#407 CORGI – JAMES BOND´S LOTUS ESPRIT FROM THE SPY WHO LOVED ME (1977)

This car model is probably among the most famous cars that have appeared in a movie, after the DB-5 Aston Martin which James Bond used to drive in his first movies. The Lotus Esprit is a British car, made between 1976 and 1986 (it was later redesigned and sold until 2004) and appeared in the James Bond movie "The Spy Who Loved Me" (1977). It also appeared in "For Your Eyes Only" (1981), but in brown/ocre colour, although this one didn´t transform.

The toy was made by Corgi in 1977 for the first time, and it has been reissued several times since then. To be honest, I don´t know which version is the car in the pictures. In the original ones, the 007 logo is a sticker, and the base is different (it says Corgi without the dog logo). I found it once in a flea market and it had a small bag with all missiles in that had been clipped with the rear spoiler of the submarine to the car, and it is also suspicious, that it is in such a great shape, so it is probably quite new, but who cares?

The car as previously advanced, can transform in a submarine, just like in the movie, and it also fires those red missiles. These features are typical of Corgi Toys models made in the 80s or before. The submarine mode can be activated by pushing the black button on the bonnet (well on the trunk, since the car is a rear-wheel-drive). The missiles can be fired by pressing the button on the roof. The coolest thing about the missiles, is that you fire them one after the other, and not all at the same time. This is something that surprised me the first time I got this model.

Corgi also released this same model in super-rare golden colour, only a few hundreds unit exist, and they were given to the people who were in the premiere of the film.

The Corgi Juniors series (1:64 scale) had it’s own James Bond’s Lotus Esprit. It was much simpler and could transform, but it is still a nice collectable. Originally, it had a red 007 logo on the front part of the car, but it has been rubbed off in my case. This model has number 60-B1 and was also released in 1977.

Collectables based on movies or TV series are very sought for.

UPDATE (JUNE 2018)

Here is a new "Junior" in better shape, still with its sticker on the bonnet. Or is it the trunk?

UPDATE2 (OCT/2022):

Here's the original version, that I recently got from a friend.

As we see in the last picture, the Corgi logo is not present and there is a "Made in Gt. Britain" under the name of the car. As said above, the 007 logo is a sticker.

FACTS AND FIGURES:

• Name: JAMES BOND’S LOTUS ESPRIT (Nrs. 269 and 60-B1)
• Scale: 1:36 and 1:64 (approx.)
• Year: 1977
• Company: Corgi/ Corgi Juniors (G. Britain)
• Size: 11,5 cm. and 7,5 cm.