The Lotus Esprit Submarine starred in the bond movie “The Spy Who Loved ME” and is probably one of the coolest James Bond cars.

The unique Lotus Esprit Submarine was fully functioning car in the movie designed and fitted to propel underwater.

RM Auctions has announced that this unique Lotus Esprit submarine car will be auctioned at the upcoming auction in London, September 8-9.

The car was known as “Wet Nellie” on the movie set and was developed by Florida-based Perry Oceanographic. The car was said to have cost over$100,000 (£65,700) – roughly $500,000 (£328,800) in today’s money.

The driver of the car was Don Griffin, a retired U.S. Navy SEAL and test pilot for Perry, who operated the vehicle utilising its motorised propellers while manoeuvring with levered steering mechanisms.

After filming the underwater scenes in the Bahamas, the vehicle was shipped to New York, where it was kept in a storage unit for a decade.

In 1989, the then rent delinquent unit was put up for blind public auction and a local couple bought it. Of course there was a big surprise when the blankets were removed to reveal the iconic 007 ‘Submarine’ Car.