In 1971, this red Mach 1 Mustang starred in the James Bond movie; "Diamonds are Forever". This was the 3rd time a Mustang made a star appearance in a Bond film. 007 drove this Mach 1 through a crowded Las Vegas street while being chased by the local authorities. The grand finale of his escape was driving the Mach 1 through a narrow alley (only six feet wide) by using a ramp to tip the car up on two wheels. (and came out the other side on the opposite wheels....DOH!)
There is very limited documentation on the actual Mustang(s) that were used in the film. Based on research and interviews of the original stunt team by Mike Alameda and Paul Newitt, and subsequently published in the January, 1998 issue of Mustang Monthly, we know that at least 6 Mustangs were utilized for the 8 mins of screen time.
Since that article was published, three Mustangs have surfaced claiming ties to the production:
- 1F05J100066
- 1F05J100076
- 1F05M160938
If you watch the Mustangs closely, in the movie, you can see subtle differences between the different Mustangs that were used; The one used for the actor close-ups (referred to as the “hero car”) has the driver’s shoulder harness hanging down and a dent in the left rear quarter panel. A car used for some of the street driving has a red roll bar in it. The car that made the jump in the parking lot has single exhaust. The “tilt” car entering the alley has black-wall tires, a roll bar and the antenna is missing…and so on.
Which begs to reason…couldn’t we use these differences to help determine which cars were utilized for what role in the movie? We could even take note of the options installed, or NOT installed, and compare them to known options on the above cars. We will start by collecting information about the cars, using still shots from the movie. What options did the car come with? What optional equipment was not on the car? Using this list we will employ some assistance from Marti Auto Works. With their access to the Ford production database, Marti Auto Works can help us narrow down how these cars fit into the movie and maybe even help us track down the missing Mustangs.
We may have to be a little flexible with our list. Cars can be modified for the camera. Options can be added or removed before filming. We will consider that some optional equipment would be impractical to change and weigh those variations based on practicality. For example, we will consider a wheel or tire change a valid possibility, however, it is highly unlikely the car was originally equipped with a 4-speed and someone changed it to an automatic before the stunt. Possible, but not probable.
GOOD NEWS! In honor of the 50th anniversary of the Bond series, the movies have been released in Blu-ray format. The quality is AMAZING! There is even some really good bonus materials including extra footage of the Mach 1 that never made it to the big screen....Including, get this, the Mach 1 exiting the alley on the "right" tires!!! Why didn't that make it to the big screen? You will have to see the interview to find out.
The Blu-ray is available from Amazon and Wal-Mart. It is also included as part of the "50 Years Of Bond" boxed set. This hi-quality video will help us get some really good details about the Mach 1.
So for starters, based on the attached stills of the "hero car", we can determine this 1971 Mustang was equipped with the following options:
- Mach 1
- Bright Red Paint
- Vermillion (red) Deluxe Mach 1 Interior
- Tinted Windshield
- Dual Exhaust
- Automatic Transmission
- A Radio (visible antenna)
- Sport Deck (fold down) Rear Seat
- Hub Caps with Trim Rings
- White Sidewall Tires
Optional equipment that is visibly NOT installed on the car:
- No Body Side Stripes
- No Rear Spoiler
- No Dual Ram Induction (Ram Air)
- No Rim-Blow Deluxe Steering Wheel
- No Power Windows
- No Rear Window Electric Defrost
- No Magnum 500 Wheels
What else can we see? What are the visible options and characteristics of the stunt cars?
Once we feel we have a complete list of what can be determined from the movie stills, we can use
Marti Auto Works' "
Research Stats" service to tell us how many Mustangs match our criteria and how they compare to our know cars.
So break out your Blu-rays (or DVDs) and lets see what else we can find. If you have any ideas, suggestions, or your own original research you would like to contribute. Please use the comments section below or send us a private message using the feedback form on the
About Us page.
Blu-ray / DVD reference points for the Mach 1 scenes in "Diamonds Are Forever":
- 00:52:15 - 00:55:15 - Airport to Gas Station to W Tectronics
- 01:02:57 - 01:08:00 - W Tectronics to Las Vegas strip
CORRECTION: Originally we said this was the 2nd time a Mustang starred in a James Bond movie but it was the 3rd:
- Goldfinger - 1964 Mustang Convertible
- Thunderball - 1966 Mustang Convertible
- Diamonds Are Forever - 1971 Mach 1