Elon Musk spent $1 million on a James Bond car that ended up inspiring the Cybertruck’s design

The car is from the James Bond film, The Spy Who Loved Me
In the movie, it could transform into a submarine
Musk said it inspired the sharp, angular design of the Cybertruck. According to Elon Musk, one vehicle in his massive car collection has inspired the design of the Tesla Cybertruck.

You would be surprised to know it is none other than the 1976 Lotus Esprit.

The vehicle was used as a car/submarine by the 007 agent in the 1977 James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me.

However, the story of how the billionaire got his hands on the $1 million car is also quite interesting.
$1 million James Bond car found in an unclaimed storage unit
Before being bought by Elon Musk, the custom-built Lotus Esprit – or ‘Wet Nellie‘ as it was called behind the scenes – was found in an unclaimed storage unit.

The entire unit was bought by a couple for $100 who didn’t know what they had stumbled upon.
They initially planned to fix the car but while hauling it home, some truckers told them its real value.

Eventually, the husband rented out the movie since the couple had never seen a James Bond film. Some years and a few cosmetic touch-ups later, the car was eventually auctioned in 2013.

And that’s how Elon Musk bought the Lotus Espirit James Bond car for close to $1 million.

Elon Musk turning the car into a real submarine. Since Musk grew up watching the Bond film he was a fan of the car.

“It was amazing as a little kid to watch James Bond drive the Lotus Esprit off a pier and have it transform into a submarine,” Musk told the media.

He was disappointed to learn that the real-life James Bond car couldn’t transform into a submarine.
So he decided to upgrade it with a Tesla electric powertrain. He also wanted to make the Lotus Esprit transform for real.

Tesla Cybertruck was influenced by the iconic Bond car. Elon Musk was so fascinated by the Lotus Esprit that he also posted on X that the Cybertruck’s sharp, angular design was ‘influenced partly’ by the iconic Bond car. The billionaire’s desire to build an electric vehicle with a design from his childhood memories of James Bond movies has led to the Tesla Cybertruck.