Do u think they survived or feel off the cliff.

The "Michael Caine" idea was interesting, but there is a better way, that gets them over the border with almost everything.

1) They managed to stay balanced with Charlie in the back. So if he moves to the front, there is enough extra weight for the smallest of them to leave the bus.

2) Small guy starts bringing back large sharp rocks, which they stack in the front. When there are enough heavy rocks in front, two guys can go out, etc.

3) When the bus is secure, they haul the gold out tray by tray. The balance improves, the bus is lighter, and they are no longer at risk.

4) Now that they are out, they push the bus back onto the road. People can push a lot - there are tales of trapped motorists pushing a jackknifed, loaded semi off I80 in a blizzard. Snow and gold can act as lubricant and wedges. If the bus doesn't push easily, they can use "pivot lifting" like this guy, moving stonehenge-sized slabs: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRRDzFROMx0

I expect they could be on the road in an hour, keeping most of their fuel, by doing all that. If necessary, for additional weight loss, they could break out the windows in the back of the bus. Burning off all the fuel and escaping would save the passengers, but would take longer, lose the gold, give the Mafia time to find them, and get them in lethal trouble with Mr. Bridger.

For dramatic purposes, they could stack the gold into a wall, which they hide behind while shooting it out with the Mafia.

I hope not.


Eat the Neocons.

Those are going to have to be some seriously heavy duty curtain rods, plus the gold was in bundles.

An answer Charlie and his band may have come up with, but as has been said in this thread or on the board somewhere, the original intent was to have a sequel where the bus goes over the cliff, and then they have to steal the gold back from the Italian mafia which collects it after the fall.


The Telegraph

Original Article here:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/4315767/Cliffhanger-cl imax-to-The-Italian-Job-solved-after-40-year-wait.html

...the Royal Society of Chemistry asked people to work out a method to extract the gold within 30 minutes without using a helicopter, and prove it with maths.

Now, an IT manager from Godalming in Surrey has worked out how to extricate the gold without toppling the 1964 Bedford VAL14 coach and the gang over the edge.

John Godwin, 39, beat around 2,000 people who replied to the call by the RSC to draft a solution to safely remove the 3.2 tons of gold.

Mr Godwin's solution was relatively simple.

Firstly, four windows should be smashed: two large central windows just 'air-side' of the pivot should be knocked outwards; then two smaller windows above the twin front axles, inwards.

Then a man should be lowered through the smaller windows to let down the four inflated front tyres, which Mr Goodwin said were acting as "springs" and exaggerating the rocking motion.

Thirdly - and most importantly - the near-full fuel tank should be emptied.

This would enable one of the 10-strong gang to get off and gather rocks to further weigh the bus down.

Removing an estimated 36 gallons of remaining fuel, weighing about 300lb (139kg), "is the key to surviving this predicament" he wrote.

Mr Godwin even tracked down one of the last existing VAL14s buses to a depot near Cambridge to check his details, confirming that the fuel tank was located towards the overhanging rear.

Croker could have emptied the tank by removing an access plank on the bus floor and reaching down to take out the drainage plug, he suggested.

"if it was any good they'd have made an American version by now." Hank Hill