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Spectrum Pursuit Vehicle

Spectrum Pursuit Vehicle
Captain Scarlet vehicle
First appearance"The Mysterons"
(29 September 1967)
Information
AffiliationSpectrum Organisation
Auxiliary vehiclesRemovable power pack (converts into a jet pack or other equipment)[1][2]
General characteristics
ArmamentsRocket cannon, laser cannons, electrode ray cannons[3]
DefensesBulletproof chassis[3]
Maximum speedOn land: 200 or 250 miles per hour (320 or 400 km/h)[1][2][4]
On water: 50 knots (93 km/h; 58 mph)[2][4]
PropulsionTwin turbo jets (on water)[3]
PowerHydrogenic electric fuel cells
Removable power pack
Auxiliary batteries[1][2][3]
Mass8 tons[4]
Length25 feet (7.6 m)[2][3][4]
Width8 feet (2.4 m)[2][4]

The Spectrum Pursuit Vehicle (SPV) is a fictional pursuit and attack vehicle from Gerry and Sylvia Anderson's 1960s science fiction television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons.[5]

Origin and design

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In 2002, Gerry Anderson explained how the vehicle's safety features were borne out of his "preoccupation" – demonstrated in various aspects of Captain Scarlet – "with things not being what they seemed ...With a flick of a switch the walls of these buildings would collapse to reveal this astonishing vehicle inside. I knew kids would find that exciting."[6] He quickly regretted his decision to make the seats rear-facing, commenting: " ... we began to realise that the audience was going to say, 'Why are these people facing backwards?' So we wrote an explanation into the first script. Then I realised that not everyone would have seen that episode so we had to put explanations in again and again."[6]

There were moves afoot to have rear-facing seats in airliners. In the event of a crash-landing the passengers would be forced into their seats as the plane decelerated, as opposed to being hurled forwards ... I thought, 'I'll be very smart here and on this futuristic SPV we'll have seats facing backwards'.

— Gerry Anderson on the concept[6][7]

The SPV was designed by special effects director Derek Meddings based on a brief description given in the Andersons' original script for the first episode, which specified only that the SPV was a high-speed armoured vehicle with reversed seating (and therefore no windscreen), running on a removable "lightweight power unit".[8][9][10] Noting that the occupants faced backwards and viewed the road through a TV monitor, Meddings said that "all [this] meant to me was that I could design the vehicle without windows."[11] For added realism, these were replaced with grilles and air vents.[12]

To fulfil his vision of a "menacing, shark-like" assault vehicle, Meddings added a tail fin to the design.[12] He also incorporated a broad front bumper, intended to be shock-absorbent, and five pairs of wheels (in two sizes), as he thought that vehicles with a large number of wheels "looked more interesting on screen."[12] He said that he was pleased with the SPV design because he believed that it "could be filmed from any angle".[13]

Several filming models were built. They were made of either balsa or hardwood in a range of scales, the largest being 24 inches (61 cm) long.[8]

Depiction

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Spectrum's main armoured land vehicle, the SPV is an amphibious, all-terrain machine that can be driven in extreme environments as well as in cities. It is 25 feet (7.6 m) long and has a maximum speed of either 200 or 250 miles per hour (320 or 400 km/h) on land.[1][2][4][14] It is fitted with five pairs of wheels (the three over the front, middle and rear axles constituting the main drive), with additional traction for mountainous environments provided by rear-mounted, hydraulically-lowered caterpillar tracks.

Within the hermetically-sealed cabin, the driver, co-driver and a passenger are seated backwards, facing the rear, to reduce the possibility of injury in the event of a crash. The driver is aided by a video monitor displaying horizontally-flipped front and rear views. The SPV is armed with a front-mounted rocket cannon, housed underneath a foldaway panel, and is also equipped with a radar system and ejector seats. The hydrogenic power unit can be removed and re-assembled as a personal jet pack or other devices of comparable size, components for which are stored in the vehicle's rear compartment.

SPVs are distributed worldwide and are requisitioned from disguised buildings and other structures, guarded by undercover operatives. A Spectrum agent can access an SPV only upon presenting his or her identification.

Reception and influence

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James Taylor of Car magazine ranks the SPV as one of the top ten vehicles in Gerry Anderson productions. On the vehicle's design, he comments that "all-round visibility [was] clearly not a priority of Captain Scarlet's employers."[14] Andrew Blair of website Den of Geek calls the SPV "clearly the best vehicle" in Captain Scarlet. Comparing it to "a tank driven at ludicrous speeds, while facing backwards and located in secret garages around the world", he argues that the vehicle represents "probably the fastest transformation from covert to ridiculously unsubtle that fiction has ever seen."[15] Tat Wood of TV Zone magazine questions Spectrum's logic in keeping its SPVs hidden until they are needed ("inside caravans, gasometers, tubes of Pringles or wherever") given that they are "then abandoned on the road".[16]

The rear-facing system is praised by commentators Jim Sangster and Paul Condon, who credit the feature as an innovative "work of genius".[17] Drawing a parallel between Anderson's comments on aircraft design and the Paul Klee monoprint Angelus Novus, Mark Bould of the University of the West of England argues that the system is "full of metaphorical potential" in that it represents Anderson "[promulgating] a naive vision of progress while reinforcing the status quo. Consequently, while the SPV driver [...] might be oriented like the angel of history, he is incapable of seeing what lies behind its forward thrust. Not for him the catastrophe accumulating in his wake; just the deceptively uncluttered road ahead. His [monitor] screen screens: it shows and it obscures. And in such an echo chamber, as Benjamin's fifth thesis notes, 'every image of the past that is not recognised by the present as one of its own concerns, threatens to disappear irretrievably.'"[18]

The SPV's curved front bumper inspired the rounded edges of LaCie's "Rugged" external hard drive, designed by Neil Poulton.[19][20]

In 2022, YouTuber Tom Scott published a video in which he and a tech company build a go-kart with backwards-facing driver and passenger seats, similar to the SPV.[21][22] Motorsport Network reported that the experiment had been a success: "It's a little tricky for the mind, especially at higher speeds, but everything works as it should. Does it make any sense? No, not all. But is it fun? A hundred percent."[23]

In a preview of the Polestar 4, Andrew English of The Daily Telegraph compared the car's lack of a rear window in favour of an external camera system to an SPV driver's reliance on a video monitor while seated backwards.[24]

Toys and model kits

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Several toys and miniature models of the SPV have been released.[25] These include a 1960s friction-drive toy by Century 21 Toys and die-cast models by Dinky,[26] as well as newer versions by Corgi, Vivid Imaginations and Product Enterprise.[6][27][28][29] Japanese company Imai released a model kit version in 1993.[30]

The Dinky toy included a spring-fired missile and other action features.[31][32] It remained on sale until 1975 and became the company's best-selling toy of all time, as well as one of the most popular die-cast toys ever made in the UK.[33][34][35][36]

The 2003 version by Product Enterprise was larger than the earlier toys and given a duller spray finish. A 2023 Diecast Collector review of the product described it as "[i]n some ways [...] the best SPV model ever made, certainly in terms of detail and build quality", but criticised its "dusty, weathered" and "grubby" look.[37] Corgi released an updated version in 2024.[38]

The Rhino

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In the animated remake New Captain Scarlet (2005), the SPV is replaced by the Spectrum Rhino.[28] The Rhino is more heavily armed than the SPV, and unlike the original is incapable of travelling on water. Instead of being hidden in safehouses, it is deployed from Skybase via Albatross dropships. Rhino drivers adopt a forward-facing driving position, unlike their predecessors.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Drake, Chris; Bassett, Graeme (1993). Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons. Boxtree. pp. 31–33. ISBN 978-1-85283-403-6.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Denham, Sam (2017). Gerry Anderson's Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons Spectrum Agents' Manual. Haynes Publishing. pp. 32–38. ISBN 978-1-78521-143-0.
  3. ^ a b c d e Bentley 2001, p. 53.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Bleathman, Graham (2000). Gerry Anderson's Supermarionation Cross-Sections. Carlton Books. pp. 30–31. ISBN 9781842224113.
  5. ^ Spectrum Pursuit Vehicle: Century 21 Tech Talk. March 16, 2019 – via YouTube.
  6. ^ a b c d Archer, Simon; Hearn, Marcus (2002). What Made Thunderbirds Go! The Authorised Biography of Gerry Anderson. BBC Books. pp. 149–150. ISBN 978-0-563-53481-5.
  7. ^ La Rivière, Stephen (2009). Filmed in Supermarionation: A History of the Future. Hermes Press. p. 156. ISBN 978-1-932563-23-8.
  8. ^ a b Bentley 2001, p. 21.
  9. ^ Meddings & Denham 1993, p. 90.
  10. ^ Bentley, Chris, ed. (1995). "Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons: 'The Mysterons'". The Century 21 Script Book. Fanderson. p. 12.
  11. ^ Jones, Keith (Spring 2002). Richardson, Michael (ed.). "Colours of the Spectrum". Action TV. No. 6. Leeds, UK: The Shipley Print Company. p. 32.
  12. ^ a b c Meddings & Denham 1993, pp. 94–95.
  13. ^ Bentley 2017, p. 81.
  14. ^ a b Taylor, James (2 October 2015). "The Car Top 10: Gerry Anderson Vehicles". carmagazine.co.uk. Bauer Consumer Media. Archived from the original on 2 October 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  15. ^ Blair, Andrew (2 February 2016). "Remembering '90s Thunderbirds and Captain Scarlet Toys". Den of Geek. Archived from the original on 17 December 2019. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  16. ^ Wood, Tat (June 2004). "The 5 Essential Anderson Archetypes". TV Zone Special. No. 57. Visual Imagination. p. 31. ISSN 0960-8230.
  17. ^ Sangster, Jim; Condon, Paul (2005). Collins Telly Guide. HarperCollins. p. 165. ISBN 978-0-007190-99-7.
  18. ^ Bould, Mark (2023). "Post-Production: Screening Futures – from Scarlet to Ebon". In Hawkes, Joel; Christie, Alex; Nienhuis, Tom (eds.). American Science Fiction Television and Space: Productions and (Re)configurations (1987–2021). Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 267–269. ISBN 9783031105289.
  19. ^ "LaCie Celebrates a Decade of Rugged Drives" (Press release). Business Wire. 12 August 2015. Archived from the original on 9 May 2021. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
  20. ^ "LaCie Rugged Hard Drive". PC Magazine. Vol. 25, no. 14. Ziff Davis Media. 22 August 2006. p. 119. ISSN 0888-8507.
  21. ^ Scott, Tom (20 June 2022). Can You Really Drive While Facing Backwards?. Retrieved 26 November 2024 – via YouTube.
  22. ^ Branwyn, Gareth (27 September 2022). "Can You Drive a Car While Facing Backwards?". Boing Boing. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
  23. ^ Sergeev, Angel (28 June 2022). "Driving A Car Facing Backwards Is Possible But Pointless". motor1.com. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
  24. ^ English, Andrew (19 April 2023). "Polestar Unveils Electric Car with No Rear Window". telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
  25. ^ Webb, Paul (29 December 2021). "F.A.B. To S.I.G. (The Anderson Die Cast Toys)". televisionheaven.co.uk. Retrieved 13 February 2025.
  26. ^ Burman, Rob (2015). Gerry Anderson Collectables. Amberley Publishing. ISBN 978-1-44564-872-9.
  27. ^ Bentley 2017, pp. 163–164; 196–197.
  28. ^ a b Arron, Simon (17 February 2007). "The Gear Box: The Grand Prix Saboteurs, Sat-Nav And Captain Scarlet Twin Packs". telegraph.co.uk. Archived from the original on 16 May 2011. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
  29. ^ Treadaway, John (2012). "Scarlet Thunder". salute.co.uk. South London Warlords. Archived from the original on 1 August 2019. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  30. ^ Eyles, Dave (March 2017). "Captain Scarlet's SPV". Best of British: Past and Present. No. 248. Mortons Media Group. p. 73. ISSN 1355-6681.
  31. ^ Jelley, Chris (March 1968). "Spectrum Is Here! Chris Jelley Reports on the New Captain Scarlet S.P.V.". Meccano Magazine. pp. 162–163.
  32. ^ Gainsford, Martin (2000). "Dinky Classics: The Gerry Anderson Diecasts Story". Sci-Fi & Fantasy FX International. No. 50. New Millennium Publishing. p. 48. ISSN 1470-9821.
  33. ^ Christopher, John (2013). Mini Moke: Small Car, Big Fun. Amberley Publishing. ISBN 9781445623733.
  34. ^ Archer, Simon (2004) [1993]. Gerry Anderson's FAB Facts: Behind the Scenes of TV's Famous Adventures in the 21st Century. HarperCollins. p. 69. ISBN 978-0-00-638247-8.
  35. ^ "TV Shows: Ca-Ch". televisionheaven.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2 February 2014.
  36. ^ Pixley, Andrew; Rogers, Julie (December 2001). Gillatt, Gary (ed.). "Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons: By Numbers". Starburst. No. 280. Visual Imagination (published November 2001). p. 47. ISSN 0955-114X. OCLC 79615651.
  37. ^ Pigott, Mike (3 January 2023). "Captain Scarlet returns: The SPV from Product Enterprise, by Mike Pigott". Diecast Collector.
  38. ^ "Set off in Hot Pursuit of Corgi's Latest Classic TV Model". Diecast Collector. 1 February 2024.

Works cited

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