How did they get the gold off the bus that went off the cliff in the Michael Caine film?
toby1234abc:
How did they get the gold off the bus that went off the cliff in the Michael Caine film?
they didnt they are still there figuring it out 
Once heard a tale that the story about getting the gold off the bus was to be the topic of the next film. it was a discussion on radio 5, wasn’t Mark Kermode but i can’t remember who though.
On a similar theme, the 3 Coopers that they threw over the cliff, were obviously wrecked, but the registrations came up for sale a few years ago at a DVLA auction at the Yorkshire mining museum near me.
Ken.
Quinny:
On a similar theme, the 3 Coopers that they threw over the cliff, were obviously wrecked, but the registrations came up for sale a few years ago at a DVLA auction at the Yorkshire mining museum near me.Ken.
the three registrations now reside on these 3 minis
dailymail.co.uk/news/article … -time.html
as for gettin the gold off the coach 
toby1234abc:
How did they get the gold off the bus that went off the cliff in the Michael Caine film?
The story that I heard (but don’t quote me) was that two of Cantrells raiders who were passing by that night spotted the bus and tried to remove any excess diesel. Not only did they take the gold they also took the spare wheel, the battery, the radio, the wipers etc.
Well topgear was going try to get the gold out but bottle it.
fingermissing:
Well topgear was going try to get the gold out but bottle it.
It’s a lot worse than that they’ve been told by the BBC to forget about supercars and concentrate on cars like the Citroen Ami 8. 
Unless they’re ( hopefully ) just having a laugh. 
By Pallab Ghosh
Science correspondent, BBC News
How did Caine’s character get out of his fix?
The Royal Society of Chemistry has announced the winner of a competition to solve the conundrum at the end of the iconic UK film The Italian Job.
In the film, the robbers’ coach almost drives off a cliff, ending up balanced precariously on the edge, with the gang at one end and their gold at the other.
The RSC asked for ideas to get the gold off the coach before it tips over.
John Godwin from Surrey came up with the winning idea which involves draining fuel from the vehicle.
In the conclusion to the 1969 movie, Charlie Croker, played by Michael Caine, tries to reach the gold, but as he does so, the coach tips up dangerously.
Then gang leader Croker turns around and says: “Hang on a minute lads, I’ve got a great idea.”
So what was the idea?
Some 2,000 members of the public put forward their own theories. Many of them were from children.
Twelve-year-old Thomas Nixon’s homonym solution was for the gang to sing until they all got “frogs” in their throats. The frogs start to jump up and down which rocks the bus. They use the “rocks” to weigh down the end of the bus.
Eventually, the gang’s throats become sore from the singing. And with the “saw” they cut the gold bullion in half. Because two halves make a whole - the gang could sneak the gold through the “hole”.
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But the winner, John Godwin from Godalming, had a more practical solution involving a three-stage process.
First, the coach needed to be stabilised. This involved smashing out the windows on the part of the coach overlooking the drop and smashing them inward at the front end to improve the weight ratio slightly.
One of the bullion raiders is then lowered outside and deflates the wheels to stop the coach from rocking.
Second, its weight distribution needs to be changed, particularly over the rear of the coach which is overlooking the drop. This involves emptying the fuel tank which John Godwin discovered was at the rear of the coach. This, he estimated, would contain 140kg of fuel.
So… once they’ve deflated the tyres and drained the fuel tanks, how do they drive away with the gold?
Mark Crossland, Exmouth
Read your comments and ideas
Third, he would allow a member of the team to leave the coach and bring rocks in to the front of the vehicle to ensure it was stable and the gold could be removed.
“There’re several sheets of maths here,” said John Godwin.
"It was a good long day with a calculator. It’s more than 20 years since I saw the film - I remember thinking there must be some way of getting that gold off the bus.
“I always had an idea of how they might solve this - so when the Royal Society of Chemistry put this out to the public as a competition it seemed like the ideal opportunity to see if it would really work or to see if it was hot air.”
Easy when you know how lol
How could they drain the diesel when the back half of the coach is hanging over the cliff and the tank is at the back??
If they were armed as all good gangsters are they could shoot holes in the diesel tank.I think that using boulders to weigh the front of the coach would be enough .
The theory all seems to depend on the idea that they could smash the rear windows ( toughened glass which breaks into tiny pieces which would go everywhere ) outwards and that the weight of those smashed windows would be heavier than a person.But how do they smash the front windows inwards before the person has been sent out to do it and why do the front windows need to be smashed to lower someone outside when there’s a front door on the coach and how does the theory know exactly how much fuel is left in the tank since it’s last fill up.The film should be given an alternative ending with Michael Caine saying we’re zb’d I knew I should have employed a better driver for the job. 
Carryfast:
fingermissing:
Well topgear was going try to get the gold out but bottle it.It’s a lot worse than that they’ve been told by the BBC to forget about supercars and concentrate on cars like the Citroen Ami 8.
Unless they’re ( hopefully ) just having a laugh.
That article was from 2009 doesn’t look like they took the advice.
The solution is a load of rubbish.
You smash your windows and then puncture & drain your fuel tanks.
You’ve got a bus with flat tyres smashed windows and no fuel.
You save the gold then what?
You’ve chucked your mini’s over the cliff
Your sat at the side of the road with 3.5 tons of gold and no way to move it.
Real question is how much of a kicking did the bus driver get?
Soldier z:
Carryfast:
fingermissing:
Well topgear was going try to get the gold out but bottle it.It’s a lot worse than that they’ve been told by the BBC to forget about supercars and concentrate on cars like the Citroen Ami 8.
Unless they’re ( hopefully ) just having a laugh.
That article was from 2009 doesn’t look like they took the advice.
The solution is a load of rubbish.
You smash your windows and then puncture & drain your fuel tanks.
You’ve got a bus with flat tyres smashed windows and no fuel.
You save the gold then what?
You’ve chucked your mini’s over the cliff
Your sat at the side of the road with 3.5 tons of gold and no way to move it.Real question is how much of a kicking did the bus driver get?
^ This.That’s assuming the thing didn’t go over the edge as soon as one of the gang got out to drain the fuel and puncture the tyres and collect the rocks.Maybe that’s what Michael Caine meant when he said he had an idea.He’d have been the only survivor and then would have just needed to get to Spain.
Windows would probably give you a few kg, but why smash the front ones?
Smash them inwards get more weight inside the vehicle I guess
kr79:
Smash them inwards get more weight inside the vehicle I guess
But they are already attched to the front, no need to smash them!
throw a rope over the stack of gold and then pull the gold to the front of the bus…!!! 
toby1234abc:
How did they get the gold off the bus that went off the cliff in the Michael Caine film?
Like this…youtube.com/watch?v=wEpbkk26RcA
I’m a fan…viewtopic.php?f=15&t=84714&hilit=the+italian+job
What an opening scene…youtube.com/watch?v=2lqtNThufkk
bald bloke:
What an opening scene…youtube.com/watch?v=2lqtNThufkk
A Jag V12 with open exhausts and this for the soundtrack sounds even better though.