James Bond movie prop to be transformed into REAL submarine

Expressing disappointment that a movie prop he bought at auction wasn't REALLY a submarine-care, the wily EO of Tesla Motors, Elon Musk will be putting some tender loving care into his property and make it into a functioning James Bond "supercar."

LOS ANGEELS, CA (Catholic Online) - Musk's identity was kept secret when he bought the car-turned-submarine from the 007 classic "The Spy Who Loved Me." Sold at auction last September for nearly a million dollars, Musk's identity as the buyer was first reported by the automotive Web site Jalopnik.com.

A Tesla Motors spokeswoman confirmed that the prop, modeled after a Lotus sports car, will transform take prop and turn it into an actual car that transforms into a submarine.

"I was disappointed to learn that it can't actually transform," Musk said in a tongue-in-cheek statement provided by Tesla. "What I'm going to do is upgrade it with a Tesla electric powertrain and try to make it transform for real."

In the film, "The Spy Who Loved Me," James Bond as played by Roger Moore is seen driving a white Lotus Esprit off a pier and into the water. The car sinks underwater toward the bottom before sprouting fins and propellers. Moore is shown piloting the sub with a passenger, played by Barbara Bach, inside a dry passenger compartment.

While filming, Several cars and models, which included just sections of the vehicle were used to shoot the scene. The submarine Musk bought for $920,167 at a London auction was just one of them.

A "wet submarine," the vehicle fills with water when submerged. The driver has to wear a wetsuit and breathe air from a tank. Naturally, the dry passenger compartment shown in the movie was a set. The vehicle has no steering wheel or other automobile controls. Controlled with levers, the fins on the outside are not retractable, but permanent.

Tesla Motors first car, the Tesla Roadster, was also based on a later Lotus sports car, the Elise.

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