The Ultimate ‘Blind’ Auction Win
In the world of logistics, an abandoned shipping container is usually a headache—a box of unpaid storage fees and forgotten scrap. But in 1989, a contractor in Long Island, NY, paid $100 for a mystery container at a blind auction. He wasn’t looking for a miracle; he just wanted some spare tools or hardware. What he found instead would become the single most famous ‘blind find’ in maritime history.
The Secret Under the Blankets
When the doors creaked open, the contractor saw a large shape covered in old blankets. Beneath the dust lay a sleek, white 1976 Lotus Esprit. It was missing its wheels and had strange fins where the tires should be. Having never seen a James Bond film, the man had no idea that he was looking at ‘Wet Nellie’—the actual functional submarine car used by Roger Moore in the 1977 classic The Spy Who Loved Me.
From $100 to $1 Million
For years, the car sat in the back of the man’s shop. It wasn’t until he was convinced to show it to the movie studio that the truth came out. The production company had simply ‘forgotten’ the car in storage after the film wrapped. In 2013, the car was auctioned off for nearly $1 million to none other than Elon Musk. It’s a powerful reminder that within those steel walls, anything is possible. While most containers from Shipping Containers Now won’t come with a spy car, they provide the same legendary security that kept this treasure safe for decades. Buy your own vault today and who knows what history you’ll create.