James Bond’s famed Lotus Esprit submarine car sells for £550,000
By The Guardian Source:Agencies Published: 2013-9-12 19:33:01
One of James Bond's best-known cars, the white submersible Lotus Esprit that appeared in the 1977 film The Spy Who Loved Me, has sold at auction for more than half a million pounds.
The sale comes 24 years after the vehicle was found in a New York storage container purchased for $100.
One of eight vehicles used in the 10th official 007 movie, the Lotus Esprit is said to be fully functional in submarine mode, but cannot be driven on land. It was sold at the RM Auctions house in London for a whopping £550,000 ($868,560), following a bidding war between two rival collectors.
The car was discovered beneath blankets in 1989 after it was placed in storage following the completion of filming on The Spy Who Loved Me, which starred Roger Moore in his third turn as 007.
The Long Island building contractor who bought the storage container initially had no idea what he had purchased.
The Ian Fleming Foundation later confirmed that the vehicle was the one used in The Spy Who Loved Me.