The Swedish auction house Bonhams is set to auction off James Bond’s Lotus Esprit from the 1977 film The Spy Who Loved Me.  The Lotus will be sold by the international auctioneers on December 1 at its annual motoring sale at Olympia, in West London, and is expected to go for around £100,000-120,000.

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The Lotus Esprit in 1977's The Spy Who Loved Me

According to a press release issued by Bonhams, With the global release of the new movie Quantum of Solace putting Ian Fleming’s legendary British secret agent James Bond firmly back in the public eye, Bonhams is delighted to announce that it has one of 007’s classic sports cars for sale.

The white 1976 Lotus Esprit from the 1977 film The Spy Who Loved Me, starring Roger Moore and Barbara Bach, will be sold by the international auctioneers on 1 December at its annual motoring Sale at Olympia, in West London. The car is expected to fetch £100,000-120,000.

The vehicle is one of two Lotus cars driven in the film by Roger Moore’s James Bond character. It turns into an amphibious car for the movie, driven both on land and underwater.

Also for sale, is the registration number ‘AU1’, used in another James Bond film Goldfinger. The first registration issued in Nottingham in 1903, this number was fitted to the Rolls-Royce Phantom III used by arch villain Goldfinger in the legendary film of the same name, since AU is the chemical symbol for gold in the Periodic Table. It is expected to fetch in excess of £80,000.

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It seems that every time a new Bond film is released there are countless articles about the role of Bond Girls and how finally, for the first time ever, a Bond Girls is equal to Bond himself. This was especially prevalant during the releases of Tomorrow Never Dies and Die Another Day, where the Bond Girls were secret agents themselves and almost as Bondian as 007.

Honor Blackman (Pussy Galore in Goldfinger) in 2008

However, with each new movie there is also a bevvy of former Bond Girls defending their performances as “strong for the time” or some similar statement. The lastest of these defenses comes from the 80 year old Honor Blackman, who played Pussy Galore in 1964′s Goldfinger.

According to Thaindian News:
“In so many of the films, the girls just looked at James and fell flat on their backs,” the Telegraph quoted her, as saying. “Yet Pussy Galore was a career woman – a pilot who had her own air force, which was very impressive. She was never a bimbo,” she added.

She says that Pussy was a realistic depiction of a modern woman.

“Pussy’s flying a plane, so she’s got to be a strong feminist, but then she collapses into Bond’s arms at the end.”

“Deary me. Unfortunately women do do that. We’re good at our jobs, but if we fall in love, we’re a bit stupid,” she added.

To discuss this story and all the latest James Bond news with 007 fans from around the world, please visit the MI6 Debriefing Room

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-Daniel Craig says Bond girls stand up for themselves
-Barbara Broccoli: Bond Girls Were Femenist Icons