The Racers

(Brandy-jack) is racing in the 64 Lincoln Continental From Goldfinger (TB4DG83)

(Cloak.n.Dagger) is racing in the Austin Martin DBS From Casino Royale (TB4DG7P)

(DocGunney) is racing the 77 Mach 1 Mustang from Diamonds are Forever (TB4DG96)

(Sam&angela) is racing the Lotus Espirit S1 from The Spy Who Loved Me (TB######)

(wcsexton) is racing the 1964 Aston Martin DB5 from Skyfall (TB4DG8A)

The Car

The Ford Mustang was a hit from the second it hit the sales floor in 1964, instantly creating the “pony car” class of powerful but practical sports cars. The Mustang also marked the start of a long association with the James Bond series. Tilly Masterson drove a white ’64 Mustang convertible in Goldfinger, and Fiona Volpe memorably tested Bond’s nerve behind the wheel of a light blue model the following year in Thunderball. Thus, it only makes sense that Diamonds are Forever – which was made to appeal to American audiences – would finally place James Bond in the driver’s seat of a Mustang, specifically a bright red 1971 Ford Mustang Mach 1.

Introduced in August 1968, the new ’69 Mustang was far more aggressive-looking than the previous models with its longer and heavier body. In addition to the car’s physical size, Ford engineers also created a variety of performance packages including the Boss 302, Boss 429, and the Mach 1.

If the older Mustang GT was a pony car, there was no doubt that the Mustang Mach 1 was all muscle. Built only on the fastback “SportsRoof” body, the Mach 1 was a V8 only performance option with Goodyear Polyglas tires and upgraded competition suspension. The car was designed to look menacing also with its chrome gas cap and exhaust tips, hood scoop, and rear deck spoiler. The interior was also deluxe, featuring teak wood grain details, sport bucket seats with high backs, and sound deadening that was borrowed from the more luxurious Grande model. The option of a Shaker hood air scoop offered more functionality than the mostly cosmetic standard hood scoop would mount directly to the top of the engine to collect the fresh air.

The engine itself was a beast, with the standard motor being the new 351 cubic inch Windsor – not to be confused with the 351 Cleveland. Options ranged up to the large 428 cubic inch Cobra Jet, which could be had with or without Ram Air. A three-speed manual transmission was standard, but four-speed manual and three-speed automatics could also be chosen.

By 1971, American cars were feeling the heat for its massive engine displacements of previous years and the base Mach 1 engine was downgraded to the still-powerful 302 Windsor V8, which produced 210 brake horsepower and 296 foot-pounds of torque. The following six engine options were still available in 1971:

• 302 cubic inch (4.9 L) Windsor V8 “F-code” with 2-barrel Autolite 2100 carburetor, 210 bhp, 296 lb·ft
• 351 cubic inch (5.8 L) Cleveland V8 “H-code” with 2-barrel Autolite 2100 carburetor, 240 bhp, 350 lb·ft
• 351 cubic inch (5.8 L) Cleveland V8 “M-code” with 4-barrel Autolite 4300A carburetor, 285 bhp, 370 lb·ft
  • The Cobra Jet “Q-code” of this engine, introduced in late 1971, offered Ram Air with no difference in displacement, horsepower, or torque
• 429 cubic inch (7.0 L) Cobra Jet V8 “C-code” with 4-barrel Rochester Quadrajet carburetor, 370 bhp, 450 lb·ft
• 429 cubic inch (7.0 L) Super Cobra Jet V8 “J-code” with Ram Air and a 4-barrel Holley 4150 carburetor, 375 bhp, 450 lb·ft

The base price for a 1971 Mustang Mach 1 was $3,268, which would include the 302 Windsor V8 and a 3-speed manual transmission. That’s only $19,130 in 2014 dollars; you would have to pay nearly double to even come close to that kind of power in a modern car. 36,499 total Mach 1s were made that year.

1971 Ford Mustang Mach I

Body Style: 2-door fastback “SportsRoof” coupe

Layout: front-engine, rear-wheel-drive (RWD)

Engine: 351 ci (5.8 L) “Cleveland” V8 with 4-barrel Autolite 4300A carburetor

Power: 285 bhp (213 kW; 289 PS) @ 5400 rpm

Torque: 370 lb·ft (502 N·m) @ 3400 rpm

Transmission: 3-speed manual

Wheelbase: 109 inches (2769 mm)

Length: 189.51 inches (4814 mm)

Width: 74.1 inches (1882 mm)

Height: 50.1 inches (1275 mm)

The one car that has been authenticated as being used during the filming is VIN #1F05M160938, which implies that it was built in 1971 (1) in Dearborn, MI (F) and naturally has the “SportsRoof” two-door body (05). The M in the VIN indicates the engine code, which refers here to the more powerful of the two 351 Cleveland V8 options with the 4-barrel Autolite 4300A carburetor. Thus, at least one Diamonds are Forever Mustang was definitely pushing out 285 brake horsepower, which would have been very fun for Sean Connery and Jill St. John to drive. This car, #1F05M160938, has been confirmed as definitely been used for the film’s famous alleyway scene.

However, according to an IMCDB user and the Ian Fleming Foundation, another car – #1F05J100066 – claims to be part of the Diamonds are Forever production. This is somewhat questionable since it would use the massive but glorious 429 Super Cobra Jet V8 with Ram Air and a 4-barrel Holley carburetor. Another 429 Cobra Jet, #1F05J00076, is claimed by its owner Michael Alameda to have been used in the film, but research mentioned on IMCDB found that both cars were just press loans for cars that were sent to Vegas months before Diamonds are Forever filmed there.