Wet Nellie (well, one of them) goes up for auction

“Wet Nellie” from The Spy Who Loved Me

“Wet Nellie,” the submarine car from 1977’s The Spy Who Loved Me, is coming up for auction, according to THE HEMMINGS DAILY WEB SITE.

There was no single submarine car, as noted in the documentary Inside The Spy Who Loved Me. One of the cars did function underwater, albeit with occupants with scuba equipment. Here’s an excerpt from the Hemmings Web site:

Of the eight white Lotus Esprits used in the filming of the 1977 James Bond flick The Spy Who Loved Me, none actually completely transformed from canyon-carving sports car to missile-launching submersible, as depicted in the film. One, however, was actually built as a (barely) functioning submarine, and that underwater prop will soon head to auction, potentially trading hands for the first time since it was unearthed in a storage locker in 1989.

Constructed by Perry Oceanographic, the Lotus-themed submarine was said to have cost producers over $100,000 to build. During the movie, Don Griffin, a retired Navy SEAL who served as Perry Oceanographic’s test pilot on all new underwater craft, piloted the submarine, which the filming crew affectionately dubbed “Wet Nellie.” The craft was a “wet” submarine, meaning that Griffin utilized SCUBA gear during the chase scene sequences.

The “Wet Nellie” name stemmed from 1967’s You Only Live Twice, which featured a gimmicked-up mini-helicopter dubbed “Little Nellie.”

Wet Nellie is scheduled to be auctioned in early September. For more details, you can CLICK HERE.

JULY 2012 POST: THE SPY WHO LOVED ME’S 35TH ANNIVERSARY: LICENSE RENEWED