Forgotten movie cars: The Ford Mustang from "The Gendarme of Saint-Tropez"
Although Sean Connery did not drive it himself, the now lost Wimbledon white convertible from "Goldfinger" is one of the most popular Ford Mustangs in the movie. The chase through the Swiss Alps, which ends with a slashed tire and a shredded body sidewall, is generally regarded as the first major screen appearance of the sporty compact ever. That's not entirely wrong – but strictly speaking, it's not quite right either. Even if no one crows about it today, a harmless French comedy with a small budget beat the English multimillion production to the punch by a good week.
In "The Gendarme of Saint-Tropez", with which Louis de Funès laid the foundation for a six-part film series, a poppy-red convertible even forms a crucial part of the plot. Art thieves have hidden a Rembrandt painting in its trunk – and it is still there when Louis' movie daughter Nicole takes the Mustang for a trip without permission. Naturally, the thieves want the car back – while the gendarme frantically tries to cover up his offspring's career-threatening car theft.
The film was released in French cinemas on September 9, 1964 – eight days before the Bond film, which premiered in London on September 17 and was not released in France until February 19, 1965. This means that the gendarme is ahead both in terms of the calendar and in his home country. Outside the hexagon, however, the gold medal goes to Goldfinger. While the Germans were able to see Sean Connery on January 14, 1965 and thus before the French, they had to wait until May 27, 1966 for Louis de Funès.
The casting of the Mustang probably goes back to Nicole actress Geneviève Grad, who allegedly had good relations with Ford of Belgium, where the car had been delivered for advertising purposes. Allegedly, the convertible in summery "Poppy Red" was even the first Mustang to ever arrive in Europe. In general, the film car was quite a premature birth: it rolled off the assembly line in Dearborn on March 9, 1964 – more than a month before the official Mustang premiere on April 17.
After filming was completed in July 1964, director Jean Girault bought the car and registered it for the first time in France in August. The convertible with chassis number 5F08F100145 is said to have been seen in other films afterwards and even still exists today. Although it was so hard done by during filming, the Mustang is still unrestored and largely in its original paintwork. Only the rear left fender was replaced once. A "survivor" like this is rare and valuable, even without the movie celebrities. Nevertheless, the Goldfinger Mustang – should it ever reappear – is likely to fetch a significantly higher price at auction.
