Cars That Were Bigger Stars in Movies

The Blues Brothers

The obsession by Americans about their cars in movies goes back a long time. It may have been one of the best action flicks that you have ever seen and then the car of your dreams comes ripping across the screen and you lose total focus. Everyone else is talking about how great the movie was and all you keep saying is "did you see that car?" 

One of my personal favorites has always been the 1967 Ford Mustang Shelby GT 500 fastback. If you don't like this car, you must be living on some other planet. There are plenty of movies that this automobile has started but I don't believe it is ever truly taken over a movie like it did in the Nicolas Cage movie, Gone in 60 Seconds. The car itself had personality and she was named Eleanor and was Cage's nemesis. I don't know that I have ever seen a car in more immaculate shape as when he first sat down inside. I don't know about you, but a tear came to my eye the first time she hit another car and her rear view mirror was ripped off. If I could've, I would've gone through the screen and smack them around for ruining a true work of art.

Another great car that stood on its own was the 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS in Dazed and Confused. This car brought me back to my youth as one of my brothers actually had one that was almost identical to it. I remember the first time I sat down and it and he put the key in the ignition and fire that baby up. To quote Matthew McConaughey, “We’re talkin’ some #$%@in muscle.”

The car itself from The Blues Brothers may not have made you want to run out and buy an old police car, but you kind of had to think about doing it after you saw this flick. The 1974 Dodge Monaco was Elwood's pride and joy. One of the funniest lines in the movie to ever describe a car was when Dan Aykroyd said, “It's got a cop motor, it's got cop tires, cop suspension and cop shocks.” You could hear the admiration and loathing so apparent at the same time, it will always remain one of my favorite movie lines.

Last but definitely not least is the 1961 Ferrari 250 GT Spider California from Ferris Bueller's Day off. Oddly enough, I went to see this with a buddy of mine who himself was a parking lot attendant and I don't believe I've ever heard someone chuckled so loud when those guys took off with the car. He basically answered my question before I could ask it. There really is no other way to describe this beauty than to quote Ferris Bueller, “it's so choice.” This was another one of those movies that brings a tear to your eye on the car gets driven out of the house and into the trees. You have to wonder what the director was thinking when he wrecked that baby. 

About Today's Contributor:  

Brenda wrote this article on behalf of trianglerentacar.com

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Cars That Started On TV

Every TV show has some type of signature that is known for. Seinfeld has the diner, Friends was centered around their apartment, but nothing beats a show that features a muscle car. You find yourself waiting for the scenes when they jump in and start tearing up the streets. The next thing you know you see the same cars driving around in your neighborhood because everyone wants to be like Mike.

The 1969 Dodge Charger for the Dukes of Hazzard was just such a vehicle. With the big old Confederate flag on the roof, generally was a fixture on our television for about six years. The Duke boys managed to out run the sheriff on many an occasion because no car could fly around like General Lee.

Herbie did not have nearly the punch of General Lee, but the 1963 Volkswagen Beetle sure did have some pretty good moves. The car was first featured on the small screen in the late 60s and early 70s and then finally became a star in 2005 when it hit the big screen. Herbie may not have been able to fly like General Lee, but the Porsche 356 engine was enough to get it around the track and take out a couple races.

The late 60s and early 70s produced some of the hottest muscle cars on the planet. Today's cars may have a little more horsepower, but very few of them can make an entrance like the cars of that era. Another monster to go from small screen to big is a 1974 Ford Gran Torino. Starsky and Hutch took down the bad guys in this bright red and white striped Ford that sported a 351 Cleveland and four barrel Holley carburetor. He lived for the trademark moment when Starsky would slide across the hood and then jump behind the wheel and snag a bad guys. The car may have been done a little injustice when it went to the big screen but it's still brought back the memories of one of the best muscle cars of the 70s.

The first time this band was featured in TV it was actually animated, but how can you ever possibly lead out Scooby Doo and the 1972 Bedford CF Mystery Machine. Sporting about 20 different colors splashed in various patterns, the van came to life in 2002 as Scooby Doo went Hollywood.

Not every vehicle was able to make the transition from TV to big screen as movies often adapt them to the current times that they were shot in. It's quite a shame as you would love to see some of those old 60s television shows have the same cars that they were originally shot with.

The one thing that has always amazed me is when a TV show has been turned into a movie and the first thing that comes out of the guy’s mouth after the movie is over is that they just cannot believe that they didn't use the original car. Just another point of how obsessed we are with the cars that we see in television and movies.
 

About Today's Contributor:

Brenda wrote this article on behalf of trianglerentacar.com

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The US Presidential State Car

The Presidential State Car in the United States is the car that carries the President of the United States, his family, his staff and secret service agents. It is the official state car of the President of the United States. The traditional vehicle is a limousine and is the ground version of Air Force One. It is termed Cadillac One. 

The current vehicle is manufactured by General Motors and was first used when President Elect Barack Obama was inaugurated on January 20, 2009, but it doesn't have a specific model name. The vehicle is called the ‘2009 Cadillac Presidential Limousine.’

When President Elect Barack Obama is inaugurated on January 20, 2009, a new vehicle will be used to transport Obama and his family. It is manufactured by GM and will not have a specific model name. The vehicle will be called the ‘2009 Cadillac Presidential Limousine.’ - See more at: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=346955&ca=Automotive#sthash.FSvsxlsP.dpuf Published at: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=346955&ca=Automotive

When President Elect Barack Obama is inaugurated on January 20, 2009, a new vehicle will be used to transport Obama and his family. It is manufactured by GM and will not have a specific model name. The vehicle will be called the ‘2009 Cadillac Presidential Limousine.’ - See more at: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=346955&ca=Automotive#sthash.FSvsxlsP.dpuf Published at: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=346955&ca=Automotive

The previous one was a 2005 Cadillac DTS (DeVille Touring Sedan.) The first time this vehicle was used was on January 20, 2005 during the second inauguration of President George W. Bush and the secret service referred to the vehicle as ‘the beast.’ This model is still used when needed...

The vehicle’s windows do not open, it is equipped with run flat tires, it is fitted with military grade armor 5 inches thick, and five antennas mounted to the trunk. The inside has a fluorescent light system because the windows are tinted and do not allow much natural light inside. The vehicle can seat seven people, including the President. There is a console mounted communications system in the front of the vehicle. The vehicle, when transported to foreign countries, is airlifted by a United States Air Force C-17 Globemaster III. When the President visits a foreign country, the Presidential flag that flies opposite the United States flag on the front of the car is replaced with the flag of the country he is visiting at the time. 

There are similar limousines that are operated by the United States government that help to transport VIP guests, visiting heads of government, and heads of state.

The Presidential State Car travels in the Presidential Motorcade, which consists of 35 other vehicles, when traveling out of town. The limousine that the President travels in is maintained by the Secret Service while the motorcade support vehicles are maintained by the White House Military Office. In the motorcade there are two Chevrolet Suburbans that the President might also travel in instead of the limousine. Each of the vehicles has the Presidential seals on the sides. 

The very first President to travel in an automobile was President William McKinley. The first government owned vehicle was a Stanley Steamer and it was used during President Theodore Roosevelt’s presidency. President William Howard Taft was the first President to use a vehicle that was stored in the White House garage. The first President to ride in a Cadillac was President Woodrow Wilson during a victory parade for World War I. President Warren Harding was the first President to ride in an automobile to his inauguration. The car was a Packard Twin-Six.

The Presidential State Car is comparable, for its safety purposes, to the Popemobile. The Popemobile protects the Pope, or the highest living leader of the Catholic Church.

About Today's Contributor:

Brenda wrote this article ob behalf of trianglerentacar.com

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Christine’s Fury

Probably one of the most unforgettable cars ever portrayed in a movie would have to be the 1958 Plymouth Fury used in John Carpenter's movie Christine.

A character herself in the movie, Christine is a supernatural malevolent automobile that is literally death on wheels. She has the ability to possess and destroy. The other character in the movie, Arnie Cunningham, the typical high school nerd, life begins to change when he discovers Christine in serious need of repair.

Tim Burton's Batmobile

Fictionally, one of the most perfect cars is the Batmobile. Admit it, if all of us could have one, we would.

The Batmobile was huge, long, low and sleek. It combined design elements from 1930s coupes like the Bugatti Type 57 and modern racing cars such as the Porsche 962 and was built on a Chevy Impala chassis. 

Famous Cars From Another Time

You have to love movies that are either about the future or the past and have some model of the current car configured in to the script. Whether they use them as time machines or weapons, the cars themselves are often the centerpiece of the scene and end up getting more conversation and the movie itself. Here are several examples that come to mind. 

Fast and Furious - Cars in Film

When Universal launched the Fast and the Furious series of street racing films, they only expected only a modest return. Although street racing was getting a lot of press attention and the popularity of modified imports were exploding, the movies was never expected to be a blockbuster.

However, the film was an unexpected summer hit. It grossed $40,089,015 on its opening weekend, surpassing the film's $38 million budget. It may have been the media buzz and gear head buzz surrounding the movies that caused an explosion in the box office and gave global insight and curiosity into the supercharged social scene of racing and customizing cars.

Two of the films' stars that caused the movies to thunder in the box office, were the Mazda RX7 and the Mitsubishi Eclipse. One of Japan's largest automotive aftermarket companies, Veilside, built the Mazda RX7 that was later filmed in Fast and Furious to show off its "Fortune" wide-body kit at the 2005 Tokyo Auto Salon. At the time of the show, the car was painted red, and it had everything a show car should — an HKS T04Z single-turbo conversion kit, a massive intercooler shoved under the front bumper, big Rotora brakes, A'PEXi coil-over shocks and vast 19-inch Andrew Evo-V wheels inside P255/30ZR19 front and P305/25ZR19 rear Toyo Proxes radials.

For the Fast & the Furious: Tokyo Drift, the same Mazda RX7 was painted Sunset Orange Pearl and Veilside built three more visual clones, including one that was destined for destruction using a previous Mazda RX7 that had appeared in both previous Fast and Furious movies. One of the cars used in the previous Fast and Furious movie was Dominic Toretto's red RX.

In the sequel to the Fast & Furious, 2 Fast, 2 Furious, the character Roman Pierce was given a new partner in his adventure, the Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder with a Snyper Body Kit. The car was personally picked by John Singleton for Pierce to drive and the car came equipped with a Vortech Supercharger V5 G trim, HKS Blow valve, HKS AFR (fuel management controller), RC engineering 270cc injectors, Boost Variant Fuel Pressure Regulator with Gauge and a Magnecor 8.5mil Competition wires and a license plate that said "H8TER."

The Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder had the most elaborate paint job of any of the cars built for any of the Fast & Furious movies. The patchwork design on the car were not graphics but painted on with House of Kolors paint. It was one of the few cars in the film that wasn't destroyed although a total of four were made for the filming. It is rumored that the car exhaust was swapped with a Subaru WRX.

Like all cars in the Fast & Furious series, both cars were heavily reinforced with a roll cage for bridge jumping. Also there was so much neon lighting used in the cars that a technical specialist whose expertise was in shooting neon on film was kept on set at all times. This obviously cost a lot more and cut into the budget but it made the film authentic. 

About Today's Contributor:

Brenda wrote this article on behalf of trianglerentacar.com 

Judge Dredd (1995) - Another Movie Car

Judge Dredd was one of Sylvester Stallone's films however not one of his most successful ones. According to some of the critics, the props were the stars of the show and one of these was a customized Land Rover.

What Is A Supercar?

When Henry Ford started producing automobiles, a car was, well, a car. And when Henry's cars had lived out their life and were hauled off to a wrecking yard for burial, they were still a car.
Of course, there were convertibles, sedans, sports cars, trucks and racing cars. But if one of these began its life as, say, a convertible, it was still a convertible when its life ended.

Fast-forward to the 1960's and the present day. Yes, we still have convertibles, sedans, sports cars, trucks and racing cars. But we also have cult cars, chick cars, guy cars, muscle cars, classic cars, and super cars. And while there was never any controversy over whether a convertible was a convertible or a sedan was a sedan, there is disagreement over whether a car is or isn't a cult car, chick car, guy car, muscle car, classic car, or super car.

Further, once a convertible always a convertible. But not so with a supercar. A car can be a supercar in one decade but not in the next. So what characteristics constitute a supercar?