Whether they were notable for their superior performance, or for the superior performers who drove them, RideLust’s list of the 50 Most Famous Cars pays homage to all the truly iconic automobiles of our time [and a few that slipped in under "editorial bias"...] So without further ado, and in no particular order:
1. 1967 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 fastback
Where It’s From: Gone in 60 Seconds [2000] film
Claim to Fame:Stuck behind a traffic jam and desperate to outrun the rapidly advancing 5-0, Memphis [Nicolas Cage] throws “Eleanor” and her 428 cubic-inch, 360-hp engine in drive and using a lowered towtruck flat bed as a ramp, launches her 30 feet up in the air. Completely airborne, Memphis flies Eleanor over 15 feet of damaged cars and rescue workers – landing intact on the other side, cocked, locked, and ready to rock
2. 1981 DeLorean DMC 12
Where It’s From: Back To The Future [1985] film
Claim to Fame:Off-screen an extremely ill-fated Irish sports car, in Back To The Future, the DeLorean DMC 12 was capable of breaking the laws of quantum physics. Modified with a flux capacitor and a strategically placed nuclear generator, when traveling at precisely 88 mph, the DMC 12 was capable of time-travel.
The Bond movies have always had three or four staple ingredients that James simply can not operate without, exotic locations, weird and wonderful gadgets, at least a couple of half naked girls, and the cars.
Each of the Bond’s has been linked in the mind of fans with one dream car, even if they drove several different vehicles during their reign as Bond. Here is a list of all of the movies and Mr Bond’s memorable transportation in each movie.
There’s a fantastic 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T on eBay just begging to be painted alpine white and driven from Denver to San Francisco at an insane rate of speed while evading police and getting into adventures. If you don’t understand what I’m talking about, then you need to get on your Netflix queue and put the 1971 classic Vanishing Point on top.
Vanishing Point is, by far, the greatest road movie of all time. It’s the story of a man named Kowalski driving a brand new alpine white 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T across the western United States, and I’ll just leave it at that. The movie has to been seen to be appreciated. It’s a masterpiece, just like the ‘70 Challenger R/T.
The Mercedes-Benz GLK has received its fair share of press and promise of the many months. First it was spied at the Sex and the City Movie set and then it received its introduction in concept dressing at this years Detroit Auto Show in January. Now the official unveiling in Bejing is at our doorstep and Mercedes-Benz is preparing the viewing public with photos and information on how they see their GLK model fitting into the Mercedes-Benz brand, into their SUV line-up and a bit of how it will appeal to buyers. That last part, appealing to buyers, is the most important part.
The GLK entry-level sport utility is aimed at competing against the BMW X3 and the up-coming Audi Q5. Taking its styling cue from the Mercedes-Benz C-Class the GLK takes on the open grilled hungry appearance that makes the new C-Class stand out on the streets. The all new design will surely gain favor with the Mercedes-Benz dedicated shopper, but in some regards the new design taps into an SUV past in shape. There is something of a touch of a shrunken down Land Cruiser to the general mold of the GLK.
Here is how Mercedes-Benz Design Chief Prof. Peter Pfeiffer described the GLK’s design influence: “With the G-Class we created a style icon that has been a benchmark in SUV design for the past 30 years. Combining this bold concept with the latest Mercedes-Benz design idiom makes the GLK a vehicle of genuine character.”
…Full Gallery and Video after on the following page…
When it comes to new movies there is one thing that I am certain to avoid and that is detail spoiling trailers. With that said and despite the few of us who cover our eyes during certain highly anticipated trailers in the movie theatre, I know there are plenty of people out there who get really excited for pre-release movie details. So this article is for them. If you are of the ilk that trailers are something to be avoided until after you have seen the movie you might want to just move on to another article, because this sneak peek into the movie is pretty lengthy.
For some the live-action Speed Racer Movie will be the fulfillment of a long anticipated dream, while to others it might be a CGI-induced Acid flashback-styled visual kaleidoscope. Just the same we are hoping for the best. There are certain to be moments where the adult in us might cringe at some of the dialogue that might have been harvested long ago from the corn fields of the 50’s and 60’s, but let us remember that despite our own aged claims on the Speed Racer franchise that this movie is targeted at the next generation of Speed Racer Fans. So hopefully my 5 year-old cousin will enjoy it!
If you are ready for your next sneak-peek at this May’s release of Speed Racer then follow the leap and head on over to the theatrical trailer.
As the Knight Rider TV movie began on NBC at 9pm there was a certain level of nostalgia within me that made me want to watch. That nostalgia was reinforced upon the intro music that featured the classic music for the show that then gets digitized. By the end of the intro the nostalgia was replaced with a tiny shrug. As the movie progressed and the trademark villains maintained their vigilant pursuit and the trademark heroes were chauffeured around by a sometimes sweet Shelby Gt500 KR that uses the voice of Val Kilmer to whisper sweet nothings in your ear it felt as though they had stepped right back into the shoes of the 1980’s version.
When you break down the pieces there is really nothing new about the script style, the casting style, the film style, nor the acting style. As time has grown on I personally have stepped away from series television on the major networks because the formula that they have relied on for so long has worn quite thin. The Knight Rider Movie as it made its debut on NBC just may have ripped through the last fragment of stitching that was holding that formulaic material together. And having a last moment appearance by the Hoff himself at the tail end of the two-hour even may have been all that was necessary to shred the fantasy and bring us back to a modern day reality of I can’t believe they made this.
However, there were some interesting things… so follow the leap.
Many movie goers will have another first when they go to the Wachowski Brothers adaptation of Speed Racer on the big screen. For many it will be their first glimpse of the Faralli & Mazzanti Antas V8 GT. The coach built car was introduced in 2006 in Monaco, but has gleemed quietly in mild obscurity until this time. So we will have to see how a taste of the limelight effects the Antas.
The F&M Antas V8 GT takes from the classic roadster/coupe designs of the Roaring 30’s in ways much like the Wiesmann GT and the Morgan Aero 8 (which also draws inspiration from the Morgan line of roadsters). After studying the Antas V8 GT many angles it is difficult to get a bead on and its many lines make it hard to draw a conclusion about whether we like it or not.
Being a fan of the classic roadster style the first impression of the F&M Antas V8 GT is a “yes, I think I like it.” However, then you scan over such things as the rear wing, the various and obscure window designs, and the molding space required to allow for the two rear seats inside. In some ways the Antas V8 can be a tough blue pill to swallow. Full Gallery following the Link
As the Speed Racer’s Mach 5 receives plenty of gawking in Detroit one of his opponents cars gets it’s own staging area at the Tokyo Auto Salon. The futuristic racing car pictured above is actually a fine product placement from an winning racing team in Japan. The Autobac’s Racing Team Arguri (ARTA) were the team and drivers champions of the 2007 series in the GT500 Class of the Japanese Super GT series. Ofcourse their actual racing car differs a great deal (obviously), the movie car does share the race teams colors, sponsors and car number.
While in person and in photos the car may appear to be a living cartoon I am sure it will seem much faster beneath the magical lights and CGI effects that the Wachowski Bros. and Warner Brothers will put it through.
Warner Bros. has announced that the “Powerful” Mach 5 will be on display for all to see at the Detroit Auto Show in preparation for the movies debut this coming May. The car will be introduced during media week January 13-17th and then during the public showing January 19-21st. So if you hope to get a glimpse of the movie car and you are not in the media be sure to get there that first weekend of the public showing.
The movie Speed Racer, filmed by the creators of the Matrix Trilogy Larry and Andy Wachowski, will reach theatres nationwide on May 9th of this year. Which ofcourse for fans of the Speed Racer series and fans of the Wachowski brothers that might just seem like too long to wait.
Speaking as a fan I know that I cannot wait to see both the movie in May and the Mach 5 in Detroit.
It seems the brain-trust at NBC has worked out the deal with Ford to use the 2008 Shelby GT500KR as the new car for the rebirth of the Knight Rider TV series in the coming year. The revival of the Knight Rider series has been in talks for a little while now, but the speculation on the car was always left lingering. So for all of those complaining that there are already too many Specialty Mustangs on the market you may have just received the empirical evidence you needed that Ford has gone too far and that NBC has just alienated a partial fanbase. But maybe we are being too negative here?
We will post the official NBC Press Release below for those interested in learning more about the stars and the plot for the 2-hour TV Premier movie that will set the show off. Most of us here though are more curious about the car choice and the adornments that have cluttered the skin of of the GT500KR.
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