FAB 1

FAB 1 (1960s)

1960s FAB 1 at a Thunderbirds Exhibition in Miraikan, Tokyo in 2013
First appearance	"Trapped in the Sky"
Affiliation	Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward International Rescue
Launched	2065
References	Bleathman, Graham (2000). Thunderbirds FAB Cross-Sections. London: Carlton Books. pp. 22–3. ISBN .
General characteristics
Class	Customised Rolls-Royce
Maximum speed	>200 miles per hour (320 km/h) 50 knots (93 km/h; 58 mph) (on water)
Armaments	Machine guns, laser guns, harpoon launchers, smoke screen canister, oil slick dispenser, tyre slashers
Defenses	Bulletproof armoured chassis
Propulsion	Modified Rolls-Royce gas turbine Vortex aquajet (on water)
Mass	3 long tons (3.0 t)
Length	21 feet (6.4 m)
Width	8 feet (2.4 m)

FAB 1 (Thunderbirds)

FAB 1 on display at the Heritage Motor Centre
References	Pang, Alex; Richards, Jon (2004). Thunderbirds X-Ray Cross-Sections. Oxford University Press. p. 33. ISBN .
General characteristics
Class	Customised Ford
Maximum speed	199 miles per hour (320 km/h) 100 knots (190 km/h; 120 mph) (on water) 5,664 miles per hour (9,115 km/h) (in air)
Armaments	Mini-guns, heat-seeking missile launchers, torpedo tubes
Propulsion	Gas turbine jet engine, hover engines: 7.4 L. V8 in life-sized prototype
Power	Nuclear fusion reactor
Mass	3.3 long tons (3.4 t)
Length	26 feet (7.9 m)
Width	7 feet (2.1 m)
Height	5.5 feet (1.7 m)

FAB 1 is a pink, six-wheeled car seen in the 1960s British science-fiction television series Thunderbirds, its three film adaptations, and the reboot TV series Thunderbirds Are Go.

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, 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 back-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 (or outriggers; for travel on water and snow, respectively).

On the selection of the car's make, series co-creator Gerry Anderson explained: "considering [Penelope's] personality, and the role she played in International Rescue, it could only be a Rolls-Royce." A six-wheel drive was incorporated into the design to distinguish the appearance from that of contemporary vehicles. Measuring seven feet (2.1 m) in length, the plywood model (which was equipped with fully functional steering and headlights) cost £2,500 to build in 1964; post-decimalisation, this is equivalent to £30,000.