Movie cars have always been extravagant and a statement-maker for the character at play. Be it the Batmobile or the Ectomobile - Ghostbusters Van. There have been realistic ones like the Dukes of Hazzard "General Lee" and the Jurassic Park Jeep. But, and that's where the outrageous 6-wheeled Nautilus car comes in.
For those of you who don't have a clue about it, this lavishly 'Indie' car is from the movie adaptation of an iconic book - League Of Extraordinary Gentleman. It was referred to as an 'automobile' by Captain Nemo, the cool Indian Captain who was seemingly obsessed with electricity.
The car was designed to gloriously mimic the Nautilus (Captain Nemo's "Sword of the Ocean") and even carries the same design elements including religious elements based on Hindusim and other classic art elements. The car sure looked cool and futuristic for the early 1900s, the time in which this movie is based. It sure can't be compared to the likes of supercars of that era but can be tagged along with the weird bunch of concept cars after its era, that looked too weird for the real world.
The Nautilus car from "The League Of Extraordinary Gentleman" is an impressive showcase of art on 6 wheels. But not the most loved movie cars out there.
"The Spirit Of Nemo" Was A 22 Feet Long Artwork Built From Scratch
This car was designed by Carol Spier from scratch. It used the chassis and engine from a Land Rover Fire Tender but that is all skin deep as this behemoth of a machine was a depiction of what the future looked like back in the 1900s. There were actually two of these made for the movie but only one was fully functional. But driving this was no easy task and is not road legal as well.
It made it to the list of ridiculously long cars with a length of 22 feet and had six wheels. It had two working axles up front just like the Tyreell's Six-wheeled F1 car but surely not as fast. It used a V8 alright but wasn't the go-getter with insane performance potential. The Nautilus car was built to just look good on the big screen and that it did impressively. An additional steel frame was added up front to house the engine under that extremely long hood. It's obvious of a car of this size weighs in insanely and so the custom team went forth with a fiberglass body to save weight.
It Was A Mural On Wheels With Artistic Elements
The most distinctive aspect of the Nautilus car was its inspiration from Indian art and murals. The front fascia was garlanded with portraits of Ganesh. The artistic touch was given ample importance because of which they even dislocated the headlamps. Yes, those creepy eye-like things protruding to the sides, and inside are its headlamps.
This aspect was a bit weird as Captain Nemo was a man of science and madly in love with electricity. So, it would have been fitting if the car had a few futuristic elements along with the intense historic touch. Asking for an electric powertrain would also not have been 'stupid', considering the creative sense that was put into this car. Another cool feature of this mothership was a hydraulic lift system that would stance the car when parked. Talk about JDM appeal!
Not The Most Loved Movie Car Out There Though
Driving about a car which was over 22 feet long, was a convertible, and had an odd 6-wheeled layout, each measuring 28 inches in diameter was the least practical bundle ever. And if you had seen the movie, then it would have been pretty clear that 'reality' was nowhere in the picture. But that was not the reason for this car to not be in the good book of viewers. The movie was a very vague adaptation of the original comic which in itself was a turn-down.
Moreover, the storyline was lackluster and extremely trimmed down to fit in 2 hours of runtime. This did the least justice to the beautiful book and again tipped people off. And then there was the Nautilus car, which frankly looked quite cool. But the odd fusion of murals and insanely long hood made it look rather unappealing in most of the action sequences.
Was Cool Only In The Fictional Hands Of Captain Nemo
The Nautilus car was an embodiment of how Captain Nemo perceived things. It was pompous, extremely flamboyant, and a head-turner. His love for art was beautifully depicted with intricate detailing in the form of Indian-origin murals and elements. Simply said it mimicked the craftmanship of the Nautilus ship that was Captain Nemo's priced possession. Even the interior was layered in artistic bits to reciprocate Nemo's love for anything creative.
And so the Nautilus car makes a lot more sense in the hands of Captain Nemo and his royal yet bold character. No matter how awkward or impractical the car looked, it still was a movie car at the end of the day, and fared quite well. The original movie car was put up for sale in the UK. So, chances are high for it to come up for sale again.
Fun Fact: Weirdly, there was also a replica of the Nautilus car built by Ken Freeman from North Carolina based on two Cadillac limos that sold for more than the original.
Sources: Drivetribe.com, Carbuzz.com, Cbr.com,