007 Lotus up for sale

A Lotus Turbo Esprit from the James Bond blockbuster For Your Eyes Only has been tipped to fetch up to £120,000 when it goes up for auction later this month.

The supercar was designed for a new generation of Bond fans, to be a less gadget-laden, more realistic than the elaborate versions of the 1970s.

The metallic bronze vehicle from the 1981 movie is, however fitted with a ski rack, for those wanting to emulate Bond's jet-set lifestyle.

It was the work of Lotus's own development team and prior to its starring role alongside Bond, the chassis number one car was the personal transport of Lotus boss Colin Chapman.

Two identical cars were supplied for production, but Edward Bridger-Stille, a director of auctioneers Coys, said the other one was blown up during a stunt.

It had a "useful burglar alarm" by exploding when the ignition was tampered with by Bond's would-be assailant.

Reassuringly, the cars do not have this facility in real life.

Mr Bridger-Stille estimated the car will fetch between £80,000 to £120,000 and said it had "great investment potential" in times of economic uncertainty elsewhere.

It will be auctioned by Coys in a sale at Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire, on July 18.