Spectrum Patrol Car


The Spectrum Patrol Car or Spectrum Saloon Car is a fictional vehicle that appears in Gerry Anderson's science-fiction television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons and in revamped form in the remake Gerry Anderson's New Captain Scarlet.

Appearances

''Captain Scarlet''

Accessible only to Spectrum personnel, the SPC is long and equipped with four-wheel drive. It can seat up to four people, has a maximum speed of, and is powered by a gas turbine located under the rear roof. The car is specially equipped with quartz headlights that permit the driver to see long distances in the dark. The vehicle also features transverse gearing, independent suspension and magnetic drums that provide powerful control braking by means of electromagnetically-generated opposing magnetic fields. The road-tyre friction heat at high speeds is countered by wing intakes, while a central housing and rear-mounted fin maintain the vehicle's stability at speed.
In the series, the SPC was realised as a scale model designed by Mike Trim.

''New Captain Scarlet''

In the CGI series Gerry Anderson's New Captain Scarlet, the SPC's successor is known as the Spectrum Cheetah. While the updated vehicle strongly resembles the SPC, it has an added capability: it is equipped with extendable wings, a tail fin and booster rockets that, once deployed, allow the car to glide over obstructions that it encounters on the road.

Reception

In 2015, James Taylor of Car magazine ranked the SPC one of the top 10 vehicles from the Gerry Anderson productions, likening it to "a cross between a Plymouth Superbird and a hearse, topped by a D-type-shaming tail fin". However, he argued that the car's split windscreen would have made for poor forward visibility.

Toys

Since the 1960s the SPC has been released in toy form by various manufacturers. Products include a die-cast toy by Dinky and a newer model by Corgi.