...wake up man!
Lower away…
Blofeld's Bathosub — Diamonds are Forever (1971)
James Bond locates Ernst Stavro Blofeld on his offshore oil rig lair and signals Felix Leiter and the CIA to attack the platform. Blofeld attempts to escape using his Bathosub, a one man mini-submarine. However, 007 hijacks the crane lowering Blofeld into the ocean. Bond then used the crane to turn the Bathosub into a battering ram, smashing it into the control room to destroy the guidance system.
Crafted from a design by Ken Adam, two Bathosubs were built by George Barris (best known for his immortal Batmobile created for the hit 60’s TV show). Fashioned out of fiberglass the first was fully kitted out with an interior and the second was simply an empty shell filled with cement to perform the “demolition ball” action.
After production wrapped, the complete Bathosub was acquired by custom car builder Dean Jefferies who was not only Barris’ arch-rival but a former employee. Jefferies eventually sold it to a young Bond collector who carried out a basic restoration. In 1992 it was purchased by the Ian Fleming Foundation as one of the collection’s earliest acquisitions. The IFF team has since carried out a complete restoration. The Foundation also holds the original George Barris drawings and paperwork relating to his work on the vehicle.
