Monday, June 16, 2008

Top 50 Memorable Movie Cars

The rotten tomatoes have come up with their own list of the world’s most memorable movie cars. I know some of you are familiar with these spectacular vehicles. From the top 50 list, I took the top 10 cars that made a full blast in the silver screens.

10. Mr. Frye's Ferrari
Type of car: 1961 Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder SWB
Special features: attracts joyriding parking attendants
Appears in: Ferris Bueller's Day Off

9. Tim Burton's Batmobile
Type of car: GM Batmobile
Special features: Turbine, remote control, shields
Appears in: Batman, Batman Returns

8. Starsky's Gran Torino
Type of car: 1976 Ford Gran Torino
Special features: Mag wheels, custom paint
Appears in: Starsky & Hutch

7. Bandit's Trans Am
Type of car: 1977 Pontiac Trans Am
Special features: T-tops, CB Radio
Appears in: Smokey and the Bandit, Smokey and the Bandit II

6. Ecto-1
Type of car: 1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor
Special features: Siren, sliding proton pack storage
Appears in: Ghostbusters, Ghostbusters 2

5. James Bond's Aston Martin DB5
Type of car: 1963 Aston Martin DB5
Special features: Oil slick, smoke screen, ejector seat, radar tracking system, machine guns, revolving license plates
Appears in: Goldfinger, Thunderball, The Cannonball Run, Goldeneye, Tomorrow Never Dies, Casino Royale

4. Bullitt's Mustang
Type of car: 1968 Ford Mustang GT390 Fastback
Special features: Makes you feel almost as cool as Steve McQueen
Appears in: Bullitt

3. The General Lee
Type of car: 1969 Dodge Charger
Special features: Extensive race modifications, musical horn
Appears in: The Dukes of Hazzard

2. Herbie
Type of car: 1963 Model 117 Volkswagen Type 1 (Beetle)
Special features: Ultimate cruise control
Appears in: The Love Bug, Herbie Rides Again, Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo, Herbie Goes Bananas, Herbie: Fully Loaded

1. Doc Brown's De Lorean
Type of car: 1981 De Lorean DMC-12
Special features: Flux capacitor, remote control, hover conversion, Mr. Fusion generator
Appears in: Back to the Future, Back to the Future Part II, Back to the Future Part III


To view the complete list of Rotten Tomatoes Top 50 Most Memorable Cars, just rotten tomatoes!

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

'Starsky & Hutch' Ford Gran Torino

Who could possibly forget the adventures of Starsky & Hutch. These two characters made us laugh with their funny antics and nerve-racking mishaps. Of course, the two looked so cool because of the legendary car they drove. In fact, Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson really rode in this 1974 Gran Torino. Built by Mike Walsh's Premiere Studio Rentals, it's one of the two "hero" cars built for the 2004 Starsky & Hutch film. Walsh sold the other hero car… a '76 Gran Torino but otherwise alike on eBay for $50,000. That's not a really enough for a indisputable movie star, but it radically sure enough for a vehicle like the Gran Torino.

Actually, this might be the greatest Gran Torino in reality. It has just more than 2100 original miles on its 33-year-old odometer and a hot-rodded 435-hp, 360-cubic-inch Ford Windsor pushrod V-8 underneath its hood. The framework and body is straight and hundred per cent rust-free, and it doesn’t create too much screeches or clatters.

The suspension has been reconstructed with more solid rear leaf springs and air shocks to provide a mean and sturdy rake. The slot mags wear 235/60R-15 BFGoodrich Radial T/As up front and 275/60R-15s in back. The PPG Viper Red paint is dang next to sightlessness. The Ford Gran Torino rests with a mean rumble and growls when provided a little bit of a motivation. It's even graciously rapid that can blast off to 60 mph in 5.6 seconds and through the quarter-mile in 14.1 seconds at 102 mph, regardless of being prepared to sway its tail radically around corners fairly than speed up in a straight path.

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

The Mach 5 In Reality

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The Mach 5 has been a fictional vehicle model featured in the popular animation flick Speed Racer, but not until the blockbuster-in-the-making Speed Racer movie from Warner Bros. came into the picture. Oh yes, the Speed Racer film is one of this year’s most anticipated movies.

Speed Racer is played by Emile Hirsch along with leading-lady Christina Ricci as Trixie, Speed's girlfriend. Speed Racer is apparently born to race cars. He is aggressive, intuitive and, most of all, fearless. His only true competition is the memory of his late brother who he idolized - the legendary Rex Racer. Rex died in a race that has left behind a legacy that Speed is driven to accomplish. Speed is loyal to the family racing business, led by his father, Pops Racer, the designer of Speed's thundering Mach 5.

The Mach 5 according to wikepedia:

The Mach Five is the racing car Speed Racer (Go Mifune in the Japanese version) drives in the anime series of the same name (known as "Mach Go! Go! Go!" in Japan). The car was designed, built, and created by Pops Racer, Speed Racer's father. It features a set of special devices which Speed Racer uses throughout the series. In the original 1966 series, the Mach Five is a white racing car with an 'M' written on its hood. In the 1993 American remake, the design was completely changed.

Its name probably derives from the fact that speeds above Mach 5 are known as hypersonic. However, the Mach Five cannot reach Mach speeds. The name is also a pun in two languages: the word for "five" in Japanese is "go". However, the "go" used for the car's name is a suffix attached to the names of ships, etc. Thus, the car is known in the Japanese version as simply the "Mach".

Thursday, May 8, 2008

The Dark Knight's Lambo

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After ‘Iron Man’ had its world premiere last May 2, 2008, next month promises to be another blast for movie goers especially the Batman fanatics. Yup, the follow-up to the action hit "Batman Begins” is here. The “Dark Knight” from Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures is set to break box-office records once again as Christian Bale (Batman/Bruce Wayne) continues to eradicate evil in Gotham City!

The movie will feature Batman’s most popular arch-enemy, the Joker, which is played by Academy Award nominee Heath Ledger. Harvey Dent, also known as “Two-Face”, will be featured in the story as well. One of the best surprises viewers should look forward to is the scenes when Batman isn't protecting Gotham City from a variety of villains in the Batmobile. The billionaire Bruce Wayne selected one of Lamborghini's sexiest super sports cars ever created, the Lamborghini Murcielago LP640! Of course, Mr. Wayne is as cool and hip as Tony Stark (The Iron Man) too! Bruce Wayne's latest Lambo can be first seen raiding the streets of Gotham in the movie."The Dark Knight" is scheduled for worldwide premiere on July 18, 2008.

The Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 Coupe appearing in "The Dark Knight" is power-driven by a 640 horsepower 12-cylinder engine and is capable of more than 211 mph.

"The Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 is the natural choice for Bruce Wayne's other car. Lamborghini is proud to be associated with one of the greatest movie franchises in history, especially co-starring with the night-bound Batmobile," says Stephan Winkelmann, President and CEO of Automobili Lamborghini.

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

‘Entourage’ Makes Cars Stars

Auto buffs consider movies as an extension to their fetish. I, for one, is not an exception. Cars in movies are stars. They are awesome. They are up for speed and elegance - not to forget fame.

Sure, cars have always been a secret ingredient in coming up with captivating movies that stay in the mind of the viewers. Think James Bond's Aston. Fabulous and uber refined! Or Steve McQueen's 1968 Mustang GT 390 in "Bullitt". Or maybe the trio of Mini Coopers in "The Italian Job." Or Thomas Magnum and his Ferrari. Think Bumble Bee and the yellow Chevy Camaro. If you are a movie fanatic slash auto buff, the list could be endless…

Cars have always been big stars in movie and television shows. The latest awesome attempt in TV is espoused by HBO series ‘Entourage’. The multiple car placements in the TV series could make my head spin like uber fast road machines. Unfortunately, the thing could also make your bank accounts spin.

Los Angeles Times writes:
In its four seasons to date, the show has burned through a pimped-out 1961 Lincoln Continential convertible, a Maserati Quattroporte, three Aston Martin DB9s, a BMW 745, a Mercedes-Benz S-Class, a Lexus LS 600h, a Hummer H2 and a Bentley Continental GT convertible. Oh, and four Ducati motorcycles.
Does it make the cash register ring? Aston Martin Vice President and General Manager John Walton said yes but added that the company was really looking to the future. "We manufacture only a few thousand of these cars per year, so sales numbers don't factor into the equation. It's more about gaining cachet for the brand with a younger audience," he said.
The ask: Whether the members of the Y generation drivers would ever be able to pay for a DB9, which arrives with a $180,000 sticker price.

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

"Public Enemies" Seeks Vintage Cars

The movie adaptation of Brian Burrough’s book titled Public Enemies: America’s Greatest Crime Wave and the Birth of the FBI, 1933-43 is seeking vintage cars.Public Enemies, having the Depression-era as setting, will require a throng of vintage cars for filming. As such film officials will come to Miller Park on Sunday to negotiate with local vintage car owners.

Howard Bachrach, the picture car captain for Universal Pictures, will be in Milwaukee to scout potential cars, trucks and buses to be used as background vehicles, according to GM Today.

"They (car collectors) are a bunch of great people and because they’re passionate about what they’re doing, they’re willing to help us out," he said, adding that he has contacted local car clubs in the area inviting them to bring their vehicles made from 1930 to 1935 to the stadium for consideration.

Public Enemies, which is directed by Michael Mann, stars Johnny Depp playing the legendary American bank robber John Dillinger. Dillinger was one of the most well-known crime figures from the early 1930s, responsible for a string of daring heists before eventually being shot dead by police in a Chicago ambush in 1934 aged 31, reported Reel Suave.

Other notorious criminals in the story include Baby Face Nelson and Pretty Boy Floyd. Christian Bale, meanwhile, plays Melvin Purvis, the one tapped by FBI chief J. Edgar Hoover to lead a manhunt.

Public Enemies’ production is set to begin later this winter in Chicago and other Midwestern locales.

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

500+ For The Mustang

If the all-American pony car Mustang is a human being, it would probably be like a multi-awarded actor like Anthony Hopkins or Tom Hanks. Why? Here’s a trivia for all of you…

In its 40 years of glorious existence as America’s much loved pony car, the Mustang has starred in over 500 starring roles on the silver screen more than any other vehicle model in the history of Hollywood! Now that's really something.

Oh yeah… Check out some of the popular movies which featured the legendary Mustang or to view all movies! I know you’ll be surprised by this list (and it's not even complete yet!):
  • Amityville: The Demon (1965-6 Mustang coupe)
  • Batman and Robin (1964 Shelby 289 Cobra)
  • Beverly Hills Cop III (1966 Mustang convertible)
  • Bullitt (1968 Mustang Fastback)
  • Curse of the Black Widow (1968 Mustang convertible, 1967 Mustang coupe)
  • Fast Food (1966 Mustang coupe)
  • Fast Lane Blues (1966 Mustang convertible)
  • Fatal Beauty (1965 Mustang convertible)
  • Gas Pump Girls (1966 Mustang coupe)
  • General's Daughter, The (1965 Mustang coupe)
  • Hitchhiker Vol. 3, The (1971 Mustang Convertible)
  • Hollywood High (1968 Mustang coupe)
  • Immortal, The (1968 Shelby GT500KR Mustang)
  • Implicated (1966 Mustang convertible)
  • In a Cat's Eye (Classic Mustangs)
  • In Crowd, The (1966 Mustang coupe)
  • Incubus, The (1967 Mustang coupe)
  • Independence Day (1965 Mustang convertible)
  • J. F. K. (1965 Mustang convertible)
  • Jocks (1967 Mustang convertible)
  • Last American Hero, The (1967 Mustang Fastback)
  • Last Boy Scout (1965 Mustang convertible)
  • Last Don, The (1965 Mustang coupe)
  • Le Mans (1965 Shelby 427 Cobra)