Wet Nellie

1976 car-shaped submarine from the James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me

Wet Nellie
Wet Nellie
History
NameWet Nellie
NamesakeLittle Nellie
OwnerElon Musk (since 2013)
Ordered1976
BuilderPerry Oceanographic, Inc.[1]
Cost$100,000
Laid down1976
Launched1976
Sponsored byEon Productions
Completed1976
Acquired2013
Commissioned1976
Maiden voyage1976
In service1976
General characteristics
Class and typeCustomized Lotus Esprit
TypeWet sub
Length14 feet (4.3 m)
Beam6 feet (1.8 m)
Height4 feet (1.2 m)
Propulsion4 electric motors
Capacity2
Crew2

"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-U.S. Navy SEAL Don Griffin.[8] The fictional history of the car in the film was that it was developed by Q-Branch of MI6, and its blueprints were stolen by KGB agent Anya Amasova (after Bond asked Amasova "How did you know about that?" Amasova replied, "I stole the blueprints of this car two years ago"). In filming, six Esprits were used (registration "PPW 306R"), though only one submarine.[3] Three of the Esprits were just empty bodyshells which were used to show each phase of the car-to-submarine transformation. Two unpowered dummy cars fitted with wheels were used to show the Esprit entering and emerging from the sea; the first was designed to be fired from an air cannon off the end of the pier, the second was towed by a rope buried under the beach with a sweeping brush fitted to the underside to cover the rope up as the car was tugged out.[citation needed] When an additional road car was needed for the chase sequences the producers borrowed Lotus chairman Colin Chapman's personal vehicle.[citation needed]

Post-film life

Upon completion of filming, the submarine went on a promotional tour.[4] Afterwards, it was shipped to Long Island, New York, and placed in storage. The storage unit was prepaid for 10 years; at the end of the lease, no one claimed the contents, so the contents of the storage locker were placed on auction. The buyer paid less than $100 for the unit.[4][8] The buyers did not know the contents when they bought it, and from 1989 to 2013 occasionally exhibited the submarine.[8] The then owner, also owner of a tool rental shop, had the exterior restored.[4] It was put up for auction as a Bond car in 2013.[8] In September 2013, the submarine sold at auction for £550,000,[9] at RM Auctions in Battersea, south west London.[6] Elon Musk bought the vehicle, and as of 2013[update], planned to convert it into the functional car-submarine from the film.[10] Musk stated that he plans to use Tesla Motors' electric drive train in making his conversion a reality.[11]

See also

  • List of James Bond vehicles

References

  1. ^ "History Overview of Perry Baromedical". Perry Baromedical. Archived from the original on 24 April 2010.
  2. ^ "James Bond's 'Spy Who Loved me' submarine car sold in London". Reuters. 9 September 2013. Retrieved 13 November 2013.
  3. ^ a b c Oagana, Alex (9 May 2011). "Wet Nellie: The Second Most Famous Bond Car". Autoevolution. Retrieved 13 November 2013.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^ "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.
  10. ^ Woodyard, Chris (18 October 2013). "Tesla's Elon Musk buys 007's sub to make it real". USA Today. Retrieved 13 November 2013.
  11. ^ 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

  • v
  • t
  • e
Literature
FilmsVideo gamesTelevision
Comics
Characters
AccessoriesRelated
  • Category
  • v
  • t
  • e
Basic equipment
Breathing gas
Buoyancy and
trim equipment
Decompression
equipment
Diving suit
Helmets
and masks
Instrumentation
Mobility
equipment
Safety
equipment
Underwater
breathing
apparatus
Open-circuit
scuba
Diving rebreathers
Surface-supplied
diving equipment
Diving
equipment
manufacturers
Access equipment
Breathing gas
handling
Decompression
equipment
Platforms
Underwater
habitat
Remotely operated
underwater vehicles
Safety equipment
General
Activities
Competitions
Equipment
Freedivers
Hazards
Historical
Organisations
Occupations
Military
diving
Military
diving
units
Underwater
work
Salvage diving
  • SS Egypt
  • Kronan
  • La Belle
  • SS Laurentic
  • RMS Lusitania
  • Mars
  • Mary Rose
  • USS Monitor
  • HMS Royal George
  • Vasa
Diving
contractors
Tools and
equipment
Underwater
weapons
Underwater
firearm
Specialties
Diver
organisations
Diving tourism
industry
Diving events
and festivals
Diving
hazards
Consequences
Diving
procedures
Risk
management
Diving team
Equipment
safety
Occupational
safety and
health
Diving
disorders
Pressure
related
Oxygen
Inert gases
Carbon dioxide
Breathing gas
contaminants
Immersion
related
Treatment
Personnel
Screening
Research
Researchers in
diving physiology
and medicine
Diving medical
research
organisations
Law
Archeological
sites
Underwater art
and artists
Engineers
and inventors
Historical
equipment
Diver
propulsion
vehicles
Military and
covert operations
  • Raid on Alexandria (1941)
  • Sinking of the Rainbow Warrior
Scientific projects
Awards and events
Incidents
Dive boat incidents
  • Sinking of MV Conception
Diver rescues
Early diving
Freediving fatalities
Offshore
diving incidents
  • Byford Dolphin diving bell accident
  • Drill Master diving accident
  • Star Canopus diving accident
  • Stena Seaspread diving accident
  • Venture One diving accident
  • Waage Drill II diving accident
  • Wildrake diving accident
Professional
diving fatalities
Scuba diving
fatalities
Publications
Manuals
  • NOAA Diving Manual
  • U.S. Navy Diving Manual
  • Basic Cave Diving: A Blueprint for Survival
  • Underwater Handbook
  • Bennett and Elliott's physiology and medicine of diving
  • Encyclopedia of Recreational Diving
  • The new science of skin and scuba diving
  • Professional Diver's Handbook
  • Basic Scuba
Standards and
Codes of Practice
General non-fiction
Research
Dive guides
Training and registration
Diver
training
Skills
Recreational
scuba
certification
levels
Core diving skills
Leadership skills
Specialist skills
Diver training
certification
and registration
organisations
Commercial diver
certification
authorities
Commercial diving
schools
Free-diving
certification
agencies
Recreational
scuba
certification
agencies
Scientific diver
certification
authorities
Technical diver
certification
agencies
Cave
diving
Military diver
training centres
Military diver
training courses
Surface snorkeling
Snorkeling/breath-hold
Breath-hold
Open Circuit Scuba
Rebreather
  • Underwater photography
Sports governing
organisations
and federations
Competitions
Pioneers
of diving
Underwater
scientists
archaeologists and
environmentalists
Scuba record
holders
Underwater
filmmakers
and presenters
Underwater
photographers
Underwater
explorers
Aquanauts
Writers and journalists
Rescuers
Frogmen
Commercial salvors
Diving
physics
Diving
physiology
Decompression
theory
Diving
environment
Classification
Impact
Other
Deep-submergence
vehicle
  • Aluminaut
  • DSV Alvin
  • American submarine NR-1
  • Bathyscaphe
    • Archimède
    • FNRS-2
    • FNRS-3
    • Harmony class bathyscaphe
    • Sea Pole-class bathyscaphe
    • Trieste II
  • Deepsea Challenger
  • Ictineu 3
  • JAGO
  • Jiaolong
  • Konsul-class submersible
  • Limiting Factor
  • Russian submarine Losharik
  • Mir
  • Nautile
  • Pisces-class deep submergence vehicle
  • DSV Sea Cliff
  • DSV Shinkai
  • DSV Shinkai 2000
  • DSV Shinkai 6500
  • DSV Turtle
  • DSV-5 Nemo
Submarine rescue
Deep-submergence
rescue vehicle
Submarine escape
Escape set
Special
interest
groups
Neutral buoyancy
facilities for
Astronaut training
Other