007 Lotus Espirit ‘submarine’ sells for U.S. $863,500
Breaking news from RM Auctions‘ London sale: At a little past 3 p.m. Eastern Time on Sept. 9, the heralded James Bond Lotus Submarine car used by “007” in the…
Breaking news from RM Auctions' London sale:
At a little past 3 p.m. Eastern Time on Sept. 9, the heralded James Bond Lotus Submarine car used by “007” in the 1977 thriller “The Spy Who Loved Me” was called sold today when the bidding was hammered at 550,000 British pounds, which translates to $863,500 U.S. With the 10% buyer's commission added, the submersible Lotus brought the total sale for this car to $949,850.
Promoted as the one and only operational underwater car, it has become iconic as one of the most recognized movie car. Produced from the Lotus Esprit, this car, affectionately known by the film crew as “Wet Nellie,” could actually go underwater and operate on its own power. It is part of the 134-vehicle, two-day sale conducted in the United Kingdom on September 8 and 9, 2013.
The car was found several years ago in a "Storage Wars"-like scenario in which storage unit renters were delinquent on their rent; the winning bidders of the contents of the unit were unaware of the special Lotus Espirit inside and won the car and other less-notable contents for a relative song. — Phil Skinner reporting
Angelo Van Bogart is the editor of Old Cars magazine and wrote the column "Hot Wheels Hunting" for Toy Cars & Models magazine for several years. He has authored several books including "Hot Wheels 40 Years," "Hot Wheels Classics: The Redline Era" and "Cadillac: 100 Years of Innovation." His 2023 book "Inside the Duesenberg SSJ" is his latest. He can be reached at avanbogart@aimmedia.com
