Elon Musk Bought A James Bond Car
Musk bought the Lotus Espirit in 2013—and it influenced one of Tesla's major products.
Written by Tom Hindle
Reviewed by Kathleen Flear
To many, James Bond and Elon Musk are opposing forces with different working mechanisms. One is often depicted as a notorious womanizer and a peerless spy in his award-winning movies, while the other is a controversial business magnate. But at one point, the movie star and the founder of
Tesla
met in the auto sphere, and it might go on to have a profound impact on history. How did the two parties meet, and was
the Cybertruck
the outcome of their interaction? Continue reading to understand more. From $100 to $1 million: a lucky storage renter
In 1989, a Long Island couple paid $100 for a storage unit only to bump into Lotus Esprit—famously used in The Spy Who Loved Me. The car was wheelless, covered in blankets, and dented. On their way back home hauling the "wreckage," the couple received a call from CB radio.
According to
Autoweek
, that’s when the unsuspecting pair realized they had stumbled upon a rare gem. After authenticating the Lotus Esprit, the husband and wife team restored the car and sold it at RM Auctions in Battersea, London, for a staggering $997,000 in 2013. The unidentified buyer was later identified as Elon Musk. Elon Musk loved The Spy Who Loved Me
With 80-100 working hours every week, busy building artificial brains, and looking for the possibility of life beyond earth, Musk doesn't rest easily. Statistically, he has less than 80 hours per week to rest and accomplish other personal tasks. So it would be logical to put it that he rarely invests in movies and TVs.
But for Musk to find out about Bond's
Lotus Esprit,
he must have watched The Spy Who Loved Me. According to a statement from CNBC
, Musk was amused by how the car transformed into an underwater submarine—and the mogul vowed to buy one. Unfortunately, the underwater thing is just a movie prop—the car doesn't transform into a sub—which disappointed the South Africa-born investor. However, it did have a major impact on Musk’s creative process. In November 2019,
Tesla unveiled the Cybertruck
; it looked stunningly similar to Lotus Esprit. What did the Lotus Esprit used by James Bond look like?
Contrary to what the media has branded the Esprit, it doesn't resemble a car at all. Instead, it was restored to a submarine and moved forward by a bank of propellers powered by electric motors.
An airtight compartment houses the batteries that power the motors. The so-called car also dives with the help of ballast tanks, and the driver controls it with articulate levers. While underwater, the Lotus Esprit can make tight turns of 20 feet in diameter.
Even the rich and the famous have auto insurance
Owning a Lotus Esprit is a big deal, and so is protecting it with insurance coverage.
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