Lot 642

Registration Number: TBA                         Chassis Number: SCCFC20ABAHD10858
Product placement seems to be ever more prevalent in the movie industry these days, with every new film seeming to have an ever increasing number of product tie-ins – from laptops to fast food to tissues.

In the ‘good old days’, having your product star in an international blockbuster was a huge boost to any manufacturer, and Lotus achieved their greatest ever exposure through one of the finest and most novel marketing moves ever – They parked a new Esprit outside the Pinewood office of James Bond Producer Cubby Broccoli, and waited for the call! Product placement at its most literal and basic, perhaps, but it worked, and a legend was born.

The striking new Esprit was perfect for the Bond of the ‘70’s, cutting edge and modern, as Bond fought off the shackles of the associations with Connery and Aston Martin, re-inventing himself for another generation of fans. Bond’s first Esprit starred alongside Roger Moore in 1977s ‘Never say never again’, and the modifications carried out by Q division were extensive, to say the least!

Fast forward four years to 1981 and in ‘For your eyes only’, Bond is once again driving an Esprit, but the feel of the films have changed. Gone is the reliance on ever more elaborate and far-fetched plots and special effects, and the car, like the storyline ,makes a (some would say welcome) return to something approaching reality. One has to question where the script writers and production designers would have had to take the story line in order to incorporate a device which could ‘out gadget’ the submersible Esprit!

That is not to say the Esprit had not moved on though. The old car may have turned into a submarine, but this was the ‘80s, so the new Esprit had a Turbo! This was not some whistle activated flight of fancy Q had knocked up either – this one was the work of Lotuses very own development team, and one we could all go out and enjoy.

Q couldn’t resist tinkering though, so Bond’s car did of course receive the odd ‘tweak’ – most notably a rather extreme security system which blew up not only Bond’s would be assailant, but also the car, reducing our hero to the ignominy of using a yellow 2CV as one of cinema’s most unlikely getaway vehicles.

Time for another new car, then. Q’s replacement offering was, if anything, even more reserved. Gone was the striking white finish, replaced by a very modern and subdued shade of metallic bronze, a shade which served to render the spy a little less conspicuous. Well, as inconspicuous as you can be in a mid engined turbo charged supercar with a set of skis on the tailgate in a snowy ski resort!

One very special feature of his new car which was not mentioned to Bond is that he was in fact driving the original production car, chassis Number 1. Prior to it’s starring role alongside cinemas favourite Englishman, the car was actually the personal transport of Lotus boss Colin Chapman

Perhaps surprisingly for a Bond car, this Esprit was not required to perform any particularly arduous stunt work - Maybe it was felt that driving the ‘Turbo’ on snow would be enough to satisfy even Bond’s licence to thrill!

The marketing potential of having the worlds favourite spy driving their new model was obviously another coup for Lotus, and they couldn’t afford any hiccups on their part to jeopardise filming, so they (as is often the case) supplied 2 identical cars to the production. For the same reason, prior to arriving on set the Esprits supplied were actually fitted with normally aspirated engines rather than the newly developed Turbo unit.

Both cars featured extensively throughout the film, and both cars eventually made their way into the collection of ‘The Cars of the Stars’ in Keswick, one being retained on permanent display in the museum, whilst the other car toured the world as part of their highly popular (and successful) touring collection.

Coys actually had the privilege of supplying the other car to the ‘The Cars of the Stars’ directly from Lotus’ own heritage collection several years ago.

This particular car, the very first production Turbo Esprit , was purchased by the museum from a dealership in Manchester many years ago, and has recently been inspected by representatives from Lotus who have confirmed that the car is both the original ex Chapman Chassis Number 1 and one of the original Bond cars.

Finished in its correct shade of metallic bronze with tan interior, this iconic car is of course presented exactly as it appeared in its most famous role. It still features the now famous ski rack on the slatted tailgate, which a recent feature in ‘Octane’ magazine pointed out, looks so ‘right’ that it is a wonder it never made production!

Recently forming part of the centrepiece display at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, the car enjoys an instant recognition from the public around the world, and is always in demand for similar events, offering a unique opportunity to a wise investor or collector.

Alternatively, what better way to arrive at your local Multiplex to enjoy the latest Bond in his current outing ‘Quantum of Solace’, followed by a spirited run down to Cortina?

James Bond. Two words which guarantee you excitement, drama and thrills.



Much the same could be said of this Turbo Esprit.



Estimate:



£90,000 - £110,000

 

Estimate: £90000 - £110000