The topic of how many red Mustang Mach 1 were used in the DAF Bond movie was suddenly of interest to the Mustang scene. Pauls article triggered a lot of in-depth research soon after with Lois Eminger pulled to the table.
However at that point it should be noted that already in previous years various tribute or "claimed" DAF Mustang Mach1 were exhibited in the UK and at an impressive Bond Show in Paris in 1996.
The 429 Mach1 featured however in Paul Newitts article triggered the main research and called also Joseph Brancella in presenting his "real" DAF stunt car in one of the following Mustang Monthlys.
This car was bought by Stars of the Cars/Peter Nelson and returned to the US into the Dezer collection. It is today well known as "Alley car" with the VIN 1F05M160938, which we cover up separately on this subpage.
Let me explain at this point, why I started research on the DAF cars early on and why they are still my preferred breed of Mustangs.
In fact I have a very personal relation to this car, as the Diamond Mach 1 was my fathers dreamcar back in 1971. Actually he bought a red 1971 302 Mach1 through a colleague working there and had it shipped over to Europe. The car was sourced at Landis Ford in North Brunswick. The VIN was in the 1F05F15.. range.
When the movie finally came into the german theatres
in late December 1971 my father used to cruise with us kids up front at the
local Astrid Nielsen theatre entrance in Duesseldorf putting the pedal to
the floor and leaving the spectators with open mouth in the rear mirrors.
We
enjoyed that very much. Unfortunately my father died one year later and we
had to sell the car. We haven't been able to trace it further. Last
information was that it was scrapped some time in the early 80ies.
So
actually I was really fortunate that Mike Alameda contacted me in
2000 and allowed me to publish his story on my
website.
His car was later displayed in the Petersen museum with a
special Bond display and gained its fame for a period.
We have been in touch ever since (at least until 2020) through the decades and he is open or waiting for someone who prooves him that his car wasn't the real deal and
that another VIN is the right 429 car used in the movie. No one ever did
personally.
But we heard in 2020 that there will be some
clarification "soon"
based on research done by ISO and Bo Durban with Kevin Martis support. As of 2025 they published their
research finally on www.bondmustang.com. Some very interesting details popped up in
new available video
material (outtakes) and DVD research.
Mike actually sold his
car at some time in 2018 to Down under together with 2 binders full of Bond
movie material. Actually he had offered the documentation to me, but I
couldn't decide for it in time.
So off it went with the car to the new
owner, who appreciates the car very much.
VIN 1F05J100076
Initially this car was assigned the name Hero car, as Mike - after mails and chats with Lois in early 1998 - got the impression that his car was the true Bond movie car with the 429.
Based on the facts that it was sent to the Las Vegas Convention Center and described as a 325-G-007 car, which he took as a Bond movie coded order.
Later research from Lois revealed that there were G-008 and G-009 cars, the 007 code had nothing to do with the Bond movie, yet at that time no other car was identified as the real car. Speculation was ON for decades.
Along his further research Mike contacted a big number of movie related persons, who were on site in 1971 and confirmed to him, that indeed "his car" was most probably the Hero car. Mike claimed that he found and collected enough proof to verify it.
Update:
It later turned out that there was no real proof for his specific vinned car to be used in the movie, at least acc. to further paper and video research.
It was a press car on display in Las Vegas at the convention center with the new 1971 models including the new 1971 Boss 302, another 1971 Convention Center show car was a non-ram-air 429 bright red Mach 1, that served as a 351 display car. This car carried the no. 100059 and is another candidate.
Recent documentation may indicate that Mikes car was shown at that very same event. No final proof yet, but the G indicates in his order code, that it was a car prepared for shows like 41 others, 11 early ones. If it was still on site, when the filming started, has not yet been researched further.
Photographic proof has not been shown so far.
Ford used rather "stock cars" for the film, only two became noted in the Marti research as TV Studio marked up cars.
The well-known Bond Cougar has a clear indication as a Bond car, the Mustangs not. If the TV Studios marked up cars were really used in the Bond movie .... is not guaranteed, but a good hint, if they were ordered for this purpose. However as said, Ford may have used dealer cars, especially the 302s which were wrecked.
Mike reported as of 2000:
"At least 4 of the 302s were put on their roofs by an unskilled stunt driver during the 2-wheel-alley stunt.
The stunt filming took place over some months due to unprofessional work performed the first time, when the original selected stunt team was not available. Finally Carey Loftin (the same stunt director as for BULLITT) decided to get the 2 wheel stunt done.
I talked to Carey Loftin back in '92-' 93 and he drove my Mach for some of the harder stunts but the man who did the alley stunt with another Mach 1 was "Buzz Bundy" who was at the time doing a rolling car stunt show with all Ford cars called "Tournament of Thrills". They already used in 1970 a white Mustang, later also white 71 Mustangs.
After Everett Creach, the stunt driver had rolled several of the 302 Machs on their roofs damaging them beyond repair, they called in Buzz to do the stunt. He is to have credit for this stunt. No one else could do this or set the car up correctly. It became visible when later on another stunt team performed the trick with the other side of the car up, they were simply not able to do it on the same side as Buzz did."
"My Hero car was principally driven by a look a like stunt driver of Sean Connery name of Dick Butler who was directed by Guy Hamilton and Paul Baxley. I spoke to both directors and Butler during my research and they advised that the Mustang they needed to do all of the LV downtown high speed and high torque stuff had to have the biggest engine Ford could put in the Mustang body style at that time.
When I talked to Paul Baxley, the film stunt coordinator/director, he advised me that they needed a Mustang with a much more powerful engine in it to do the back-up, 180 degree hard-brake-spin around which is right in the beginning of the chase scene as the sheriff approaches the Mach 1. Enter the 429CJ.
My car was used for all the downtown driving, they said. The only other two cars used and seen in the film were the alley car I have mentioned earlier and one of the wrecked-roofed 302's. This wrecked 302 Mach was only used to go up and over the car carrier truck in the parking lot chase scene. After that, the 302 was crushed because it was damaged beyond repair. That was it.
During the repeated trials and various camera settings during the period and two different stunt teams performing the stunt in the LA Universal studios and in Las Vegas later, something was overlooked.
In the film scenes used later, the car went into the narrow pedestrian gap between the houses on the right hand wheels (in the studios) and came out the other side (in Las Vegas) driving on the left hand wheels. Those scene had been finished earlier. A mistake from the french stunt team that did the work in Las Vegas. (the french team has been questioned meanwhile, as the union would not have allowed a foreign team doing stunt work).
If you watch again this scene, you will notice that a close-up sequence was put between those two takes, where the car actually flips from top to down."
This scene was filmed while Sean Connery and Tiffany were in the studio and the car being fixed in a roller cage as was narrated later by Guy Hamiltion himself.
The Movie
The actual filming started on 5th. of April 1971 and ended on the 14th. of August, the final day of Sean Connerys contract. It first went into the movie theatres actually on December 14th in Munich, Germany, some sites forget this and claim it was on December 17th, 1971. There are only a few pics around from the theatre in Munich and there was very little promotion locally obviously, just some airport photos of proms are available. At that time the 72 Mustang model was already out for some months.
The Ian Fleming Foundation has collected a lot of the typical Bond movie information on their website.
The Actors
A Bright Red (Code 3) exterior paint
A Body code 05 for the Mach 1 Sportsroof
An Interior code of 5E for the Vermillion variant
At that time 1F05J00066 (press loan car) and 1F05J100076 Show car) might have been still in Las Vegas. No proof is available as of today, just speculation based on the used film material and some outtakes. Marti research points to another 429CJ car, but that car has not been found up to today. It might have been gone already, no one ever turned that VIN in for a report.
The Stunt and Alley Car - 1971 Mustang Mach 1, 351 M-code, apparently 1F05M160938 and a few that were tilted during stunt team exercices on the parking lot.
The 4 302 equipped F-code bright red Movie Mustangs - at least 4 ,which ended up on their roof at the Alley stunt ruined by Everett Creach. Ford later wrecked them due to liability.
Just 1310 bright red/Vermillion Mach 1 were made, so the choice is limited somehow. The period March to June 1971 is more plausible for any car presented. With the proper DSO, exterior color and interior code filter and shipment date, the amount reduces quickly.
Other actors: James Bond - (Sir) Sean Connery
Tiffany Case - Jill St. John
Charles Grey - Stavro Blofeld
Lana Wood - Plenty o' Toole
Jimmy Dean - Willard Whyte
Putter Smith - Mr. Kidd
Bruce Glover - Mr. Wint
The 1971 Mustang Mach 1 - 6 or 8 or 12 used?
Four 302 Mach1 were used to perform the famous stunt, but the driver Everett Creach failed and put them on the roof.
The stunt was finally done with a 351 M-code Mach 1 which is 1F05M160938.
One 429 Mach1 at least was used for some of the Las Vegas strip driving. In one of the scenes it is visible with a red colored roll cage. Others later stated there were 2 429 used.
There are some VINs that are mentioned with the research of Lois Eminger and finally almost 20 years later by Kevin Marti with the Ford files.
The early August 1970 press cars initially made sense, because Bond movie cars were typically selected earlier as well for other movies.
Some that were initially thought to be linked to the movie were indicated as press loan and have specific codes. (A 375 coded car would be a car sent to Las Vegas, other press cars had the D in common, a G-code was a show car)
The meaning wasn't perfectly interpreted during the time, but further research later on revealed some more details. Actually press loan 71 Mach 1s also went to foreign countries. One bright red Mach 1for example is still in Norway owned by a friend (#100140 - see replicas).
To this date however no listing of VINs has turned up from the actual filmworks, nor have cars been properly identified by VIN through owners.
So let's go back to what we knew from Mike Alamedas research back then and more actual research from other authors until 2023.
"People that were part of the film staff remembered that 'several' Mustangs were used, most of them 302s, 1 351 and 1 429 powered versions.
Other sources speak of a total 12 Mustangs plus 8 police cars. In total later on the producers had to compensate the massive damage of movie cars with a big lump sum. Ford insisted on this compensation, since so many cars could not be sold or reused anymore."