movie history.
Despite the wide use of special effects today, the Lotus - lovingly nicknamed “Wet Nellie” on set – was a truly functional submarine. Built by Perry Oceanographic, based in Riviera Beach, Florida, the Esprit was piloted in the film by Don Griffin, a retired U.S. Navy SEAL. The construction of the one-off aquatic Lotus was reported to have cost over $100,000 at the time, well above the equivalent of $500,000 today.
After its 007 cameo, the Esprit was kept in a storage unit in Long Island, New York for a decade. After the storage account went delinquent, the unit was auctioned off in 1989 to an unsuspecting local couple who, after having the car positively identified, kept the car mostly under wraps only displaying it occasionally.
That will soon change, however, as James Bond’s aquatic Lotus will hit the auction block at an RM Auctions event in London between September 8th and 9th.
In 2010 James Bond’s DB5 from the Goldfinger and Thunderball movies sold for $4.4 million. No doubt the Lotus should, too, fetch a hefty price.
