1977년 로저 무어(Roger Moore) 주연의 제임스 본드 영화 ‘나를 사랑한 스파이(The Spy Who Loved Me)’에 등장했던 ‘본드카’ 로터스 에스프리(Lotus Esprit)가 옥션 매물로 나온다.

RM Auctions는 제임스 본드 영화 ‘나를 사랑한 스파이’ 촬영에 실제로 사용했던 로터스 에스트리 잠수정 버전이 오는 9월8일~9일 런던에서 열리는 옥션에 매물로 나온다고 발표했다.

일명 ‘웻 넬리(Wet Nellie)’라 불리는 로터스 에스프리 ‘본드카’는 ‘영화 나를 사랑한 스파이’에서 바다로 뛰어들면서 잠수정으로 변신했던 바로 그 자동차로, 이번에 판매될 자동차는 일반 자동차 버전이 아닌 잠수정으로 개조한 버전이라고 한다.

007 제작진은 로터스 에스프리를 수중에서 실제로 작동 가능한 잠수정으로 개조하는 데 당시 미화 10만 달러를 들였다. 당시 10만 달러는 지금 돈으로 거의 50만 달러에 달하는 액수라고 한다.

로터스 에스프리 잠수정은 전직 네이비 실스 출신 돈 그리핀(Don Griffin)이 조종을 담당했다.

다음은 RM Auction 프레스 릴리스 전문.

London

RM Auctions lifts the gavel on the one and only functional submarine car, used in the James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me, at its eagerly awaited central London sale, 8–9 September
Fully functioning submarine car was designed and fitted to propel underwater
The actual car seen, on screen, driving underwater; one of the most famous movie cars of all time
Never before offered for sale
Amazing story of ‘lost and found’

LONDON (at a top secret location) 28 June, 2013 – “Pay attention, 007, RM Auctions is about to sell one of my most ingenious creations and we wouldn’t want it to fall into enemy hands”. Well, ‘Q’ might be a little concerned that his incredible Lotus Esprit Series 1 ‘Submarine’ Car is due to be sold at auction, but for millions of movie fans out there, the appearance of this iconic Bond car on the open market represents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

No Bond car has ever done anything as outrageous as transform itself into a submarine. Used to incredible effect in the film The Spy Who Loved Me, starring Roger Moore, the white Lotus commonly tops the polls when generations of movie fans are asked to vote on their favourite film cars of all time. Like all the best Bond cars, the Lotus was a veritable war chest of weaponry and gadgetry, all designed to fox and foil the enemy, whilst also helping Bond to another hard-won victory for Queen and country.

The vehicle to be offered by RM Auctions at its forthcoming London sale, 8-9 September, in Battersea Park, is the one and only fully functioning car especially designed and built for the famous underwater sequence seen on screen in the 1977 film. Abundantly authenticated, and known as ‘Wet Nellie’ on the set, it was developed from one of six Esprit body shells used in the making of the film. As the only car to be built into a fully operational, self-propelled ‘submarine’, by Perry Oceanographic, based in Riviera Beach, Florida, it is the vehicle which claimed the most screen time in the film. The driver of the car was Don Griffin, a retired U.S. Navy SEAL and test pilot for Perry, who operated the vehicle utilizing its motorized propellers while manoeuvring with levered steering mechanisms. At the time, the car was said to have cost over $100,000 to create (equivalent to nearly a half million dollars today).

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.

Max Girardo, Managing Director, RM Auctions, Europe, says: “We have a great track record in selling incredible and iconic movie cars, and this particular Lotus is certainly up there amongst the most famous cars of all time. Over the years, millions of moviegoers have stared in awe as the Lotus transformed itself into a submarine, and now, perhaps one of them will have an opportunity to own it. Her Majesty’s Secret Service aside, it surely is the ultimate beach accessory”!

RM Auctions sold “the most famous car in the world”, the Aston Martin DB5 used by Sean Connery in the enormously popular Goldfinger and Thunderball movies, for an incredible £2.9 million during its 2010 London sale.

For further information on RM Auctions’ forthcoming London sale, or to view a frequently updated list of entries, visit rmauctions.com or contact RM’s London office at +44 (0) 20 7851 7070