This is the original Scubacraft SC3 that was featured in Q’s workshop in the 2015 James Bond film Spectre, and it’s now being offered for sale.
Unlike most of the other vehicles and gadgets in Q’s workshop, the SC3 is a fully-functional vehicle capable of use on the surface or submerged at up to 100 feet deep.
Above Video: This “Behind The Scenes” featurette from Spectre gives a good (albeit brief) look around Q’s workshop, and you’ll see the Scubacraft SC3 if you look closely.
History Speedrun: The Scubacraft SC3
The line between fictional, stylized world of James Bond and genuine real-world engineering has always been thinner than many people realize. For example, the Lotus Esprit “Wet Nellie” in The Spy Who Loved Me was a purpose-built, fully-functional “wet” submarine constructed inside a real Esprit bodyshell by Perry Oceanographic in Florida.
A number of the Aston Martin DB5s used across the franchise were real cars fitted with practical special-effects gadgets. And in 2015, when the production team behind Spectre, the 24th film in the James Bond series, went looking for props to fill Q’s underground workshop at Pinewood Studios, they found something almost otherworldly-looking that didn’t need to be faked – the Scubacraft SC3.
The Scubacraft SC3
The Scubacraft SC3 is a three-person amphibious diving craft, developed and engineered through the late 2000s by a team of specialists based in Wales. The concept was relatively straightforward in theory but wildly complex in execution – they set out to build a high-performance surface vessel that could also dive to a depth of 30 meters (around 100 feet) and operate as a fully-submersible scuba diving platform.
When being used on the surface, the SC3 is powered by a jet drive system fed by a Kawasaki 1,498cc, 4-stroke, inline four-cylinder DOHC engine, driving the craft to a reported top speed of 50 mph. The hull is a composite monocoque design incorporating RIB inflatable tube tech, and it’s this tube system that enables the craft’s party trick – to submerge, the operator deflates the tubes within the hull, allowing water to enter through the transom and transforming the craft’s buoyancy from positive to negative.
This is the original Scubacraft SC3 that was featured in Q’s workshop in the 2015 James Bond film Spectre, and it’s now being offered for sale.
Once underwater, the main engine shuts down to maintain an air-tight seal, and four electrically driven thrusters take over, propelling the SC3 at a speed of up to 3 knots for approximately 90 minutes maximum.
Because the SC3 is not a pressurized submarine, all occupants must wear scuba equipment during submersion. A computerized automatic depth control system prevents the vehicle from ascending or descending too rapidly – this is a critical safeguard against decompression sickness, often referred to simply as “the bends.”
The SC3 prototype was fitted with Raymarine HybridTouch navigation instrumentation, dual Raymarine i50 displays, a carbon fiber and leather Ullman Dynamics racing seat, and mounting points for underwater lighting and camera equipment.
The SC3 attracted serious attention from both commercial and government sectors during its development, including reported interest from the UK SBS (Special Boat Service) and the United States Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). Despite this, only a single SC3 prototype was ultimately built, and it’s believed to be the only surviving example of the Scubacraft concept.
The James Bond Connection
In 2015, the James Bond production team (working on Spectre under director Sam Mendes, with Daniel Craig in his fourth outing as 007) stumbled across an article about the Scubacraft and recognized its potential as set dressing for Q’s workshop.
Above Video: This is the original promotional film for the Scubacraft SC3, it includes underwater and surface footage of the craft in use.
The workshop, overseen by Ben Whishaw’s Q, was designed as a sprawling, industrial, subterranean laboratory beneath London, filled with prototype vehicles and experimental technology – most prominently the Aston Martin DB10, the hero car of Spectre. The Scubacraft appeared among the workshop’s array of vehicles and equipment.
The craft arrived at Pinewood Studios in April of 2015. It was originally finished in yellow but was repainted in deep matte black for filming to make it seem a little more clandestine. Robin Harris, the Engineering Director on the Scubacraft development program, personally delivered the vehicle and was subsequently invited by Eon Productions to play a supporting role in the film as a technician in Q’s workshop.
According to Harris’ account, Daniel Craig took a personal interest in the Scubacraft between takes, spending time learning about its design and dual-mode surface/submerged capabilities.
The Scubacraft SC3 – Now Being Offered For Sale
The Scubacraft SC3 is now being offered for sale by Bonhams on behalf of Robin Harris himself.
The lot includes the craft (approximately 5 meters long, 2 meters wide, and 1.8 meters high), a trailer and display stand, Pinewood Studios visitor access documentation, a Spectre postcard signed and inscribed “Thanks” by Daniel Craig, and a copy of the Anderson & Low On The Set of Spectre hardback book featuring official photography of the Scubacraft on set.
When being used on the surface, the SC3 is powered by a jet drive system fed by a Kawasaki 1,498cc, 4-stroke, inline four-cylinder DOHC engine, driving the craft to a reported top speed of 50 mph.
Unlike many objects that appeared within Q’s workshop (most of which were purpose-built props) the Scubacraft was and remains a fully engineered, functional prototype vehicle – it’s still operational today according to the listing.
If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can visit the listing here.
Images courtesy of Bonhams
Articles that Ben Branch has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
