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Lady Penelope's Rolls Royce, a real one


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Posted

I'm glad we went there when it was still open, was really quiet there so no surprised it shut.

 

Highlight for me was Max's Falcon XB Coupe

That car ended up outside a house in Whitehaven. In fact if anyone knows the town and/or fancies looking on Street View it's opposite the BP station on the A595, in amongst the guy's collection of old Fords.

 

The museum ended in a strange way. The cars the owner was most interested in were the Bond cars, so he sold everything else and bought some more Bond cars. He opened up a Bond museum in part of the old pencil factory in Keswick, but it didn't last long.

 

He's obviously still got at least one Bond car though - I've seen him driving an Aston from Die Another Day through Workington a few months ago.

 

I think most if his collection of Bond cars ended up in another museum in Bo'Ness near Edinburgh. I've been there recently and although it's not massive it's worth a visit. There's other stuff there too, like the Saint's XJ-S, the Harry Potter Anglia, and what-not. It's kind of Cars of the Stars: The Sequel

  • Like 2
Posted

Didn't Stirling Moss drive one of them?

I met Stirling Moss once, and I asked him about his Facel. It was a publicity stunt arranged by his friend Lance Macklin, who was running Facel's export division at the time. He said he liked the car a lot, though "it had a lovely little bench seat in the back, you could get one piece of crumpet in the front and two in the back" were his exact words. That alone makes me luke Stirling Moss.

 

This is Macklin handing over the keys - I'm not sure if that's Shelagh, Macklin's wife, on the right, or just a bit of French crumpet

post-3924-0-95611900-1485107812_thumb.jpg

  • Like 7
Posted

That car ended up outside a house in Whitehaven. In fact if anyone knows the town and/or fancies looking on Street View it's opposite the BP station on the A595, in amongst the guy's collection of old Fords.

 

The museum ended in a strange way. The cars the owner was most interested in were the Bond cars, so he sold everything else and bought some more Bond cars. He opened up a Bond museum in part of the old pencil factory in Keswick, but it didn't last long.

 

He's obviously still got at least one Bond car though - I've seen him driving an Aston from Die Another Day through Workington a few months ago.

 

I think most if his collection of Bond cars ended up in another museum in Bo'Ness near Edinburgh. I've been there recently and although it's not massive it's worth a visit. There's other stuff there too, like the Saint's XJ-S, the Harry Potter Anglia, and what-not. It's kind of Cars of the Stars: The Sequel

 

That's a shame if it's not been kept indoors & looked after. It's a little bit of petrolhead history that.

 

 

Edit: Been on streetview etc, can't find any old fords

Posted

The fact that someone went to the time and effort of  making FAB1 is just fugging epic and that it didn't just fade away in the tears after is even better.

 

(BTW there is a replica of Thunderbird 3 at Humberside Airport  -  I'll try and get a picture)

Posted

Incidentally, I went to the cars of the stars museum about 25 years ago and all I remember is finding the remains of a beaded seat cover on the pavement a couple of streets away. For some reason I picked up a couple of beads and kept them as souvenirs for ages. In my defence I was about five, but still quite an odd thing to do

  • Like 2
Posted

I'm glad we went there when it was still open, was really quiet there so not surprised it shut.

 

Highlight for me was Max's Falcon XB Coupe

I went when it was still open and it got me that it was just a few damp smelling tin sheds and a bit dirty.

 

What got me about the Falcon was it was all cracked and smashed under the lights. Seem to remember KITT wasn't that great either. Still better than the other reason to be there, buying wedding rings :-(

Guest Breadvan72
Posted

Was it just off Edgware Road by any chance?

 

Nope, behind Pentonville nick.

Posted
Formula Autos, on 22 Jan 2017 - 5:43 PM, said:

 

The museum ended in a strange way. The cars the owner was most interested in were the Bond cars, so he sold everything else and bought some more Bond cars. He opened up a Bond museum in part of the old pencil factory in Keswick, but it didn't last long.

 

He's obviously still got at least one Bond car though

 

 

From six wheels to three?

 

1948-1965-bond-minicar-3-wheeler-2926_46

Posted

 I can tell why RR would be upset about it having their badge on it.

 

 

 

Because RR Plc treat it's image as more important than the engineering, or the honesty.  There are 100's of people involved in looking after the trademark(s) and logo(s).

 

 

Note that BMW who make RR cars, are merely licenced to use the brand. (in a deal that involved BMW selling it's aero engine division to RR Plc

Posted

Lady Penelope has long since upgraded from Rolls Royce.

 

vlcsnap5693668pf9.3641.jpg

No she hasn't.  That abortion was forced on her by Tim Burton, who told Gerry Anderson to his face that he "wasn't required" to work on Burton's rubbish live-action Thunderbirds.  The result was exactly as expected: shit.  Notice that in the frantic new CGI version, FAB 1 is a Rolls Royce again.  As it should be.

  • Like 3
Posted

That Ford FAB1 thing now lives at Gaydon. They should chuck it out and bring in more BL chod instead.

 

Useless fact - the 2015 CGI Lady Penelope looks and sounds almost exactly like a (hot, posh) friend of mine from university called Tilly :shock:

Posted

No she hasn't.  That abortion was forced on her by Tim Burton, who told Gerry Anderson to his face that he "wasn't required" to work on Burton's rubbish live-action Thunderbirds.  The result was exactly as expected: shit.  Notice that in the frantic new CGI version, FAB 1 is a Rolls Royce again.  As it should be.

 

I thought - I'm sure in fact - that the (admittedly terrible) 2004 Thunderbirds was a Jonathan Frakes effort. Was there another one with Tim Burton - if there was, it'll be shit because, well, Tim Burton.

 

Sophia Myles was excellent as Lady Penelope, mind you. 

Guest Breadvan72
Posted

Rosamund Pike is the CGI Lady Penelope. PHACKT: I have drunk non CGI pints with her at a pub.

  • Like 2
Posted

Edit: Been on streetview etc, can't find any old fords

Back in 2009:

 

2009.jpg

 

Nothing interesting on the drive since then aside from a the recent appearance of a BMW E30 estate.

  • Like 1
  • 7 years later...
Posted

To demonstrate that Autoshite is way ahead of the curve (we liked brown cars before they came back into fashion) here’s a video about Fab1 several years after I wrote this post.

 

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