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LONDON, England - Captain Nemo's six-wheeled Nautilus car from Sean Connery’s adventure movie ‘The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen’ will be auctioned at Blenheim Palace, England, on July 11 2015.
The car, designed by production and art director Carol Spier, was one of only two made, is fully functional and complete and was used throughout the film and for promotional posters.
Its twin was rigged with scaffolding for filming the actor's close-ups.
FIRE TENDER TO FILM STAR
Coys’ auctioneer Chris Routledge said: “We've a long tradition of selling film, TV and celebrity cars… having such a cool car from such a cool film is exciting. We’re offering an unrepeatable opportunity to acquire the car that appeared in ‘The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen’ – one which will undoubtedly increase in value in years to come.”
The vehicle started life as a Land Rover fire-tender. It was adapted with a steel frame and a Rover V8 engine. The chassis is covered in an intricate ivory-coloured glass-fibre shell and has lots of elaborate embellishment in an aged-gold effect both inside and out. Inspiration for the decoration was taken from the Hindu god Ganesha (god of success) and assorted flora and fauna.
The cabin has the original Land Rover dials.
The wheels each measure 28"; hidden under their arches are hydraulics to adjust the car's ride height. Nautilus has most of its original functionality but shows signs of wear and evidence of running repairs. Neverthelss, it's aid to be in running condition.
For the previous few years it's been part of a large collection of movie props and costumes at Prop Store’s UK facility.
Coys’ reckons it will go for between the equivalent of R349 920 to R486 000.
'TIME FOR SOMEBODY ELSE TO ENJOY IT'
Stephen Lane, founder of Prop Store, said: “I bought the Nautilus from the film company after ‘The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen’ came out because I loved the car, loved the design and felt it was one of the most emotive vehicles I’d ever seen, a true design icon.
“I’ve taken it to Essen (in Germany), driven it at the Lord Mayor’s Show (London) and now feel it’s time to let somebody else own and enjoy it.”
Unfortunately the car is not legal for use on UK roads and is not suitable for conventional road driving. No warranty is made or implied as to its roadworthiness or mechanical condition. Dimensions: 6.62m x 2.80m x 1.40m.
