Some photos from Smallspace 10, the sci-fi model show which took place last weekend in the village of Hanslope, near Milton Keynes.
This
year, the theme was the sixtieth anniversary of Doctor Who and
featured a rare appearance of the ‘Whomobile, the futuristic –
looking vehicle, commissioned by former Doctor Who, actor Jon
Pertwee. (The car had made a previous appearance at Smallspace way
back in 2015)
Remarkably,
it’s street-legal and is classified by the DVLA as an ‘invalid
tricycle’
The
car appeared in two classic Doctor Who stories; ‘The Invasion of
The Dinosaurs,’ in which it appeared with a temporary wind shield
from a speedboat, as the full size cockpit canopy hadn’t completed,
and in ‘Planet of the Spiders’.
The
‘Whomobile’, which is actually called, ‘Alien’, was created
in 1973, and designed by Peter Farries, based on Jon Pertwee’s
instructions. Peter Farries, was at the time Chairman of Nottingham
Drag and Custom Club.
Although
it obviously has the intended appearance of a hovercraft, the
surrounding 8 inch rubber skirt conceals it’s three wheels. The
rear mounted engine is a Hillman Imp 875 cc, specially prepared by
Chrysler UK which I’ve read would have rebored it to a 998 cc.
The
engine cover is a place to tie down luggage as the car has no boot.
Note the grills which are presumably there to provide ventilation for
the engine. It has a reputed top speed of 105mph, although current
owner, Paul Buckland tells me, he’s not done over 45 mph in it,
Frankly, I don’t blame him. I’d imagine the overall visibility
inside the cockpit is very limited with no practical rear view
mirrors, apart from a single one protruding from the canopy.
It’s
14 feet long, and 7 feet wide, with the large rear fins extending 5
feet off the ground. The thicker than usual fibre glass body is
painted a metallic silver and red, which according to Paul Buckland,
is finished with 100 coats of lacquer.
Inside
the ‘futuristic’ 1970’s cockpit is a TV screen, a red
telephone receiver, a computer (in reality a group of flashing
coloured buttons) and a very 70’s looking piece of nostalgia, a
‘Monatone’ car cassette player!
The hinged cockpit windscreen has a BBC Children in Need sticker, and a 1996 tax disc, coincidently the same year Jon Pertwee passed away.
