Bond's The Spy Who Loved Me Lotus Esprit hits the auction block
Click above for a gallery of the Esprit S1 from The Spy Who Loved Me
Hey, if you missed the For Yor Eyes Only Lotus Esprit sale a couple of years ago, your shot to own another Bond-driven Lotus is on the horizon. In December, Bonhams will auction one of the two 1976 Lotus Esprit S1s used in The Spy Who Loved Me. The film is well known for the car/motorcycle/helicopter chase that culminates with the Lotus flying into the drink and turning into a submarine (one of those famous prop cars sold last year); and the Stromberg hench-babe giving chase in a JetRanger turning into a charcoal briquette.
A look at the photos Bonhams includes with its listing make it pretty clear that the interior used in the chase sequence's dialogue scenes between Roger Moore and Barbara Bach did not match the one in the actual car being auctioned. The proud new owner of this one will surely revel in the splendor of its green-and-red plaid motif! Bonham's expects this Esprit to fetch more than £80,000 -- a healthy premium over what less famous S1s go for on the open market.. Still, we'd fork it over in about two seconds if we had that kind of walking around money. For some of us, this car was our first exposure to the Esprit, and it looks as good as ever. (Even better with Barbara Bach riding shotgun...)
Follow the jump to relive The Spy Who Loved Me's chase sequence.
[Sources: BBC, Bonham's]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
JZeke 9:35AM (11/17/2008)
That interior is great, more Connery than Moore though. After all, to paraphrase Mike Meyers: "if its not Scottish, its Crap!"
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Pat NCN 9:50AM (11/17/2008)
Saw this press release, and thought it was expected (by Bonhams) to fetch 100k- 120k?
Either way, it all sounds waaaaaay too conservative to me. A trashed DBS that's been in Lake Garda (see Solace, Quantum of) fetched a similar amount at auction recently.
This car is an icon.
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Chuck 10:57AM (11/17/2008)
When I saw this movie as a kid, I thought it was coolest car ever. And they had a replica Lotus at the mall where it was showing.
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Alex Nunez 12:42PM (11/17/2008)
It is one of the coolest cars ever, man. The S1 is just beautiful in the simplicity of its lines, like the Countach LP400.
Pip 5:11PM (11/17/2008)
This car was magic to a little kid.
That is all that needs to be said.
L3 10:51AM (11/17/2008)
Great video clip! Thanks!
I have a higher opinion of Roger than many others do. I think that an integral part of my liking is the deviation from the 'all-things-British' other Bond actors. This is also evident in the Lotus move away from Aston.
Don't get me wrong; I think each actor and each automotive selection stand on it's own feet. From the odd Lazenby to Craig. BRING ON MORE BOND, BOND GIRLS, AND BOND CARS!
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happy_penguin 12:02PM (11/17/2008)
One of the most awesome cars evah!
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kwsdurango 12:38PM (11/17/2008)
It's a Tartan Christmas in your car!
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pheer6224 11:38PM (11/17/2008)
Does this mean I can get a rocket propelled explosive sidecar?
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