Somewhere between the municipalities of Ponte da Barca and Ponte de Lima, a rarity is kept in a warehouse. It is a Lotus Esprit, a classic English car that can reach 50 thousand euros depending on its sales safety level.
Launched in 1974, the model became known to the public after it was used by Roger Moore as the vehicle of spy agent James Bond (007).
It is one of only two British-registered vehicles on Portuguese soil, and it returns to the United Kingdom in the cargo of the Lisbon-London line carrier, which is dedicated to the import and export of vintage cars between the United Kingdom and the United Kingdom. With tickets to Portugal, France and Spain. On this ship, eleven cars go by.
Lotus Esprit Photo: Fernando Andre Silva / O Minho
Nimrod carries the Asbury lotus. Photo: Fernando Andre Silva / O Minho
Nimrod Asbury. Photo: Fernando Andre Silva / O Minho
The truck, which was loaded in various parts of Portugal, namely Lisbon, Carta, Costello Franco, Vienna do Costello and Prague districts, mainly mixed with BMW Coupe, Ford Fiesta and Ford Transit, was exposed to the weather.
In the 1977 film “The Spy Who Loved Me”, the ship’s pearl, the Lotus Esprit, turns into a submarine, traveling underwater as the agent and his ‘Bond Girl’ try to escape a gunfight. It was reused in the same series as the 007 movies, this time “just for your eyes”, with Roger Moore. Most recently, in the 1990s, she starred in the beautiful female film.
Nimrod Asbury, a Scottish driver (from Glasgow), used to sell old cars in Portugal to the United Kingdom and Ireland, while loading the car, at O MINHO in Famlicao. “These cars have already been purchased. When they arrive at the destination, they will be unloaded and handed over to the new owners, ”said the carrier’s driver.
Nimrod assured us that there was already a buyer in the car, but he did not want to present any amount because this would require the approval of the new owner, who would like to remain anonymous. But we know that it can go up to 7,000 (if it’s in the worst case – it’s not) to 50,000, if it is properly protected (it is not).
Photo: Fernando Andre Silva / O Minho
Lotus Spirit is already loaded. Photo: Fernando Andre Silva / O Minho
Lotus Spirit is already loaded. Photo: Fernando Andre Silva / O Minho
Another car that is truly rare is the 1988 Ford Fiesta, which has 2,000 miles (about 3,200 km), an automatic gearbox and a right-hand drive, which is very important to a British citizen because he does not have to repair it again. Car.
It was newly purchased by an elderly couple in the UK and is licensed by its mistress. After a while, her husband died, and the woman no longer wanted to drive, and the car was always parked in the garage as we explained.
Later, after the woman died, the family sold the house and added the car to the sale. In 2009, a home buyer put the car up for sale on eBay and a young Portuguese man bought the car. At that time, a good inspection was carried out and the car came to Portugal on the roll and has been stored ever since. It was recently resold to an English collector.
1988 Ford Fiesta only 3,200 kilometers. Photo: Fernando Andre Silva / O Minho
1988 Ford Fiesta only 3,200 kilometers. Photo: Fernando Andre Silva / O Minho
1988 Ford Fiesta only 3,200 kilometers. Photo: Fernando Andre Silva / O Minho
From what has been explained to us, this company is dedicated to the transportation of vintage cars between Great Britain, France, Spain and Portugal. When it comes to ‘Portuguese’ lands, they bring in many models, especially the BMW and Audi brands, which are generally in poor condition. They are then sold to antique dealers (collectors of old cars) or companies that disassemble them, always selling parts that are in high demand by brand enthusiasts.
Photo: Nimrod Asbury / O MINHO
Photo: Fernando Andre Silva / O Minho
Photo: Fernando Andre Silva / O Minho
Photo: Fernando Andre Silva / O Minho
Photo: Fernando Andre Silva / O Minho
Photo: Fernando Andre Silva / O Minho
This particular cargo was unloaded at the port of Santander in northern Spain across the Celtic Sea and the Bay of Biscay from England. Over the past few days, Nimrod has been unloading vehicles from Her Majesty’s lands and loading some gems that have been sitting around for years, some of which have even been dropped off in warehouses or warehouses – a collector much appreciated.
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