Wet Nellie
Wet Nellie
| |
History | |
---|---|
Name | Wet Nellie |
Namesake | Little Nellie |
Owner | Elon Musk (since 2013) |
Ordered | 1976 |
Builder | Perry Oceanographic, Inc.[1] |
Cost | $100,000 |
Laid down | 1976 |
Launched | 1976 |
Sponsored by | Eon Productions |
Completed | 1976 |
Acquired | 2013 |
Commissioned | 1976 |
Maiden voyage | 1976 |
In service | 1976 |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Customized Lotus Esprit |
Type | Wet sub |
Length | 14 feet (4.3 m) |
Beam | 6 feet (1.8 m) |
Height | 4 feet (1.2 m) |
Propulsion | 4 electric motors |
Capacity | 2 |
Crew | 2 |
"Wet Nellie"[2] is the behind-the-scenes name given to a custom-built submarine, created for the 1977 James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me in the shape of a Lotus Esprit S1 sports car.[3] The Esprit was chosen to give James Bond a glamorous car to drive. "Wet Nellie" is named in reference to Little Nellie, an autogyro featured in the James Bond film You Only Live Twice,[4] which was itself named after actress and comedian Nellie Wallace.[5]
Construction
The submarine does not maintain a dry interior, and thus is a "wet sub" that requires occupants to don scuba gear.[6] It was built by Perry Oceanographic, Inc., of Riviera Beach, Florida, United States,[7] specifically for the film, using a Lotus Esprit S1 bodyshell, for about $100,000 at the time.[8] The wedge shape of the Esprit is designed to provide downforce, which would cause the submarine to dive. This undesirable force was compensated for by fins placed where the wheels would be in a conventional Esprit. The sub requires a crew of two to operate. It has four electric motors that allowed forward motion only.[3] The interior bears no resemblance to that of a car, being just a platform for the scuba divers, and the equipment used to operate, drive, and power the sub.[4]
Filming
During filming of The Spy Who Loved Me, the submarine was piloted by ex-
Post-film life
Upon completion of filming, the submarine went on a promotional tour.
See also
References
- ^ "History Overview of Perry Baromedical". Perry Baromedical. Archived from the original on 24 April 2010.
- ^ "James Bond's 'Spy Who Loved me' submarine car sold in London". Reuters. 9 September 2013. Retrieved 13 November 2013.
- ^ a b c Oagana, Alex (9 May 2011). "Wet Nellie: The Second Most Famous Bond Car". Autoevolution. Retrieved 13 November 2013.
- ^ a b c d e Wilkinson, Leo (12 August 2013). "Inside James Bond's Lotus supersub". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 13 November 2013.
- ^ Mallion, Tony (May 2010). "The Name's Wallis, Ken Wallis". Places & Faces. No. 2. pp. 8–9. Archived from the original on 6 November 2010. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
- ^ a b Gergeni, Matt (10 September 2013). "James Bond's "Wet Nellie" Hits Nearly $1 Million at Auction". THM Magazine. Archived from the original on 4 November 2013. Retrieved 13 November 2013.
- ^ Irvine, Chris (18 October 2013). "Billionaire Elon Musk admits he bought James Bond's submarine car". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 13 November 2013.
- ^ a b c d e Neff, John (28 June 2013). "James Bond Lotus Esprit submarine car headed to auction [w/video]". Autoblog. Retrieved 13 November 2013.
- ^ "Bond submarine car 'Wet Nellie' goes for £550,000 at Battersea auction house". London24. 10 September 2013. Archived from the original on 11 September 2013. Retrieved 13 November 2013.
- ^ Woodyard, Chris (18 October 2013). "Tesla's Elon Musk buys 007's sub to make it real". USA Today. Retrieved 13 November 2013.
- ^ Eisenstein, Paul A. (18 October 2013). "Tesla's Elon Musk wants to make sub car a reality". CNBC. Retrieved 13 November 2013.
Further reading
- "Lot 243: 007 Lotus Esprit 'Submarine Car'". RM Auctions. 9 September 2013. Archived from the original on 17 May 2015.
- "The most memorable Bond vehicles: Lotus Esprit 'Wet Nellie'". MSN Cars. 22 October 2012. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 13 November 2013.
External links
Media related to Wet Nellie at Wikimedia Commons