Right up there with a pair of authentic Roger Moore eyebrows, this is the Bond memorabilia that I’d love to own. The original and sole surviving Lotus Esprit Series One submarine Bond car is to be sold by RM Auctions, without reserve, at their London sale on 8th & 9th September.
Famous from The Spy Who Loved Me, the Lotus Esprit was my schoolboy hero at the time. Add in Roger Moore, those eybrows and a few double entendres and that’s the perfect Bond movie combination. The car was discovered after ten years in storage in New York. Subsequent to filming the underwater scenes in the Bahamas, the vehicle was shipped to Long Island, NY, where it was kept in an unassuming storage unit on a ten year rental, paid in advance. Fate later intervened when, in 1989, the then rent delinquent unit was put up ‘blind’ for public auction. A modest winning bid from an area couple brought surprise and wonder when the blankets were removed to reveal the iconic 007 ‘Submarine’ Car. After positive authentication, the Lotus was shown occasionally – including a stint at the Petersen Automotive Museum – but mostly kept closely under wraps, until now.
Six Esprits were used in total for the movie, but this is the only one that was developed into a fully functioning submarine car. RM Auctions sold the Aston Martin DB5 driven by DSean Connery in Goldfinger for £2.9 million, so it will be very interesting to se how much this long lost car sells for in September. More details on RM Auctions website
Images via RM Auctions
