James Bond’s underwater car is expected fetch million when it’s sold at auction – by a man who bought it for just 0. (Corbis / Splash News)
Barbara Bach and Roger Moore, stars of the James Bond film ‘The Spy Who Loved Me’ leaning on the now-famous ‘amphibious’ Lotus Esprit. (Getty Images)
It is one of the most famous cars in the history of the movies and when it goes under the hammer this September it could fetch over a million dollars.
But the James Bond submarine car from “The Spy Who Loved Me” nearly sank without a trace.
The customized Lotus Esprit was forgotten about in a storage container in Long Island. It only came to light after a local contractor bought unseen the contents of the container in 1989, paying less than $100, according to a report on CNBC.
When the contractor opened up the container with his brother he found the white sports car without wheels and with a dented roof.
“They really didn’t know what it was at first,” said Doug Redenius, co-founder of the Ian Fleming Foundation, which authenticated the car.
Not knowing the value of his find he loaded the car on a truck. It was only after other truckers told him over the CB radio what it was and he had rented the film and seen the car in action that he realized the value of the find.
Mr Renedius told CNBC that eight different versions of the car were driven by Roger Moore in “The Spy Who Loved Me.” This one will be sold by RM Auctions in London on September 9.
Previous James Bond cars have fetched millions at auction. A 1964 Aston Martin used in Goldfinger sold in 2010 for $4.6 million.
Mr Renedius described the current owner as “a blue collar guy” who makes “a very modest living”.
“I told him, I said ‘Come September 9th, be prepared for your life and your wife and your children – your life is going to change dramatically,” he said.
This story originally appeared on news.com.au