Entertainment

Bond girl’s Mercury Cougar expected to fetch up to £150,000 at auction

The car, owned by Dame Diana Rigg’s character Contessa Teresa di Vicenzo in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, will go on sale later this month.
The car, owned by Dame Diana Rigg’s character Contessa Teresa di Vicenzo in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, will go on sale later this month.

A 1969 Mercury Cougar that featured in the James Bond film On Her Majesty’s Secret Service is to be auctioned.

The muscle car, which is a red XR7 convertible model fitted with a ski rack, is estimated to fetch between £100,000 and £150,000.

It has been photographed ahead of its sale in London.

The Bonhams’ Bond Street Sale
The Mercury Cougar will be sold by Bonhams on December 16 (Kirsty O’Connor/PA)

In the film, the car is owned by Bond girl Contessa Teresa di Vicenzo, who was played by Dame Diana Rigg.

The car will be sold by the Bonhams auction house on December 16.

Dame Diana starred in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service alongside George Lazenby, who was playing Bond.

Her character married Lazenby’s during the film.

The Bonhams’ Bond Street Sale
The Mercury Cougar has been described as a ‘stunning example of a 1960s muscle car’ (Kirsty O’Connor/PA)

According to Bonhams, the car was bought by the seller in a dilapidated state from a classified advertising magazine in the 1980s.

After he heard about the car’s history, he embarked on a 30-year journey to return the car to its original specifications.

Tim Schofield, head of Bonhams Motor Cars UK, said: “We’re delighted to offer this unique Cougar, which is not only an important piece of film history but also a stunning example of a 1960s muscle car.”