Fabula
Object
Object

Yates' Quarry Car (Auton Chase Vehicle)

Rugged vehicle used by Mike Yates to ram an unmasked Auton over a cliff edge during the Auton ambush in the quarry. Later serves as an escape transport for the Doctor, Jo, Yates, and the Brigadier.
2 appearances

Purpose

Escape transport and improvised ramming weapon against Autons

Significance

Proves bullets fail against Autons, forces reliance on vehicular assault, and marks first major UNIT losses including Brigadier's wounding—escalating the Master's threat and the Doctor's isolation against indestructible foes.

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

2 moments
S8E3 · Terror of the Autons Part 3
Autons kill Brigadier and soldier

Yates’ quarry car is initially used by the Doctor and Jo for their escape, but it crashes into a rock after being forced off-course by the Autons. Yates later seizes the car, accelerates, and rams the unmasked Auton with it, sending the creature over a cliff. The car becomes a makeshift weapon in the absence of effective firearms, demonstrating the group’s desperation. Its damaged state reflects the chaos of the ambush, and its role in the escape underscores the Autons’ resilience—even after being rammed off a cliff, the Auton begins climbing back up, undeterred.

Before: Operational but pursued by Autons; crashes into a rock after the Doctor and Jo flee it.
After: Severely damaged from ramming the Auton, but still functional enough to carry the group to temporary safety. The car’s condition mirrors the group’s own battered state—bruised but not broken.
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S8E3 · Terror of the Autons Part 3
Autons prove invulnerable to bullets

Yates’ quarry car is first crashed by the Doctor and Jo into a rock during the Auton ambush, forcing them to flee on foot. Later, Yates seizes the car, accelerates, and rams the unmasked Auton over a cliff edge—a desperate but futile attempt to stop the plastic killer. The car’s damage and the Auton’s subsequent climb back up symbolize the Nestene Consciousness’s overwhelming power, as human machinery proves useless against synthetic invulnerability.

Before: Intact but abandoned after the Doctor and Jo crash it into a rock during the initial Auton ambush.
After: Severely damaged from ramming the Auton, but still functional enough to evacuate the group. The Auton’s climb back up the cliff underscores the car’s limitations as a weapon.
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