IN THIS FEATURE Star cars from TV 1 The Saint: Volvo P1800 2 Thunderbirds: FAB 1 3 The Prisoner: Lotus Super Seven 4. The Baron: Jensen CV8 5. Man in a Suitcase: Hillman Imp 6. The Persuaders: Aston DBS and Ferrari Dino 7. Department S: Lancia Fulvia Coupe 8. Jason King: Bentley Continental 9. Joe 90: flying, jet-powered car 10. Return of the Saint: Jaguar XJ-S V12

'Thunderbirds' was the most memorable of the puppet series that Gerry Anderson produced for ITC. The Thunderbirds were the futuristic craft used by International Rescue, a secret organisation headed by former astronaut Geoff Tracey on a secret island base. Lady Penelope, Geoff's London agent, used a pink, nuclear-powered, six-wheeled Rolls-Royce (for once, Rolls-Royce was in full agreement with the use of its trademark) registered FAB 1. The car was driven with great skill by her chauffeur Parker ('Yuss, milady') who was able to deploy a vast armoury of weapons, including missiles and machine guns. If the need arose, the car could water-ski too. FAB 1 was indeed fabulously styled and became a hugely successful Dinky model - which, today, is one of the symbols of a '60s/early '70s childhood. A full-size version was built in glassfibre but, sadly, it was not nuclear-powered; instead, it was based on a six-wheeler Bedford coach.