Bond's aquatic Lotus makes a splash at auction
007 memorabilia fetches almost a million from an anonymous bidder in LondonIt might not be everything it appeared to be in the 1977 James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me, but the aquatic Lotus Esprit used by smooth-talking, hard-playing secret agent 007 has just sold at auction for just a little less than one million Australian dollars.
Discovered recently after years stashed away in a storage unit, the Esprit went under the hammer for $A940,500 to an anonymous bidder at the September 9 auction in London.
The Lotus is not a road-going concern – nor, presumably, an ocean going one either – but it is the actual model that was used when filming the deep sea diving sequence.
The shoot also involved a quarter-scale model, as well as an interior mock-up.
According to the auctioneers, bidding for the Esprit was “ferocious”.
“Bearing in mind it is not a car that can be driven on the road, the price just goes to prove the draw that all Bond-related memorabilia has,” said Peter Haynes of RM Auctions Europe.
“We are very happy with the price -- it is very strong money for what is an important piece of movie memorabilia.”
The mystery bidder was clearly motivated and cashed-up. Surely it wasn’t agent 007 himself?
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