 Dr. Who's Bessie -
Vintage yellow four-seater convertible roadster seen
on the British sci-fi series DR. WHO/BBC/1963-90. Bessie was
driven by Dr. Who (Jon Pertwee), a 750-year-old eccentric Timelord
from the planet Galifrey. The model-T type automobile [license
plate: WHO-1 and later WHO 7] made its final appearance in the
episode "Robot" during the 1974-75 season.
In the previous episode
"Spearhead From Space" the Doctor commandeered a similar vehicle
and so Brigadier from UNIT procured "The Bessie" for the Doctor to
travel about. The Doctor made improvements to the vehicle by
increasing its speed, installing a remote-control driving system
and an anti-theft system.
The Bessie was superseded by a more
modern vehicle called "The
Whomobile," a silver jet-propelled hovercraft-like vehicle
capable of flight that was built by the Third Doctor. Bessie made
a brief appearance in The Five Doctors (1983) once again
driven by Jon Pertwee, the Third Doctor.
TRIVIA NOTE:
The 'Bessie'
vehicle used on the series was a actually a limited edition
Edwardian 'kit' car manufactured by Siva/Neville Trickett (Design)
Ltd of Blandford, Dorset. The kit car could be fitted onto a Ford
Popular, Prefect or Anglia chassis. The car's eight-horsepower
engine was replaced by a ten-horsepower engine [which necessitated
the extension of the vehicle's bonnet (hood)].
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