Who says water and electricity don't mix? Tesla CEO Elon Musk is the new owner of a certain Lotus Esprit, of James Bond fame, that converts into a submarine -- and he plans to make it a reality.
As reported by USA Today and other news outlets, Musk won the car at an auction in London on Sept. 9 for $989,000. While the vehicle was just a prop that could only be driven underwater by a diver in scuba gear, the electric car company's CEO said he wants to truly make it work.
"It was amazing as a little kid in South Africa to watch James Bond in The Spy Who Loved Me drive his Lotus Esprit off a pier, press a button and have it transform into a submarine underwater," Musk told USA Today. "I was disappointed to learn that it can't actually transform. What I'm going to do is upgrade it with a Tesla electric powertrain and try to make it transform for real."
The vehicle would be capable of functioning like a real car on land, and once in water, would convert into a working submarine -- all powered by a Tesla electric powerplant of course.
Originally seen in the 1977 Bond film, the Esprit is driven off a pier and into the water by Roger Moore. Once under the waves, the vehicle sinks before the wheels retract and fins and a propeller emerge.
