What happened to real-life FAB 1?

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You’d think it is impossible to loose sight of a 22 feet and six inches (6 metres 86) long car, bright pink in colour and with bubble top roof, weighing over three tons and carrying a wide range of most remarkable gadgets of which a machine gun was just one. Still, it’s exactly what happened to the vehicle seen here.

Last week’s Valentine message briefly mentioned its famous owner – here we see her again in full splendour: Lady Penelope. Yes, she was a comedy character, but the girl seen above isn’t. It’s model Penny Snow acting as Lady Penelope to promote the 1968 movie ‘Thunderbirds 6’. A living doll, if you like, seen here at Woburn Abbey. And the car parked on its drive, wearing the famous ‘FAB 1’ number plate, is real. Or was, as it’s unsure whether it survives or not.

The real-life ‘FAB 1’, built after the design of the late Derek Meddings did actually come with its own computer, closed circuit television screens and camera and a remote-controlled machine gun which fires through the radiator grill, or so says a 1968 press release (which also mentions it tops 150 mph). The last trace of it dates back to the beginning of the century, when it was seen in a pretty sorry state with a 1968 ‘F’ registration. What on earth happened to it? Or should we really be seeking beyond this earth?

Words and archive picture Jeroen Booij

Yes, FAB1 survived! You can find the follow-up story here.

Originally published on February 19, 2015

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