2. Lotus Esprit

Starred in:

• The Spy Who Loved Me (1977, Roger Moore) — $122.9 million*

• For Your Eyes Only (1981, Roger Moore) — $115.8 million*

To escape a menacing rocket-launching helicopter in The Spy Who Loved Me, Bond races off a pier and plunges his white Lotus Esprit into the sea, where it transforms into a submarine. An enduring fan favorite, no other Bond car can top this one for amazing feats.

The wheels fold up as the car becomes a fully operational sub, complete with fins and periscope. A monitor allows for tracking the still-hovering helicopter and the car-turned-submarine fires off a missile to blow it out of the air. Additional underwater action reveals the ability to release depth charges and smoke screens.

Bond's Lotus Esprit morphs into a submarine.

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The amphibious Esprit makes an equally memorable return to land, casually driving out of the water onto a beach filled with surprised sunbathers.

And that’s not even all of its tricks. In a different scene, a black Ford Taunus is chasing the Esprit over dangerously winding roads when the license plate moves to reveal nozzles. A spray of cement (reportedly simulated by gray oatmeal) slathers the windshield of the pursuing car and the blinded driver careens off the road.

The wedge-shaped Lotus Esprit was Great Britain's answer to Italy's Ferraris and Lamborghinis, which invented, then dominated, the supercar category in the late '60s and early '70s. Ironically, Esprits made through 1988 (including Bond's car in The Spy Who Loved Me) featured fiberglass bodywork styled by a famous Italian automotive designer — Giorgetto Giugiaro. The Esprit's angular lines are a Giugiaro hallmark.

Lotuses are known for their handling, a feature that is shown off plenty in the film. But early Esprits lacked oomph, their engines being puny compared to the Italian supercars. A more powerful Turbo version debuted in 1980 and earned the Esprit some much-needed street credibility. It’s featured in the Bond film For Your Eyes Only.

Bond's Lotus Esprit Turbo

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Although a homely yellow Citroen 2CV (one of our honorable mentions) takes the lead in For Your Eyes Only through a harrowing chase sequence, the cheeky Esprit Turbo struts its stuff as well. A white Esprit uses its self-destructing feature to thwart would-be car thieves. Later in the movie, Bond gets a second Esprit that is featured in two brief scenes. This one is copper colored, with a roof rack for skis.

The Gadgets:

• Ability to convert from car to submarine and back again
• Monitor that allows sub to track action above the water’s surface
• Missiles, with underwater-to-air firing power
• Underwater smoke-screen capabilities
• Depth charges
• Cement-spewing nozzles behind license plate

Did You Know …

• The Lotus Esprit went to the Bahamas to film its scenes, even though its co-stars stayed home. Roger Moore and Barbara Bach acted their parts in a London studio, using a car in a pool.

• The submersible car’s nickname is Wet Nellie.

• Some automotive insiders credit 007 with spurring the best sales year ever for the Esprit, which remained in production until 2004. Lotus sold 138 Esprits in 1976, the first year the car came to market. A comparatively whopping 580 sold in 1977, the year the Esprit starred in The Spy Who Loved Me. (The Turbo model peaked at 205 sales in 1982, after appearing in For Your Eyes Only.)

• Ford sold its Taunus in Germany in the '50s and '60s. The car is named after a mountain range in that country.