James Bond Movie Submarine Car Found In Long Island, Worth More Than $1 Million In Upcoming Auction; ‘One Of Most Famous’ Bond Cars Ever
The James Bond submarine car from the 1977 movie "The Spy Who Loved Me" is going up for auction this fall and could fetch more than $1 million.
"It's one of the most famous James Bond cars ever," said Doug Redenius, co-founder of the Ian Fleming Foundation, which authenticated the car. "There is a lot of interest."
The owner accidentally bought the submarine car for less than $100, and could make more than $1 million in a London sale on Sept.9 organized by RM Auctions.
According to NBC News, in 1989, a Long Island contractor bought the contents of a storage container for under $100, not knowing what was inside. The next day, he and his brother opened up the container and found a giant lump covered in blankets. When they pulled off the blankets, they saw a white sports car with no wheels and a dented roof.
It was the famous James Bond submarine car from "The Spy Who Loved Me."
"They really didn't know what it was at first," said Redenius. "They had no idea how valuable their discovery was."
36 years after the car made its big screen debut in 1997, 007's underwater Lotus Esprit is headed to the auction block.
Perhaps the most famous James Bond car is the 1964 Aston Martin DB5 from the film "Goldfinger" that sold in 2010 for $4.6 million. A DB5 that was used to promote the films is also currently on the market for $4.69 million, NBC News reports
The submarine car - nicknamed "Wet Nelly" during filming - is considered to be the second-most famous Bond ride. The car helped Roger Moore and actress Barbara Bach escape a helicopter by jumping off a pier and turning into a submarine.
NBC reports that it is unclear how the car ended up in storage in Long Island, Redenius said. The car was used for promoting the movie in 1977, and was in paid storage for 10 years after that. After that, the owner of the storage facility-perhaps the Hollywood studio or production company-stopped paying the storage fee.
"It just fell through the cracks," he said.