Name Wet Nellie Cost $100,000 Launched 1976 Beam 1.83 m | Namesake Little Nellie Ordered 1976 Construction started 1976 Length 4.3 m | |
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Builder Perry Oceanographic, Inc. | ||
Where is james bond car lotus esprit s1 wet nellie today
Wet Nellie is a custom-built submarine, created for the 1977 James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me in the shape of a Lotus Esprit S1 sports car. The Esprit was chosen to give James Bond a glamorous car to drive. "Wet Nellie" is named in reference to Little Nellie, an autogyro featured in the James Bond film You Only Live Twice. Little Nellie was named after Nellie Wallace.
Contents
Construction
The submarine does not maintain a dry interior, and thus is a "wet sub" that requires occupants to don scuba gear. It was built by Perry Oceanographic, Inc., of Riviera Beach, Florida, USA, specifically for the film, using a Lotus Esprit S1 bodyshell, for about $100,000 at the time. The wedge shape of the Esprit is designed to provide downforce, so would force the submarine to dive, so was compensated for by fins placed where the wheels would be in a conventional Esprit. The sub requires a crew of two to operate. It has four electric motors that allowed forward motion only. The interior bears no resemblance to that of a car, being just a platform for the scuba divers, and the equipment used to operate, drive, and power the sub.
Filming
During filming of "The Spy Who Loved Me", the submarine was piloted by ex-U.S. Navy SEAL Don Griffin. The fictional history of the car in the film was that it was developed by Q-Branch. In filming, six Esprits were used (tagged "PPW 306R"), several specially modified for water duty, though only one submarine.
Post-film life
Upon completion of filming, the submarine went on a promotional tour. Afterwards, it was shipped to Long Island, New York, and placed in storage. The storage unit was prepaid for 10 years; at the end of the lease, no one claimed the contents, so the contents of the storage locker were placed on auction. The buyer paid less than $100 for the unit. The buyers did not know the contents when they bought it, and from 1989 to 2013 occasionally exhibited the submarine. The then owner, also owner of a tool rental shop, had the exterior restored. It was put up for auction as a Bond Car in 2013. In September 2013, the submarine sold at auction for £550,000, at RM Auctions in Battersea, south west London. Elon Musk bought the vehicle, and as of 2013, planned to convert it into the functional car-submarine from the film. Musk stated that he plans to use Tesla Motors' electric drive train in making his conversion a reality.
