BSA Lightning

This BSA was heavily modified for its appearance as SPECTRE assassin Fiona Volpe’s motorcycle of choice in 1965’s Thunderball. Actress Lucianna Paluzzi was seen on-screen driving the Lightning model. But allot of work took place on the bike before it took center-stage.

• Manufacturer: BSA
• Model: 1965 Lightning
• Top Speed: n/a
• Acceleration: n/a
• Engine Capacity: 650cc

To begin with special-effects supervisor Bert Luxford took the bike to his workshop at Pinewood Studios. It was there that he and his team fitted a curvy Avon Avonaire fairing to be placed around the front of the bike. This was developed to both enhance the vehicles visual appeal, and also to disguise one of its more sinister features…

In the film a missile launcher is shown as an added feature to the 650cc motorcycle. Just like on-screen a real working missile-launch system was fitted. However, the explosion which destroyed the car of Guy Doleman’s character, Count Lippe, was actually detonated by Bob Simmons, the same stunt-artist who appeared as James Bond in the gun-barrel sequence of the first James Bond adventure, Dr No.