James Bond’s submersible Lotus goes under the hammer

The Bond car, which appeared in The Spy Who Loved Me, goes under the hammer in London in September and the Bueller car at Pebble Beach, California, in August.

Auctioneers say the famous Lotus Esprit was the only one made for the film and cost about £65,000 when built, the equivalent of £330,000 today.

Known as ‘Wet Nellie’ on the set of the 1977 film, the propeller vehicle laid ‘undiscovered’ in a Long Island storage unit for 10 years.

A local couple unexpectedly found themselves owner of the iconic motor after they won a blind auction for the contents of the unit.

The fully-functioning Lotus was originally built by Perry Oceanographic in Florida and was piloted by a retired US Navy Seal.