…I must be dreaming…
Full-sized Auric Enterprises – Lockheed US VC-140B JetStar Cockpit /Fuselage– Goldfinger (1964)
Goldfinger spares 007’s life rather than risk his death raising suspicions about “Operation Grand Slam,” and then flies James Bond to the USA aboard his Lockheed US VC-140B JetStar.
Later, after Bond has foiled Goldfinger’s plot 007 boards another JetStar this time belonging to the U.S. Air Force White House fleet.
A real JetStar was used for the scenes set at Blue Grass Airport (Bond’s arrival in Kentucky) and Standiford Field (Bond’s departure to meet the president) and doubled as both the Auric Enterprises plane and the Air Force’s White House V.I.P. transport. No airborne shots of a real plane feature in the movie. However, an operational JetStar was loaned for scenes of the aircraft taxiing on the tarmac in both guises as well as Bond’s interaction with Pussy Galore as they exit Goldfinger’s plane.
The Foundation’s JetStar fuselage, N711Z/VC-140B, had an interesting life after filming, serving as a private charter for many years flying many V.I.P.s, including Elvis Presley. By confirming the fuselage data plate and the FAA tail registration number, the Goldfinger JetStar was located by the Ian Fleming Foundation in 2021 at an aircraft salvage yard in Kansas City. It was found to be in horrendous condition with bushes and trees growing in and round it. All that was left was the cockpit and fuselage. The wings and engines had been scrapped years before. The cockpit windows had also disappeared along with most of the instrumentation. The Foundation procured the fuselage just forward of the plane’s wings and in 2023 began a sympathetic restoration. It took dedicated work over many months to fully restore the forward fuselage to cinematic and exhibit condition. The restoration, led by Archivist Doug Redenius working closely with expert volunteers Bob Mahlum, Steve Targosz, Len Johnson, James Martin and Board member Colin Clark (aided by many other Foundation volunteers), is one of the most extensive and rewarding in the IFF’s history.
All of the interior sequences were filmed on a studio set at Pinewood, as the duel between Bond and Goldfinger would have been impossible to stage in the tight confines of a real plane. The Foundation has restored the interior to match the actual JetStar interior when the plane was leased for use in the film.
The IFF also owns the small model of the Jetstar used in filming – see here.
More information and some action photos can be found here.