With all the news circulating about UFOs recently, it’s definitely made me more curious, and if they (aliens) do exist, this is probably what they would want to drive. Today we’re going to be discussing an unbelievably rare vehicle that was originally constructed for the 1969 feature film ‘Journey to the Far Side of the Sun’ (also known as Doppleganger) By English television and film producer, Gerry Anderson. Three cars total were built for ‘Journey to the Far Side of the Sun’ , however, only two of those cars were sent to the UK in 1970 to be prepared for a new series, also produced by Anderson called, ‘UFO’. In particular, we’re going to be discussing the 1969 Paul Foster UFO car, which was driven by a character in the series named Colonel Paul Foster. The 26 episode ‘UFO’ series included a covert high-technology international military agency known as SHADO (Supreme Headquarters Alien Defence Organisation) that consistently made efforts to prevent an alien invasion of earth. One of the characters, Paul Foster, drove this lilac colored machine known simply as ‘Foster’s Car’. The alien-like vehicle was surprisingly designed here on earth by special effects creator, Derek Meddings, and Ford Motor Company stylist, Len Bailey. The purple-colored creation was based on the underpinnings of a Zephyr IV chassis, and was powered by the engine of a Ford Cortina 1600. This fully-functional automobile was built by Alan Mann Racing, who was also commissioned for the development of the ‘Chitty Chitty Bang Bang’ car. The car was built using mainly hand-beaten alloy and in total, was around 17 feet in length. After the series had ended, sometime around 1979, a man named Gerry Anderson recovered the car in awful condition, where he began to restore the car back to a driveable condition, and sprayed the exterior to red. The car was later reverted back to it’s original lilac color. Today the one-off is believed to be owned by Tony Read in eastern England.
How many made? 1 of 1
Engine: 1.6L inline-4 - unknown power
Debut: ‘Journey to the Far Side of the Sun’ 1969
Top Speed: N/a
0-60mph: N/A
Photo Credit: epguides.com
Research: @rarecarsonly