James Bond’s Lotus Esprit S1: Now Available on Ebay!

The Classic Lotus Esprit S1, Recently Restored By Rick Dale And Featured on the History Channel’s “American Restoration” Is On Loan From The Dezer Hollywood Cars Museum In Florida, Which Will Soon Announce Plans To Expand Its Dezer Collection at Hot Rod City

Hot Rod City Las Vegas is going amphibious this summer with the arrival of the James Bond Lotus Esprit Submarine Car, driven in a classic chase scene on the Italian isle ofSardinia by Roger Moore in the 1977 film “The Spy Who Loved Me.”

The vehicle, known for its unique feature of converting into a submarine, is on loan from The Dezer Hollywood Cars Museum for the Summer of 2014. It was recently featured onThe History Channel‘s “American Restoration,” where it was restored by the show’s star Rick Dale, owner of Rick’s Restorations in Las Vegas.

There were six Lotus submarine cars built and used in the film, with one of them being a drivable underwater sub (though none were pressurized like a real submarine). There are only three remaining in existence. The one at Hot Rod City is the retractable wheel version that appeared onscreen.

The Lotus Esprit S1 (or Series 1) was built by Lotus in the UK between 1976 and 1978. It was launched in 1975 at the Paris Auto Show and went into production in June 1976,replacing the Europa in the Lotus model lineup.

The Dezer Collection whose main location is in North Miami, will soon be announcing plans for expansion of its museum facility at Hot Rod City.

Hot Rod City Las Vegas, which opened in 2011, is a dealer of and home to some of the coolest hot rods and classic cars in Sin City, including 90 vehicles (60 cars, 30 motor scooters) from the Dezer Collection. Many are film and TV icons, including the “Beverly Hillbillies” jalopy, the Mercedes from “The Hangover,” the “Back To The Future” DeLorean, KITT (from “Knight Rider”), Grandpa Munster‘s  Dragula and the “General Lee” Dodge Charger from “Dukes of Hazard.”