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Way back in 2013, a couple who were hiding the iconic Lotus Esprit submarine movie car put it up for auction through RM Sotheby’s. People were amazed when the non-running vehicle was sold for a lofty $997,000 by an anonymous bidder. Later, Elon Musk himself revealed that he was the proud new owner. But few knew what role it would play in Tesla’s future.
Elon Musk has doubled down on the insane Tesla Roadster claims.
While Musk, when he first revealed himself as the owner of the James Bond movie car, said he would make it functional using a Tesla powertrain, which could even transform from a car into a submarine. As far as we know, that still hasn’t happened, but a single vehicle has had quite an impact on Tesla today.
Musk has previously admitted that the Cybertruck’s lines were inspired by the Lotus Esprit submarine, a vehicle that fascinated him as a child. Although we can see some similarity, the British sports car honestly looks so much better. Maybe it’s the lack of stainless steel that resembles an industrial refrigerator?
The couple who owned the movie prop before Musk accidentally got it. They paid $100 for a locked storage unit in 1989 and found the 1976 Lotus Esprit buried under junk. Because it fascinated so many people in the underwater shots of The spy who loved memany were willing to pay a hefty sum to own the vehicle.
But the couple stuck with it and didn’t quite know what it was as they had never seen a single James Bond film. We’re not sure if the low purchase price or their naivete is more astonishing. Later they learned from others what it was.
After years of storing the thing, they finally decided to have a cosmetic restoration done and then put it up for auction. The rest is history that has influenced the present.
Image via IMDB