They recover the money and fulfill Lightfoot's fondest wish—to pay cash down for a spanking new white Cadillac convertible . But while they are driving off into the sunset, Lightfoot dies of the beating he received from Leary. Thunderbolt must go on alone.

Was Thunderbolt and Lightfoot based on a true story?

On This Day in 1965: Joel Singer and Jack Franck, the real-life 'Thunderbolt and Lightfoot. ... On the weekend of October 22-23, 1965 Montreal crook Joel Singer did exactly that. 33 20-millimetre cannon shells blasted a man-sized hole in the vault of a Brinks office in Syracuse, New York.

Where was Thunderbolt and Lightfoot shot?

The film was shot in 47 days from July to September 1973. It was filmed in Fort Benton, Wolf Creek, Great Falls, and Hobson. St. John's Lutheran Church in Hobson was used for the opening scene.