1976 Spy’s Car

In the early 1970s there was a group of junior supercars; the Lamborghini Urraco, Porsche 911 and Maserati Merak were a taste of the exotic for a little less money.  In 1971 Lotus supplied Ital Design with a modified Europa chassis which would accommodate the newly developed Lotus 907 four-cylinder 2-litre engine.  Colin Chapman wanted a wedge shaped 2 seater coupe and Giugiaro really delivered, the prototype was unveiled at the 1972 Turin motor show.

Development continued until 1976, but Lotus were also trying to produce the Elite at the same time and the early Esprits showed signs of things being rushed.  However to look at, the car was stunning and this was what got it into the next James Bond film.

Lotus delivered two street-legal vehicles to the production, one of which was converted to a camera car. Initially, the designated stunt driver for the chase sequence involving the Esprit was unable to achieve the level of excitement the production team desired owing to the Esprit’s significant levels of grip, and they quickly became frustrated with the lack of progress. Following an unsuccessful take, the crew asked for the car to be returned to their location, and with the stunt driver absent Lotus engineer Roger Becker, who had accompanied the Esprits to the set and was familiar with the car’s handling characteristics, climbed behind the wheel. His brief performance in the car was so impressive that when he slid to a halt in front of the cameras, producer Cubby Broccoli allegedly instructed him to repeat the feat immediately, and he would ensure the cameras were rolling this time. Becker was subsequently hired to do virtually all of the stunt driving for the chase sequence.

This kit uses the European (narrow) chassis kit.