James Bond Lotus sells at auction

James Bond's Lotus from The Spy Who Loved Me has fetched £111,500 at a London auction.

The white 1976 Lotus Esprit was sold to a private US collector who was bidding over the telephone at the Bonhams sale.

The buyer described himself as a Lotus and James Bond aficionado and said the car would be going to Atlanta, Georgia.

It is one of two Lotus cars - driven by Roger Moore in the 1977 film - which turned into an amphibious car when it ended up in the sea during a chase.

A Bonhams spokesman said: "We are delighted with the result and delighted that it attracted worldwide attention."

The registration number AU1 from Bond classic Goldfinger was also up for auction at the same sale in London's Olympia, but did not find a buyer after failing to reach its reserve price.

It had been estimated to fetch between £80,000-£100,000.

The first registration issued in Nottingham in 1903, AU1 was fitted to the Rolls Royce Phantom III used by arch villain Goldfinger in the film, as Au is the chemical symbol for gold in the periodic table.

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