Looking at this image of FAB1 on Sixmania I was amazed to see that the car's dome splits in half and rises up like a sunroof.
or is this the way Parker and Lady Penelope actually got in and out of the car in the Thunderbirds TV show?
Do you know readers?
Nope. In the 1966 Thunderbirds are Go movie the right side of the passenger compartment roof opens like a gull wing door. They show it opening during the 'Swinging Star' dream sequence when Alan is picked up by FAB1. It's also open when he has to 'mind the gap' and jump on board and when he is lowered from TB2 at the end of the movie. Most likely very difficult to do with a real car which is why your picture shows it raised on poles. They did got the lowering door correct on the life size one in your picture though. Even Dinky couldn't do the gull wing mechanism either so had s sliding roof instead.
ReplyDeleteI'm amazed they'd spend so much on what was essentially just a publicity device, completely unused in filming the series. I remember seeing a TV program as a kid (it might even have been Blue Peter or something like that) which featured it and it's functions. I seem to recall it actually had an elevating platform in the boot, as seen in the Lady Penelope comic strip!
DeleteFab insights and info guys. I'd forgotten about the sliding roof on the Dinky toy Yorkie. Of course, I adored sliding it back and forth on my own model. Its a pity Rolls Royce didn't go into production making FAB1's. I think us baby boomers would all have one, even now!
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