The 007 Lotus Esprit Submarine Car from The Spy Who Loved Me
(1977) commonly tops the polls when multiple generations of
movie fans are asked to pick their favourite film cars of all
time. Like all the best Bond cars, the Lotus was a veritable
war chest of weaponry and gadgetry that was designed to fox
and foil the enemy whilst also helping Bond to another hard-won
victory for Queen and country.
The never before offered for sale vehicle will go under the
hammer today at RM Auctions in London as Lot 243 with an estimated
sales
price
of £650,000
- £950,000.
Dossier
Giorgetto Giugiaro’s Italdesign unveiled a concept car
at the Turin Motor Show in 1972 that was based upon a stretched
Lotus Europa chassis. It was amongst the first of designer Giugiaro’s
polygonal “folded paper", or wedge-shaped, conceptions,
and it caused a sensation in the automotive press. Lotus ultimately
developed its Lotus Esprit using this design, and remarkably,
little changed from the show car. The Esprit was launched in
October 1975 at the Paris Auto Show, and it went into production
in June 1976, replacing the Europa in the Lotus model line-up.
With its lightweight chassis, mid-engine configuration, and fibreglass
body shell, it furthered the reputation for class-beating handling
long enjoyed by Lotus. At the time of its introduction, it was
indisputably Britain’s most advanced sports car.
The Lotus not only impressed the automotive world, but it also
impressed film producer Albert R. “Cubby” Broccoli,
who one day found a pre-production model parked directly in front
of his office at Pinewood Studios outside London. The car had
been conspicuously positioned there, without identifying badges,
by Lotus PR Manager Don McLauchlan. McLauchlan had learned that
preparations had begun for a fresh 007 adventure, and he wanted
to make their extraordinary new car available for the picture.
Experience with the vehicles from other films, particularly Aston
Martins in prior Bond movies, had proven that the publicity and
sales impact could be enormous. So a deal was struck, and Lotus
delivered two production vehicles; each of these were equipped
with an additional piece of sheet metal beneath the radiator
to protect the cars from the rough streets of the Costa Smeralda,
in Sardinia, where the surface sequences of the famous chase
was to be filmed. Additionally, seven more body shells were supplied,
with one of which being sealed all around for underwater scenes
and converted into a submarine.
"Pay Attention, 007!"
No Bond car has ever done anything as outrageous
on screen as transform itself into a submarine; none except for
this Lotus
in the epic The Spy Who Loved Me. Breaking with tradition, Q
is never given the opportunity to explain the car’s features
to 007. So, when the Lotus is fired (literally! - see sidebar)
off a jetty into the sea, the audience was stunned, and captivated.
The specially prepared body shell was shipped to Perry Oceanographics,
a marine engineering and construction firm based in Riviera Beach,
Florida. Perry was known for their ingenuity in building all
manner of submersible vehicles (including the Reef Ranger, also
seen in the underwater battle), and they are world-renowned for
their unique capabilities.
With guidance from Special Visual Effects Supervisor Derek Meddings,
Perry re-envisioned the Lotus as a “wet” submarine
(connoting that it is full of water as it travels beneath the
surface). It moves forward via a bank of four propellers, with
their electric motors being driven by batteries housed in a water-tight
compartment. The articulated fins are adjusted with mechanical
levers that are operated by its driver. Underwater, the Lotus
has a turning circle of around 20 feet. Its dive and climb performance
is regulated by ballast tanks, and it has been described as “crisply
argonautic”. Contrary to what movie magic suggests, there
is no semblance of a road car interior in this Lotus; instead,
inside one will find its underwater motors, batteries, levers,
and other control apparatus, with only a platform seat for its
driver. It was said to have cost over $100,000 to construct (nearly
half a million dollars today).
Its driver was Don Griffin, a retired U.S. Navy SEAL who was
employed as a technician and test pilot for Perry. As such, he
was the obvious candidate to operate the Lotus on location, with
the underwater sequences being filmed nearby in the Bahamas.
And Don Griffin was indeed the driver (in full scuba gear with
auxiliary oxygen), and in so doing, he assumed one of the greatest
anonymous roles in movie history. As the one and only fully functioning
Submarine Car especially designed and built for the spectacular
underwater sequences, the Lotus appears in the film for the lion’s
share of the screen time beneath the surface.
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!
Enduring Icon
The Spy Who Loved Me was the 10th film in the Bond
franchise, and the third to star Roger Moore. At a pivotal moment
in the
celebrated progression of 007 films, Eon Productions needed a
hit after the disappointing box office performance of The Man
With The Golden Gun (1974). So, this time they pulled out all
the stops by doubling the budget, bringing back Lewis Gilbert
(You Only Live Twice) to direct, and giving Production Designer
Ken (later Sir Ken) Adam appropriate latitude to create the phantasmagorical
and futuristic sets for which he was famous. And then there was
the Submarine Car, which was conceived by Adam, a Lotus owner
and an admirer of the Esprit’s streamlined shape. So, the
fuse was lit and the fires of 14-year-old imaginations around
the world were re-ignited: the secret agent as super hero (with
a little technological assistance)! As a result of this renewed
commitment, The Spy Who Loved Me became the highest-grossing
Bond film to date, firmly re-establishing the 007 character as
a contemporary action hero.
Along with supervision on location by Meddings, underwater cameraman
Lamar Boren, himself a veteran of the underwater crew from Thunderball
and You Only Live Twice, was also re-enlisted for the filming
of Wet Nellie in the Bahamas. So, yet again in a James Bond film,
the car was the star, and moviegoers couldn’t stop talking
about the Lotus.
Wet Nellie Surfaces
In conjunction with the 1977 release of The
Spy Who Loved Me, U.S. Lotus (Lotus East) executive distributor
Fred Stevenson
procured Wet Nellie for display at auto shows, according to correspondence
between Stevenson and the location manager for Eon in the Bahamas.
Stevenson remembers the Lotus was full of sand and seaweed upon
delivery in New York and there was no time to clean it prior
to its first public debut at the New York Auto Show! This was
followed by appearances at shows in Cleveland, Chicago, Denver,
and Los Angeles, by which time its custodianship was taken over
by Lotus West. Stevenson relates having great fun with the Lotus,
discussing its unique features with dignitaries and celebrities
who enjoyed having their photographs taken with Wet Nellie.
Eventually, Wet Nellie was shipped to Long Island, New York,
where it was kept in an unassuming storage unit in Holbrook,
New York. The lease was reportedly for a 10-year rental, paid
in advance. Fate later intervened when, in 1989, the rent delinquent
unit was put up “blind” at 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. The roof had been damaged, but it was otherwise wholly intact.
It’s new (and current) owners recount that, whilst towing
it home, the CB radios of highway truckers were all abuzz about
the sighting of the famed Lotus. After positive authentication,
Wet Nellie was cosmetically restored and fitted to a custom-designed
display trailer and exhibited occasionally, including a stint
at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, but it was
mostly kept closely under wraps…until now.
Nobody Does It Better
“
Of all the Bonds I made”, remembers Roger Moore, “The
Spy Who Loved Me is the one I like best. The locations were right;
the costumes were right; everything on that movie went together”.
Sadly, Ian Fleming, the creator of the James Bond character
and originator of the first 007 gadget car on paper, is no longer
with us. However, Raymond Benson, author of seven “official” posthumous
Bond books, had this to say: “I never used an underwater
car in any of my Bond novels, but the Lotus in the film is one
of my favourite vehicles in the 007 universe!”
Today, Wet Nellie is presented with its restored, museum display
quality exterior, whilst inside, the full operational equipment
appears to be complete and original. This first-time-ever public
offering of the Lotus is accompanied by copies of numerous period
photos, rare movie stills, correspondence between Lotus East
and the film production team, auto show memorabilia, and authentication
documents.
The 007 Lotus Esprit Submarine Car is one of the most inspired
creations in the history of filmmaking. As such, we wouldn’t
want it to fall into enemy hands, so we invite those who can
enthusiastically appreciate its technology, ingenious deployment,
and legendary screen appearance to attentively consider this
once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to acquire Wet Nellie, one of
the most fascinating and entertaining movie vehicles of all time.
Behind The Scenes: Evolution Of A Great Spy Car
It is believed
that Lotus provided two production “road
cars”, plus seven Esprit fibreglass body shells, to the
filmmakers. One of those shells was reported to have been split
in half to film Roger Moore and Barbara Bach in their separate
seats. The remaining six body shells, delivered bare, were used
to initiate and consummate filming the underwater scenes. Each
of these shells was modified to perform specific functions in
the movie. Here is the evolution of Wet Nellie on the screen:
1. Used for the tyre retraction sequence.
2. Used to portray the side fins protruding from the wheel arches
whilst the periscope extends.
3. Featured in the below-surface-to-air missile sequence from
the rear hatch.
4. Tethered to a powerful air cannon and jettisoned off the pier
and into the water below.
5. The spare unit for the above.
6. The one and only fully enclosed shell used to film the functional
Submarine Car.
Once filming was complete, the tyre shell (1) and the missile
shell (3) were left behind in the Bahamas and given as souvenirs
to Roberts Scrap Metal Company, who assisted with the heavy equipment
for the shoot. The tyre shell exists today in poor condition
in a Florida museum. The fin shell (2) has seemingly disappeared
(with its whereabouts unknown), whilst the missile shell (3)
is owned by the Ian Fleming Foundation and is proudly on display
as part of the on-going 50th Anniversary of James Bond Exhibit
at the Beaulieu National Motor Museum. The first of the pier
shells (4) was damaged by the air cannon during filming in Sardinia,
and it is presumed to have been discarded. The other pier shell
(5) may have been unused or used more lightly; in any event,
it was later unofficially retrofitted with mock up gadgets and
sold in the late 1980s.
Which leaves the one and only functional Submarine Car (6),
which is being offered to the public for the first time ever.
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