According to a 2019 episode of Motor Trend's "Auto/Biography" television series, a Lotus executive parked a prototype version of the Esprit outside the offices of Albert Broccoli and his staff. After a while, the car garnered so much attention that Broccoli and Lotus made a deal to feature the Esprit as latest "Bond car." As per the above show, a total of 11 were used in the film, including 6 submersible versions. However, only one of the underwater cars, the "Wet Nellie" actually had propulsion and maneuverability - the other five were built for one-off effects shots, such as the missile firing out of the roof. In 1979 the Wet Nellie was purchased by a stuntman and placed into a storage facility, prepaid for 10 years. When the agreement expired without being renewed, the storage locker was blind-auctioned, the winner paying $5.00. Motor Trend's interviewed the couple who purchased that auction, with the husband stating that he had absolutely no idea what the car was (as he has never seen the Bond film), and the wife remembering that the car was full of rust and "held together with bungee cords." Elon Musk of Tesla Motors bought the car in 2013 at auction for £550,000, at the time stating plans to turn the car from a "wet" submersible (in which the operators needed to wear SCUBA gear) to a true submarine, where driver and passenger could remain in normal clothes and breathe without additional equipment.
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05-03-2025 alle ore 07:23
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