A screen-used Lotus Esprit S1 bodyshell from the 1977 film The Spy Who Loved Me is back in Monaco for auction after recent restoration by Mäkelä Auto Tuning.
Filming employed seven Esprit bodyshells and one functional submarine car that was reportedly piloted by two stuntmen in scuba gear; RM Sotheby’s sold a functional Esprit in 2013 that was reportedly purchased by Elon Musk for $866,000.
This particular bodyshell was gifted to a scrap company during production and later sat outdoors for years. An Italian collector bought it in 1988 and rebuilt it with photos and technical information provided by Lotus.
Coys auctioned the restored Esprit in 2007 and Finnish entrepreneur Jorma Lillbacka bought it for display near his PowerPark complex. Mäkelä Auto Tuning has carried out recent work to bring the Lotus Esprit bodyshell to showroom condition, though it contains no interior or engine and weighs around 800 pounds.
Read the full article at theautopian.com.
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