FAB1
Encyclopedia
FAB1 is the name given to the pink six-wheeled car in the Thunderbirds
franchise.
TV series Thunderbirds
(1965–66), as well as the films Thunderbirds Are GO
(1966) and Thunderbird 6
(1967), FAB1 is a modified Rolls-Royce
. Owned by Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward
, the car is usually driven by her chauffeur
Parker
. The driver sits in a central position at the front of the passenger compartment, which is covered by a bulletproof
bubble canopy
. The car has been modified by Brains, inventor of the Thunderbirds machines, with gadgets and gizmos, including heavy artillery concealed behind the radiator grille and front and rear headlights, though in 'Perils of Penelope' grappling hooks are shot out of the rear headlight space. It is also equipped with smokescreen- and oil-dispensors, extendable tyre-studs for increased traction
, and hydrofoil
s or outrigger
s for travel on water or snow respectively. Rolls-Royce supplied a radiator grille complete with Spirit of Ecstasy
for close-up shots of the car.
Duple Vega coach chassis, was constructed to transport Gerry
and Sylvia Anderson
to the London premiere of Thunderbirds Are GO (the vehicle broke down within a few hundred yards of departure and Gerry and Sylvia were forced to take a taxi cab to the premiere). However Rolls-Royce were not impressed by the car, which had a very poorly executed fibreglass body, and made several attempts to purchase it and have it destroyed. For a time they succeeded in forcing the removal of the genuine, RR grille which was replaced by a replica, bearing the initials LP instead. The vehicle survived and now fully restored, resides at the Cars of the Stars Motor Museum
in Keswick, Cumbria
.
Gerry Anderson went on to have a further, full-sized FAB 1 constructed. This time the vehicle was an extended Rolls Royce, Silver Spirit. The bonnet line was extended to house the Chinese-six wheel arrangement, with double Ackerman steering. The vehicle does not have the bubble top or centre steering position of the original, and apart from the pink paint and re-trim, the passenger compartment is stock Rolls.
, appeared in the Thunderbirds episode "The Man From MI.5" but was apparently lost by Parker in a game of poker
.
FAB3 is a racehorse owned by Lady Penelope. It is kept at Ascot
Stables and has won numerous derby races.
FAB1 top speed: 200mph.
(2004) the car was still pink and had six wheels and a glass canopy (now tinted). The Ford Motor Company
supplied the prop — a heavily modified Ford Thunderbird
.
The vehicle supplied by Ford was actually fully functional (except that it couldn't fly), completely road-legal and appeared in a segment on UK motoring show Top Gear
where it was road-tested by James May
. He noted that it wasn't the most practical car ever conceived, mostly due to its excessive length which made it difficult to drive through small English villages.
The boot panels would open to expose the gas turbine engine before flight and wings would extend from the undercarriage. During flight, the rear set of wheels folds into the vehicle's body completely. This prevents them from creating unnecessary drag and so slowing the aircraft down.
Skis for going over heavy snow are also added to the vehicle. The bullet-proof, run-flat tires are fitted with studs in order to give extra traction.
The central passenger compartment of FAB1 doubles as an emergency life raft in the event of an emergency at sea. Buoyancy tanks hidden in the body paneling ensure that the compartment remains afloat after it has broken away from the rest of the vehicle.
The FAB1 used in filming is displayed at the Heritage Motor Centre
.
Thunderbirds (TV series)
Thunderbirds is a British mid-1960s science fiction television show devised by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and made by AP Films using a form of marionette puppetry dubbed "Supermarionation"...
franchise.
The original series and films
In the original SupermarionationSupermarionation
Supermarionation is a puppetry technique devised in the 1960s by British production company AP Films. It was used extensively in the company's numerous Gerry and Sylvia Anderson-produced action-adventure series, the most famous of which was Thunderbirds...
TV series Thunderbirds
Thunderbirds (TV series)
Thunderbirds is a British mid-1960s science fiction television show devised by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and made by AP Films using a form of marionette puppetry dubbed "Supermarionation"...
(1965–66), as well as the films Thunderbirds Are GO
Thunderbirds Are GO
Thunderbirds Are Go is a 1966 British science-fiction film based on Thunderbirds, a 1960s television series starring marionette puppets and featuring scale model effects in a filming process dubbed "Supermarionation"...
(1966) and Thunderbird 6
Thunderbird 6
Thunderbird 6 is a 1968 British science-fiction and adventure film written by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson, directed by David Lane and produced by Century 21 Cinema...
(1967), FAB1 is a modified Rolls-Royce
Rolls-Royce Motors
Rolls-Royce Motors was created from the de-merger of the Rolls-Royce car business from Rolls-Royce Limited in 1973. The original Rolls-Royce Limited had been nationalised in 1971 due to the financial collapse of the company, caused in part by the development of the RB211 jet engine...
. Owned by Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward
Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward
Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward is the London Agent for the secret organisation International Rescue in the hit television series Thunderbirds...
, the car is usually driven by her chauffeur
Chauffeur
A chauffeur is a person employed to drive a passenger motor vehicle, especially a luxury vehicle such as a large sedan or limousine.Originally such drivers were always personal servants of the vehicle owner, but now in many cases specialist chauffeur service companies, or individual drivers provide...
Parker
Aloysius "Nosey" Parker
Aloysius "Nosey" Parker is a fictional character in the television series Thunderbirds, the feature films Thunderbirds Are GO and Thunderbird 6 and the 2004 live action film Thunderbirds....
. The driver sits in a central position at the front of the passenger compartment, which is covered by a bulletproof
Bulletproof glass
Bulletproof glass is a type of strong but optically transparent material that is particularly resistant to being penetrated when struck by bullets, but is not completely impenetrable. It is usually made from a combination of two or more types of glass, one hard and one soft...
bubble canopy
Bubble canopy
A bubble canopy is a canopy made like a soap bubble, which attempts to provide 360° vision to the pilot.-History:Bubble canopies have been in use since World War II. The British had already developed the "Malcolm hood", which was a bulged canopy, but the British Miles M.20 was one of the first...
. The car has been modified by Brains, inventor of the Thunderbirds machines, with gadgets and gizmos, including heavy artillery concealed behind the radiator grille and front and rear headlights, though in 'Perils of Penelope' grappling hooks are shot out of the rear headlight space. It is also equipped with smokescreen- and oil-dispensors, extendable tyre-studs for increased traction
Traction (engineering)
Traction refers to the maximum frictional force that can be produced between surfaces without slipping.The units of traction are those of force, or if expressed as a coefficient of traction a ratio.-Traction:...
, and hydrofoil
Hydrofoil
A hydrofoil is a foil which operates in water. They are similar in appearance and purpose to airfoils.Hydrofoils can be artificial, such as the rudder or keel on a boat, the diving planes on a submarine, a surfboard fin, or occur naturally, as with fish fins, the flippers of aquatic mammals, the...
s or outrigger
Outrigger
An outrigger is a part of a boat's rigging which is rigid and extends beyond the side or gunwale of a boat.In an outrigger canoe and in sailboats such as the proa, an outrigger is a thin, long, solid, hull used to stabilise an inherently unstable main hull. The outrigger is positioned rigidly and...
s for travel on water or snow respectively. Rolls-Royce supplied a radiator grille complete with Spirit of Ecstasy
Spirit of Ecstasy
The Spirit of Ecstasy is the name of the hood ornament on Rolls-Royce cars. It is in the form of a woman leaning forwards with her arms outstretched behind and above her...
for close-up shots of the car.
Replica car
A full-sized replica of FAB1, based on a Chinese-six (four in front, two in back), BedfordBedford Vehicles
Bedford Vehicles, usually shortened to just Bedford, was a subsidiary of Vauxhall Motors, itself the British subsidiary of General Motors , established in 1930; and constructing commercial vehicles. Bedford Vehicles was a leading international truck manufacturer, with substantial export sales of...
Duple Vega coach chassis, was constructed to transport Gerry
Gerry Anderson
Gerry Anderson MBE is a British publisher, producer, director and writer, famous for his futuristic television programmes, particularly those involving specially modified marionettes, a process called "Supermarionation"....
and Sylvia Anderson
Sylvia Anderson
Sylvia Anderson , born 25 March 1937, is a British voice artist and film producer, most notable for collaborations with Gerry Anderson, to whom she was married from 1962 to 1975....
to the London premiere of Thunderbirds Are GO (the vehicle broke down within a few hundred yards of departure and Gerry and Sylvia were forced to take a taxi cab to the premiere). However Rolls-Royce were not impressed by the car, which had a very poorly executed fibreglass body, and made several attempts to purchase it and have it destroyed. For a time they succeeded in forcing the removal of the genuine, RR grille which was replaced by a replica, bearing the initials LP instead. The vehicle survived and now fully restored, resides at the Cars of the Stars Motor Museum
Cars of the Stars Motor Museum
The Cars of the Stars Motor Museum was in the English town of Keswick, Cumbria, and owned a collection of celebrity television and film vehicles...
in Keswick, Cumbria
Keswick, Cumbria
Keswick is a market town and civil parish within the Borough of Allerdale in Cumbria, England. It had a population of 4,984, according to the 2001 census, and is situated just north of Derwent Water, and a short distance from Bassenthwaite Lake, both in the Lake District National Park...
.
Gerry Anderson went on to have a further, full-sized FAB 1 constructed. This time the vehicle was an extended Rolls Royce, Silver Spirit. The bonnet line was extended to house the Chinese-six wheel arrangement, with double Ackerman steering. The vehicle does not have the bubble top or centre steering position of the original, and apart from the pink paint and re-trim, the passenger compartment is stock Rolls.
FAB1, FAB2 and FAB3
FAB2, Lady Penelope's yachtYacht
A yacht is a recreational boat or ship. The term originated from the Dutch Jacht meaning "hunt". It was originally defined as a light fast sailing vessel used by the Dutch navy to pursue pirates and other transgressors around and into the shallow waters of the Low Countries...
, appeared in the Thunderbirds episode "The Man From MI.5" but was apparently lost by Parker in a game of poker
Poker
Poker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown , limits on bet sizes, and how many rounds of betting are allowed.In most modern poker...
.
FAB3 is a racehorse owned by Lady Penelope. It is kept at Ascot
Ascot, Berkshire
Ascot is a village within the civil parish of Sunninghill and Ascot, in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, Berkshire, England. It is most notable as the location of Ascot Racecourse, home of the prestigious Royal Ascot meeting...
Stables and has won numerous derby races.
FAB1 top speed: 200mph.
Thunderbirds (2004 live action film)
In the live-action film ThunderbirdsThunderbirds (film)
Thunderbirds is a 2004 science-fiction adventure film loosely based upon the television series of the same name of the 1960s, directed by Jonathan Frakes....
(2004) the car was still pink and had six wheels and a glass canopy (now tinted). The Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
supplied the prop — a heavily modified Ford Thunderbird
Ford Thunderbird (eleventh generation)
2002 saw a new Thunderbird launched, based on the Ford DEW platform. It was a personal luxury car in the same vein as the nameplate's earlier iterations...
.
The vehicle supplied by Ford was actually fully functional (except that it couldn't fly), completely road-legal and appeared in a segment on UK motoring show Top Gear
Top Gear (current format)
Top Gear is a British television series about motor vehicles, primarily cars. It began in 1977 as a conventional motoring magazine show. Over time, and especially since a relaunch in 2002, it has developed a quirky, humorous style...
where it was road-tested by James May
James May
James Daniel May is an English television presenter, journalist and writer. He is best known for his role as co-presenter of the award-winning motoring programme Top Gear alongside Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond....
. He noted that it wasn't the most practical car ever conceived, mostly due to its excessive length which made it difficult to drive through small English villages.
The boot panels would open to expose the gas turbine engine before flight and wings would extend from the undercarriage. During flight, the rear set of wheels folds into the vehicle's body completely. This prevents them from creating unnecessary drag and so slowing the aircraft down.
Skis for going over heavy snow are also added to the vehicle. The bullet-proof, run-flat tires are fitted with studs in order to give extra traction.
The central passenger compartment of FAB1 doubles as an emergency life raft in the event of an emergency at sea. Buoyancy tanks hidden in the body paneling ensure that the compartment remains afloat after it has broken away from the rest of the vehicle.
The FAB1 used in filming is displayed at the Heritage Motor Centre
Heritage Motor Centre
The Heritage Motor Centre is a British motor museum and research centre, located adjacent to the Jaguar Land Rover Gaydon Centre near Gaydon in Warwickshire, England. The centre is open to the public, and houses a collection of important vehicles, celebrating Britain's motoring heritage...
.