James Bond Lotus sells for £616,000 at RM

RM's blockbuster London sale, held in conjuction with the St James' Concours, saw this fabulous Lotus Esprit 'Submarine'  car used during the fliming of the James Bond film, The Spy Who Loved Me sold for £616,000.

The car was dubbed 'Wet Nellie' on the set, the Lotus was used to incredible effect in the film. It was fitted with mechanically operated enclosures that reveal the missile launchers in the front, a smoke screen exhaust in the rear, and a mine hatch on the bottom. When Griffin voiced the need for rearward vision, a prismatic mirror was mounted on the roof, which was sourced from Army surplus and came off of a tank. The stream of air bubbles following the vehicle was actually generated by utilising a giant cache of Alka-Seltzer tablets!

The one-off submersible prop was presented on the second day of RM's two-day auction, in excellent, complete condition and represented an important piece of film memorabilia. In an excited sale room, which contained numerous bidders keen to take advantage of this unique opportunity, the vehicle ultimately went to an anonymous telephone bidder who secured it for a total of £616,000.