To celebrate 50 years of James Bond, Top Gear has produced a special episode (temporarily available for viewing here) that honors the various Bond rides over the years. The hour-long episode also features interviews with James Bonds Daniel Craig and Roger Moore, and is topped off by a test drive of a Top Gear-built Lotus submarine.
No, it’s not the same Lotus Esprit-turned-submersible that starred in The Spy Who Loved Me; instead, the Top Gear crew converted a Lotus Excel, oddly fitted with wheels from an early-1980s Toyota Supra. Those massive pipes that dominate the rear aren’t exhausts; instead, they’re electric-powered thrusters. The odd wings protruding from the rear quarter panels are dive planes, used along with the thrusters to control the car’s depth.
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For a Top Gear creation, it works surprisingly well, though we’d still want to be dressed in a wet suit and fitted with an emergency air supply, should the car spring more than the few obvious leaks. We don’t see this hitting the market as a bolt-on kit for your car any time soon, but we’ll admit it looks like a blast to drive. Or sail, depending upon your perspective.
Kurt Ernst has been passionate about automobiles and driving nearly his entire life. His early years were shaped working in the family service station, though his real passion was auto racing. After graduating from the University of Colorado, Kurt spent a year club racing with the Sports Car Club of America, before focusing on a business career in marketing and project management. Later, his passion for writing and the automotive hobby found him freelancing for a variety of automotive news sites, including Automotive Addicts and Motor Authority, where his work was syndicated and appeared in several national publications. Recognized as an expert in the automotive field, Kurt joined Hemmings Motor News as an Associate Editor in 2013, and in the years since has progressed to Editor, Hemmings Daily; Managing Editor for Hemmings Motor News, Hemmings Classic Car, Hemmings Muscle Machines, and the Hemmings Daily; and now, Managing Editor, Hemmings Auctions. Kurt was instrumental in organizing the Hemmings Motor News Concours d’Elegance from 2013-2019, and has served as a judge at this event and The Vintage Racing Stable Concours d’Elegance. A Skip Barber Racing School graduate and prolific writer, Ernst is also skilled in copyediting, project management, brand development, and public relations.
