Makes › Lotus › Esprit › Esprit S1 "PPW 306R" (The Spy Who Loved Me film car) · Historically significant · Film & TV · 1976–1977
Lotus
Esprit S1 "PPW 306R" (The Spy Who Loved Me film car)
One of only two road-going Esprit S1 production cars that Lotus lent for the Sardinia car chase in The Spy Who Loved Me, identified by its registration PPW 306R.
Still being researched: full specifications. Everything shown is checked against the cited sources. Know more? Send us a source.
Contents
01Overview
At a glance
- Built
- 2 Built
- Years
- 1976–1977
- Engine
- Mid-mounted in-line 4-cylinder, 16-valve (Lotus Type 907); base Esprit S1 factory specification · 1,973 cc / 2.0 LFactory: 1,973 cc
- Power
- 119 kW / 162 PSFactory: 160 hp · converted
- Top speed
- 222 km/hFactory: 138 mph · converted
- Body
- Not yet verified
- Designer
- Not yet verified
- In this archive
- Not yet verified
- Surviving
- Not yet verified
Sources and any conflicting figures are in the sections below.
Why it matters
PPW 306R is one of the two white Esprit S1 road cars that Lotus lent to the producers of The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), the film that turned the newly launched Esprit into a James Bond car. The road cars carried the Sardinian chase sequence before the story switched to the purpose-built submarine shell. As one of only two production cars used on screen, it is a documented link between Lotus's first mid-engined supercar and the Bond films.
How rare is it?
Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.
Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.
02Production & history
Production
Every figure says what it counts.
| What is counted | Figure | Basis | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total model productionroad-going production Esprits lent by Lotus for filming (body shells for the submarine and stunt shots not counted) | 21 | Factory production | Independently researched |
Independent counts (e.g. engine and colour) are never combined into a calculated figure. Surviving examples are never presented as original production.
History
United Artists asked Lotus to lend a pair of Esprits for the 1977 Bond film, and Lotus supplied two road-legal S1 production cars together with several body shells used for the submarine, pier-launch and beach-emergence shots. According to Lotus's Roger Becker, who drove one of the cars to Sardinia, PPW 306R followed by train. Becker ended up doing most of the stunt driving after the second-unit director was dissatisfied with the hired stuntman. The road cars were fitted with protective metal undertrays for the rough roads of the Costa Smeralda.
According to an Esprit enthusiast site, PPW 306R survived and was displayed at the Cars of the Stars museum in Cumbria; its present location has not been confirmed in the sources consulted.
Variants
How each version differs from the standard Esprit S1 "PPW 306R" (The Spy Who Loved Me film car).
No variants documented yet. Have a source? Contribute it.
03Specifications
Technical specifications
Engine
| Engine family | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| Engine code | Not yet verified |
| Layout | Mid-mounted in-line 4-cylinder, 16-valve (Lotus Type 907); base Esprit S1 factory specification2 |
| Displacement | 1,973 cc / 2.0 LFactory: 1,973 cc2 |
| Bore | Not yet verified |
| Stroke | Not yet verified |
| Compression ratio | Not yet verified |
| Fuel system | Not yet verified |
| Power | 119 kW / 162 PSFactory: 160 hp · converted2Source states bhp. |
| Power at | 6,200 rpm2 |
| Torque | 190 NmFactory: 140 lb-ft · converted2 |
Transmission & drivetrain
| Gearbox | Five-speed manual (Citroën-sourced gearbox, as in the Maserati Merak)2 |
|---|---|
| Gears | 52 |
| Driven wheels | Not yet verified |
Chassis, body & dimensions
| Chassis | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| Front suspension | Not yet verified |
| Rear suspension | Not yet verified |
| Brakes | Not yet verified |
| Steering | Not yet verified |
| Body construction | Not yet verified |
| Wheelbase | Not yet verified |
| Length | Not yet verified |
| Width | Not yet verified |
| Height | Not yet verified |
| Front track | Not yet verified |
| Rear track | Not yet verified |
| Kerb weight | 900 kgFactory: 900 kg2 |
| Dry weight | Not yet verified |
Performance
| Maximum speed | 222 km/hFactory: 138 mph · converted2 |
|---|---|
| 0–100 km/h | Not yet verified |
| 0–60 mph | 6.8 s2Lotus claim; Motor magazine measured 7.5 s |
| Fuel tank | Not yet verified |
“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.
04Colours & options
Factory colours & interiors
Original paint and trim, with the number of cars in each where a source gives it.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Factory options & codes
Codes are shown exactly as written by the manufacturer.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
05Individual cars
Chassis register
Every documented car, with its colours, history and where it is now. Open a row for the full record. Known chassis are not automatically authenticated originals.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Competition history
Every race result of the individual cars, in date order. Click a chassis number to open its full record in the register.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Auction & sale history
Documented public sales of the individual cars. Click a chassis number to open its full record in the register.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
See one in person
Museums where an example of this car can be seen.
No example is documented on public display yet. Have a source? Contribute it.
06Reference
Identification guide
How to tell an original from a replica or later conversion.
Being verified against factory or registry sources before it is published. Have a source? Contribute it.
Sources
Each number links to the exact facts it supports.
-
1
Lotus Esprit 1976-1987 review – from James Bond's icon to the Esprit Turbo (evo) Level C
- 2 road-going production Esprits lent by Lotus for filming (body shells for the submarine and stunt shots not counted)
-
2
Lotus Esprit 1976-1987 review – from James Bond's icon to the Esprit Turbo Level C evo
- 2-litre, 4-cylinder, 16-valve
- In-line 4-cylinder, 1973cc
- 160bhp at 6200rpm
- 140lb ft at 4900rpm
- Five-speed, Citroën-sourced gearbox
- Five-speed
- Weight 900kg
- 138mph (Lotus claim)
- 0-60mph 6.8sec (Lotus claim)
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