1960s TV series and films In the original
Thunderbirds (1965–66), as well as the feature films
Thunderbirds Are Go (1966) and
Thunderbird 6 (1968), FAB 1 is depicted as a modified
Rolls-Royce. Owned by International Rescue agent
Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward, the car is usually driven by her butler,
Aloysius Parker. The driver sits in a central position at the front of the passenger compartment, which is covered by a bulletproof
bubble canopy. FAB 1 was modified by
Brains, the inventor of the
Thunderbirds machines, to include weaponry and gadgetry such as front- and rear-mounted machine guns (although grappling hooks are seen to shoot out of the rear in the episode "The Perils of Penelope"). The car is also equipped with a
smoke screen canister and oil slick dispenser, extendable tyre studs (for increased traction), and
hydrofoils and skis (for travel on water and snow).
Background On the choice of make, series co-creator
Gerry Anderson said: "Considering [Penelope's] personality, and the role she played in International Rescue, it could only be a Rolls-Royce."
AP Films (APF) approached
Rolls-Royce Limited, which consented to the use of its brand. In 2004, Rolls-Royce's head of public relations in the 1960s said that the company "couldn't see any harm in [APF's] request, and as the series was aimed at children we thought it would be good for the cars – give them a modern image and, you never know, inspire a child to own one, one day." In return for its co-operation, the company asked that all on-screen references to the make of the car use the full brand name "Rolls-Royce", rather than the abbreviation "Rolls". To distinguish the look from that of real-life cars, designer
Derek Meddings gave FAB 1 a
six-wheel drive. He said that his decision to place two sets of wheels at the front, instead of at the back, was motivated purely by aesthetics: "My excuse [...] was that the engine was so big and powerful it needed them, but it wasn't done for any technical reason." Several shooting models were built in various sizes, the smallest being a miniature and the largest a puppet-size version, measuring , to accommodate the human-scale marionette characters. The latter – constructed from
plywood, aluminium and chrome-plated brass – cost approximately £2,500 to build in 1966 (£ in ). This was used for close-ups of the larger model, including shots of the car firing its machine guns and a stock photograph of the bonnet featured in the series' closing titles. Noting FAB 1's weaponry and gadgets,
Robert Sellers and Marcus Hearn liken the car to the modified
Aston Martin DB5 driven by
James Bond in the films
Goldfinger (1964) and
Thunderball (1965).
2004 film In the 2004 live-action film,
Thunderbirds, FAB 1 is still pink and powered by a six-wheel drive. Its glass canopy is tinted, and it is now
capable of flight as well as travel on land and sea. Prior to flight, the car's
boot panels open, exposing the
gas turbine engine; the wings then extend from the
undercarriage. During flight, the rear set of wheels folds into the main vehicle body to prevent unnecessary
drag. The passenger compartment doubles as a life raft in the event of an emergency at sea, while buoyancy tanks hidden in the body panelling ensure that the compartment remains afloat after it has broken away from the rest of the vehicle.
Background Rolls-Royce Motor Cars and its owner
BMW declined to be involved in FAB 1's re-design. This led production company
Working Title to approach
Ford, who accepted the commission and adapted the car from its
eleventh-generation Thunderbird. According to Working Title's head of marketing, Rolls-Royce had pushed for the vehicle to be "one of their standard cars – and that would have been too sedate. If you're transferring something like this to the big screen, you have to make it bigger and better." He also called FAB 1 a "crazy missed marketing opportunity" for Rolls-Royce given the car's prominence in the film.
Gerry Anderson strongly disliked the design. In an interview with
The Independent, he said that it caused him to lose all interest in serving as a creative consultant on the film: "[Working Title] emailed me the picture of the new 'Rolls-Royce'. I took one look and thought, if that's the kind of movie they're making, I'm out. Following its appearance in the film, the car was put on display at the
Heritage Motor Centre in
Gaydon, Warwickshire. File:Fab1-gaydon.jpg|Top view File:FAB 1 rear-left Heritage Motor Centre, Gaydon.jpg|Side-rear view File:FAB1.jpg|At the
Goodwood Festival of Speed, 2004 File:Warwickshire Heritage Motor Centre 5 July 2012 P1100811 (7569723448).jpg|Interior, 2012 File:FAB 1 (23079683261).jpg|Interior close-up, 2015
Remake series In the remake series
Thunderbirds Are Go, FAB 1 is given a slightly different design that still retains a Rolls-Royce silhouette and is as close to a Rolls-Royce as possible without actually being one. It has the classic pink colour scheme from the original, but the colour is no longer solid throughout the body, as the hood and trunk covers are now a grey-silver (resembling the real
Rolls-Royce Ghost "FAB-1" charity car). The headlights are more streamlined and the wheels are larger, though the tires are thinner. It still retains the same role it has in the original series with new features compared to its original counterpart, being capable of flying much like its live-action counterpart and can also travel under water. All machine guns have been removed, including the one in the grille, and replaced with explosives such as missiles and torpedoes but still retains the smoke screen and oil slick dispensers. ==Replica cars==