007’s Lotus Esprit submarine car headlines second day at RM Auction’s annual London sale
The term ‘barn find’ is an often used phrase in the motoring world. In the case of a Lotus Esprit submarine car used in The Spy Who Loved Me, it’s more a case of something akin to the American reality show Auction Hunters as the vehicle was bought at a blind auction last after its then owner defaulted on the rent of “an unassuming storage unit in Holbrook, New York”.
![James Bond's Lotus Esprit submarine car](https://www.thesteepletimes.com//wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Lotus-Esprit-submarine-car-1.jpg)
The Lotus, kitted out with all the gadgets James Bond naturally required, has an estimate of £650,000 to £950,000 and might well make the perfect addition to the collection of any Bond lover. Alternatively, we could easily see it sitting in a restaurant or museum but what we most certainly can confirm is that it wouldn’t even make it across the Thames this miserable afternoon.
![1938 Mercedes-Benz 540K cabriolet](https://www.thesteepletimes.com//wp-content/uploads/2020/01/1938-Mercedes-Benz-540K-cabriolet-1.jpg)
![1929 Bentley 4½ litre open tourer by Vanden Plas](https://www.thesteepletimes.com//wp-content/uploads/2020/01/1929-Bentley-4½-litre-open-tourer-by-Vanden-Plas.jpg)
In past years, star lots at Battersea have numbered such things as a Lancia Astura Lungo owned by Bernie Ecclestone that had been a gift from Mussolini to Hitler in 1938. This year, cars with such provenance – apart from Lord Laidlaw’s collection of racing cars – are thinner on the ground but we at The Steeple Times will be particularly keen to see what a 1929 Bentley 4½ litre open tourer by Vanden Plas (estimate £525,000 to £600,000) and a 1938 Mercedes-Benz 540K cabriolet (estimate £1,500,000 to £2,000,000) sell for.
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Photo credits: ©2013 Courtesy of RM Auctions
This is my all time favourite bond piece of kit! Quite possibly a good investment as classic and collectable car prices have risen considerably compared to other “assets” such as more traditional antiques. If only I had that kind of spare cash around! I’d love to see the Lotus up front.