The complete Diamonds Are
Forever Moon Buggy Timeline
Constructed early
1971
The Moon Buggy was conceptualised by
Oscar-winning Production Designer
Ken Adam (1921-2016), and engineered
and built by famed movie custom-car designer Dean Jeffries (1933-2013)
in his California workshop. The 4-wheeled vehicle is constructed from
a welded tubular steel frame clad in aluminium panelling, and the cockpit
covered with a Plexiglas dome hinged on one side and a radar dish unit
mounted behind. An arm with a claw implement is attached on each side
and a red sphere at the rear. Unlike other Bond vehicles
there was only one Moon Buggy ever built. Jeffries’ company Automotive
Styling fabricated the Moon Buggy at a cost of $10,000.
1 - 4 May 1971 Las
Vegas, Nevada
The Moon Buggy sequence was filmed on location from Saturday 1st to
Tuesday 4th May 1971, at the ‘Johns Manville Gypsum Plant’ outside
Las Vegas, standing in for Willard Whyte's Techtronics Plant.
In the Diamonds Are Forever script given to Dean Jeffries,
the Moon Buggy was to burst out through a breakaway wall and drive
off down a service road before turning on to a main highway and
disappearing from view. It was only when film's director
Guy
Hamilton saw the location that it was decided to stage a chase over
the rocky and duned desert terrain. Unfortunately, Jeffries hadn't
constructed the vehicle to take that kind of punishment, and much to
his displeasure (and the filmmakers) the Moon Buggy kept breaking down
during filming. On one occasion during filming the vehicle broke down
out of shot, but the rear wheel which had come off can be clearly seen
bouncing back into shot. In his original concept sketches Ken Adam had proposed conical wheels, and these were incorporated in the early
stages of construction. However, these wheels proved
impractical, and were replaced with the more robust rubber tyres seen
on the finished vehicle.
20 July
1971 ‘B’ Stage Pinewood Studios, Buckinghamshire
The Moon Buggy was shipped to England in June 1971.
The moonscape from which James Bond (Sean
Connery) escapes in the Moon Buggy was filmed on ‘B’ Stage at
Pinewood Studios on Thursday July 20, 1971.
For the scene where the
Moon Buggy crashes through the breakaway wall of the set, the vehicle was driven
by long-time James Bond stunt performer/arranger
George Leech. The
finished sequence in the film then
cuts to the footage shot in Nevada in the previous month.
9
December 1971 Blue Peter - BBC TV
This edition of the popular children's
magazine programme Blue Peter was broadcast live on BBC1 Friday
December 9, 1971 at 4.55pm; and featured the Moon Buggy being driven
into the studios at BBC Television Centre by presenter John Noakes
(1934-2017), who then went on to demonstrate the features of the
unique vehicle.
Blue Peter is
the longest-running children's TV show in the world, having been
broadcast since October 1958.
21 December
1971 Munich, Germany
Diamonds Are Foreverfirst opened
in Munich, West Germany on December 14, 1971. American Actress
Lana
Wood, who appears in the film as Plenty O'Toole, accompanied the Moon
Buggy on a promotional tour a week later to tie in with the release.
Diamonds Are
Forever then opened in the USA on December 17, 1971. Sean Connery
attended the London press screening at the ODEON Leicester Square on
the morning of December 29, 1971, and the film then opened to the
public the next day.
In January 1972 United Artists announced in UK trade journals that
Diamonds Are Forever had achieved “the greatest 7-day gross in
the history of motion pictures,” when the film grossed $10,438,536
in the first seven days of its release over 23 countries (not
including the UK).
February
1972 ODEON Kensington, London
The Moon Buggy returns to the UK and is
photographed outside the
ODEON Kensington which screened Diamonds Are Forever
concurrently with its West End engagement at the
ODEON Leicester Square.
Diamonds Are Forever played at the 1,894-seat ODEON Kensington for three
weeks from Thursday February 3, 1972, ahead of its general release.
The appearance was used as a photo opportunity for cinema managers
and local celebrities. These photographs later appeared in various
local newspapers once Diamonds Are Forever went on general
release in early 1972. Pictured left in the Moon Buggy (accompanied by
two ‘James Bond Girls’) is Ray Potter; motoring correspondent,
ex-motor racer, and proprietor of the Hackney Gazette.
19 March
1972 - Brands Hatch, Kent
On Sunday March 19, 1972 the Moon Buggy
appeared at the Brands Hatch Motor Racing Circuit in Kent, where it
was driven by motoring correspondent, newspaper proprietor and
ex-motor racer Ray Potter. After meeting the publicity director of
Rank Distributors (who handled the release of Diamonds Are Forever
in the UK) at a press screening, it was suggested that the Moon Buggy
be given a ‘road test’ to publicise the filmfor a feature in the
Hackney Gazette before going on general release. As the
vehicle was hardly road-legal it would need to be on a test track.
Through his connections in the motor racing world, Ray Potter was able
to arrange for the Moon Buggy to appear at Brands Hatch, the the home of
the British Grand Prix.
The plan was to have
the Moon Buggy complete a lap of the circuit, driven by Formula One
World Champion John Surtees (1934-2017) ahead of the STP-Daily Mail
Race of Champions. The 1½-ton vehicle with its 90 bhp air-cooled
Chevrolet Corvair engine, driven by Ray Potter, completed a test lap of
the Brands Hatch circuit on Saturday March 18, 1972.
Ray Potter recounted
his experience of driving the Moon Buggy in an exclusive article
featured in 007 MAGAZINE ARCHIVE FILES Diamonds Are Forever
File #1. Having already seen inside the vehicle at the ODEON
Kensington, Potter wanted to take a closer look at how it worked:
“A half-dozen iron steps, similar to those found in drain manholes,
enabled you to climb up to the ‘pod’ with the hinged Perspex dome.
Inside, it resembled nothing like the hi-tech illuminated dashboard
switchgear as in the film with Sean Connery deliberating how to start
and drive the thing away from the simulated lunar landscape. In fact, there were
hardly any controls or instruments at all – just an ignition switch
that had broken. The gearshift was a long lever that pushed in one
direction for drive and pulled back for reverse; an action that I was
to discover was far from perfect.”
After completing the
test lap on Saturday March 18th, Potter convinced retired World
Champion John Surtees to drive the Moon Buggy the next day. However, on race day
there was no sign of Surtees, and with usual Formula One race
organisation and clockwork efficiency, the officials on the grid said
“Either you get in and drive it NOW – or take it away!”
Rather than miss the
slot, Ray Potter grasped the opportunity to have another go and
climbed up the steps and into the bubble with the commentator
announcing – “I have a note here that John Surtees is supposed to be
driving this, but it looks very much like Ray Potter to me – what the
hell he is doing in that, I don’t know!”
Ray Potter recounted
what happened next: “I set off at a faster rate than before; the arms flapping about even
more and much to the delight of the huge crowd. All went well until
finally going down the pits straight where the beast reached the dizzy
speed of about 50-mph. The whole machine then started pitching and
flexing from front to back and I can only assume that the movement
played havoc with the gear-shift and took it out of drive and into
reverse – and the torque converter or automatic drive didn’t like
that!... The Buggy’s rear wheels completely locked up leaving huge
black marks and slewed to a standstill right across the startline.
Chaos ensued with marshals and officials descending on me and in no
uncertain terms asked me to remove the beast immediately. I could hear
the F1 cars warming up in the pit lane but with little chance of me
being able to move it, the Moon Buggy made its unceremonious and rapid
exit by a hastily acquired crane.”
Following its
appearance at the Brands Hatch Motor Racing Circuit in Kent, the Moon
Buggy was then showcased at other events in England from April - July
1972 as Diamonds Are Forever was on general release in cinemas
across the country.
Appearances included: 1 April 1972 Battersea Park Easter Parade, London. 3-8 April 1972 Battersea Fun Fair, Battersea Park, London. 12 April 1972 Jodrell Bank Observatory, Cheshire - ‘Miss Great
Britain 1971’ Carolyn Moore poses with the Moon Buggy (pictured above
right). 10 June 1972 Children's Day - Festival of London, Crystal
Palace [Chitty Chitty Bang Bang also appeared]. 17 June 1972 Leamington Ideal Home and Trade Exhibition,
Leamington Spa, Warwickshire. 24 June 1972 Tonbridge Community Centre, Kent. 1 July 1972 Basingstoke Carnival, Hampshire. 8 July 1972 (left) Thornbury, Bristol - appeared at the “It's A
Knock Out” contest at Mundy Playing Fields, jointly organised by the
Thornbury Round Table and District Scouts’ Association. 16-17 September 1972 Maisemore village, Gloucestershire -
Gloucester Round Table Steam Fair & Show. 4 November 1972
Harveys of Camberley, Surrey - see below.
21 April 1972 Screen Test - BBC
TV
This edition of the
popular children's film quiz Screen Test was broadcast on BBC1
Friday April 21, 1972 at 4.55pm, although the programme had been
recorded at the BBC studios in Manchester when the Moon Buggy was
transported to Cheshire for the Jodrell Bank photo-shoot (above).
Screen Test ran from 1970-1984, and was hosted by Michael Rodd
(pictured far left) until 1979. The programme often featured clips
from the James Bond films, and also appearances from cast and crew
members.
The edition broadcast
on Wednesday January 13, 1971 featured
John Glen who
spoke about an action sequence from On Her Majesty's Secret
Service to illustrate his work as second unit film director.
Desmond Llewellyn was the guest on the edition broadcast on Friday May
5, 1972 (whilst Diamonds Are Forever was on general release in
the UK) and demonstrated some of the gadgets used in the James Bond
films.
6 May 1972 -
Look-in magazine CORGI Moon Buggy competition As Diamonds Are Forever (1971) was still on general release
across the UK, the weekly children's TV listings magazine Look-inran a competition to win one of 50 CORGI Moon Buggies. Entrants
had to answer four simple questions and compose a possible slogan for
CORGI Toys in no more than 15 words. The competition appeared on page
22 of the issue for the week ending May 6, 1972, with a stylish
illustration of the CORGI Toys Moon Buggy by British comic book artist
and author Don Lawrence (1928-2003).
4 November 1972
Harveys of Camberley, Surrey
The last recorded public appearance of the
Moon Buggy was on November 4, 1972 at Harveys of Camberley, a
department store located on Park Street in the centre of the Surrey town,
home to the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. Harveys department
store (then part of the Army & Navy Group) was opened in 1964 and
boasted a West End style shopping experience over its four floors, which
even included a licensed restaurant. Saturday November 4, 1972 saw the
arrival of Father Christmas who took part in a procession through the town
in a vintage bus. The Moon Buggy did not take part in the parade but was
on display for one day only in the service area behind the store. Santa
was “at home” in the Grotto on the first floor of Harveys until
Christmas Eve, where parents could purchase the
CORGI version of the Moon
Buggy (together with the
CORGI Ford Mustang) from
the
toy department. Released in June 1972, the CORGI Moon Buggy was available
as Diamonds Are Forever was on general release across the UK and
proved extremely popular, selling 189,000 units before its withdrawal in
1973. Diamonds Are Forever had screened at the 1,200-seat Classic
cinema in Camberley for seven days commencing April 30, 1972. Originally
part of the ODEON chain this was one of 40 cinemas that were sold to
the Classic Cinemas group in 1967. For the Camberley engagement
Diamonds Are Forever was supported by a short DePatie–Freleng cartoon ironically
titled Deadwood Thunderball. The cinema had also shown a
double-bill of Goldfinger/You Only Live Twice for one week
commencing Sunday September 24, 1972; and two weeks after the final
appearance of the Moon Buggy in Camberley From Russia With Love
(1963) could then be seen with The Thomas Crown Affair (1968) from Sunday November 19, 1972. From Russia With Love
made a return visit to the Classic Camberley for one week on Sunday May
19, 1974 - this time on a
double-bill with Diamonds Are Forever.
The Classic would later screen the Diamonds Are Forever/Gold
double-bill for one week from Sunday January 2, 1977. The Classic Cinema
was tripled in 1973, with the former circle converted into screen 1 with
358 seats, and two screens located in an extension of the front of the
circle with seating for 155 and 131. Diamonds Are Forever/Gold
played on the smaller screen 3.
Roger Moore was announced
as the new James Bond in August 1972, by which time Diamonds Are
Forever had more or less finished its original theatrical engagements,
so the Moon
Buggy therefore became redundant as a marketing tool. Following the
promotional tours throughout 1972 the Moon Buggy then appears to have been dumped in a
farmer's field in Hextable, Kent - where it fell into a state of disrepair
whilst exposed to the elements for the next decade. In 1983 following a
tip from a old school friend Graham Rye
rediscovered the rotting vehicle parked in the Hillside Garage in Bilting, deep in the Kent countryside (pictured below left), but at
that time was unable to make a realistic offer to the then owner Trevor
Rose, who had literally bumped into the discarded Moon Buggy whilst on a
shooting trip and purchased it from the farmer. The rediscovery of the
Moon Buggy was reported in 007 MAGAZINE
Issue #15 (pictured below right).
In August 1985 the
Kentish Express ran a small news item under the title “Colin's Bond
buggy bargain”, which explained that Trevor Rose had sold the Moon Buggy,
and the address of the new owner was printed in full. However, Graham Rye
was unable to make contact with Colin Avenell, who had purchased the Buggy
for just £300, and like its previous owner, planned to have the vehicle
restored. After the rediscovery of the Kentish Express cutting
during a massive re-filing exercise in the 007 MAGAZINE archive in 1992,
Graham Rye was prompted back into action and visited the address published
in the newspaper. However, the owner had moved away nine months earlier
after his home was repossessed, and had sold the Moon Buggy.
Knowing that various
other parties on both sides of the Atlantic were also searching for
the vehicle made the quest even more urgent. Undaunted, Rye eventually
managed to contact the new owner and a deal to purchase the vehicle
was concluded. The Moon Buggy was found in a field in Kent surrounded
by all manner of vehicles unprotected from the elements.On
December 18, 1992 it was transported by trailer to Pinewood Studios,
Buckinghamshire.
The Moon Buggy then
underwent five months of extensive restoration when Graham Rye engaged
a top team of experts to return the unique vehicle to its original
condition. Two decades of exposure to the elements had really taken
their toll on the already fragile vehicle.
The ‘DIAMONDS ARE
FOREVER’ MOON BUGGY discovered & restored (1992-1994)
Videography/Graham Rye
This unedited video presentation features the re-discovery of the
Moon Buggy in Kent during 1992; the restoration of the Moon Buggy
and its first public appearance in 1993 at CORGI Toys’ event –
‘The World’s BIGGEST Little Motor Show’ at the Heritage Motor
Centre Gaydon, Warwickshire, UK; and the Moon Buggy’s return to
Pinewood Studios where it was finally stored prior to its 10-year
display in 1994 at Planet Hollywood – Las Vegas.
The restoration of the
Moon Buggy was featured in several newspapers in the South of England, and
on June 24, 1993 the vehicle was finally unveiled before travelling to the Heritage
Motor Centre in Gaydon, Warwickshire to appear at ‘The World's Biggest
Little Motor Show’ organised by toy manufacturer
CORGI.
1993 Pinewood Studios,
Buckinghamshire
22 years after it was first used for
filming the Moon Buggy was returned to Pinewood Studios. Before and
after its restoration, 007 MAGAZINE Editor & Publisher Graham
Rye was given permission by Cyril Howard, Pinewood’s then Managing
Director, to store the Moon Buggy at the studios gratis before it went
to the USA.
26-27 June 1993 Gaydon, Warwickshire
The restored Moon Buggy makes its first public
appearance at ‘The World’s BIGGEST Little Motor Show’ organised by toy
manufacturer CORGI.
007 MAGAZINE contributor Robin Harbour is pictured above in the Moon
Buggy, which appeared alongside James Bond's Aston Martin DB5 and
Lotus Esprit. The two-day event held at the Heritage Motor Centre Gaydon, Warwickshire also featured an appearance by Wing Commander Ken
Wallis and his autogyro ‘Little
Nellie’, in what turned out to be his final public air show.
12 December 1993 Pinewood Studios,
Buckinghamshire
Following the restoration to its
original condition, the Moon Buggy was displayed as the impressive
centrepiece in Planet Hollywood's restaurant at
Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas from 1994 to 2004.
On Tuesday July 31, 2001
the Moon Buggy was offered in auction by Fleetwood Owen at Planet
Hollywood, (London) but failed to sell. After a 10-year tenure at
Planet Hollywood, Las Vegas the Moon Buggy was eventually returned to the
UK eight months later than was contractually obligated.
Offered in auction at CHRISTIE'S ‘Film
and Entertainment’ sale on Tuesday December 14th 2004, the Moon Buggy sold for
£23,000 and was purchased by Planet Hollywood owner Robert Earl,
with the intention of using it in their then latest project the Planet
Hollywood Las Vegas Resort & Casino. For whatever reason the vehicle
was not displayed at Planet Hollywood’s new venue and sat in their
Florida storage facility for the next 15 years unseen by the public.
In 2019 the Moon Buggy was offered once
more for auction in the USA, this time by Profiles in History
located in California. The Moon Buggy was one of the star
attractions in the two-day auction of Hollywood memorabilia, and sold
for $400,000 + ($112,000) buyer's premium.
The buyer and current
location of the Diamonds Are Forever Moon Buggy remains a
mystery...