The Name Is Musk, Elon Musk: Tesla CEO Purchases James Bond Submarine Car From 'The Spy Who Loved Me'

It turns out that Elon Musk was the mysterious buyer who spent $920,167 for James Bond’s car from the 1977 film “The Spy Who Loved Me.” Now the real question is what will the Tesla Motors Inc. (NASDAQ: TSLA) CEO, known for his innovative electric cars, rocket parts, Hyperloop and hands-free engineering system, do with a sports car-turned-submarine movie prop?

Musk plans to use his resources to turn the James Bond prop into an actual car that can morph into a real submarine. In its current state, the vehicle, which is modeled after a Lotus Espirit, doesn’t even have wheels. It’s really just a car-shaped sub, but one that fills up with water when submerged.

“I was disappointed to learn that it can’t actually transform,” Musk told CNN Money. “What I’m going to do is upgrade it with a Tesla electric powertrain and try to make it transform for real.”

The car was discovered in a neglected Long Island storage locker that was purchased for less than $100. The new owner eventually had the vehicle authenticated by the Ian Fleming Foundation as not only being one of the models used in the film, but the only model that was actually capable of submerging.

This won’t be the first time Musk has worked off of a Lotus design. The design of the original Tesla electric car was based on a Lotus Elise.

For reference, or just for some nostalgic fun, here’s the clip from “The Spy Who Loved Me.” Skip ahead to around the 3:30 mark to witness the ground-to-see transformation.