One of the most iconic vehicles to emerge from Q Branch, the Lotus Espirit featured in ‘The Spy Who Loved Me’ is capable of both land driving and underwater use, transforming into a submarine in a matter of seconds. Armed with an array of gadgets including surface to air missiles, the highly versatile Lotus later makes a memorable return to land amongst a packed beach of astonished beachgoers. The submersible Lotus Espirit was realised onscreen in ‘The Spy Who Loved Me’ through both miniature special effects photography and the construction of a full size operational incarnation, built by Florida based marine engineers. The submarine was formed from an Espirit body shell supplied by Lotus, with the addition of four propeller units, ballast tanks and power provided by batteries sealed in a water-tight compartment. During filming in the crystal-clear waters of the Bahamas, the craft was operated from within by a former Navy SEAL dressed in full scuba diving gear.
