BIRTHDAY MYSTERY: Case Cracked! Investigating the Investigator Car's Origin

I've always like the Investigator car designed by Reg Hill.

There've been many posts by me, Scoop and Wotan on the vehicle and its Dinky incarnations over the years here on the Base.

Although, I personally never had the Dinky version as a kid I don't think. I still haven't got one. For some reason they're not commonplace at car boot sales, my go-to place for old die-casts to do up.

Having looked several times for its origin I've posted similar vehicles before on Moonbase like this old Disneyland ride car.

So its a birthday treat to report that I was amazed to recently find the actual inspiration of the show's prop Investigator Car courtesy of the cool six-wheeled vehicle French site Six Mania. Result!

Its a West German sports car from the 1960's, the red Porsche 914! Wunderbar!

A little tinkery shoppery on my part and you can really see the resemblance! I wonder if Reg Hill had one of these Porsches?

I'll have to find a cheap Dinky toy and paint it red one day to go with my Coastguard car.

In the meantime, my favourite photo of the Investigator car so far has to be this one I've borrowed again from Six Mania. It shows Nicola Austin, a car mag model in the Seventies filling up the car with the two puppets sat inside! Love it!

All I need now is for someone to tell me that it was made into a pedal car!

Anyone got the Investigators car in any form, Dinky or otherwise or indeed any merchandise or interesting facts about the cancelled pilot?