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MAX WILL BE EVEN MADDER
Car & Driver’s John Pearley Huffman drives and rates the showbiz goofycars, from Batmobile to Mad Max Interceptor:
It’s an excellent piece. John’s winning choice offends me as an Australian, however. Behead those who insult Mad Max!
I know he was making his judgments based on power, ease of driving, etc., but if you went on looks alone, the Batmobile is a cheesy piece of shlock. Mad Max’s Falcon easily wins in that category, although I always had a soft spot for the Tomato (the Torino, for those who don’t remember or never knew).
I suppose I never really thought about it, but I always though the Mad Max Interceptor was based on the AMC Javelin
“the Batmobile is a cheesy piece of shlock”
Isn’t that the point?
Posted by Bruce Rheinstein on 2007 07 15 at 12:34 PM • permalinkStraightenin the curves, flatenin the hills, some day the mountain might get em, but the law never will.
That glorious hunk of Mopar muscle metal blows that Falcon out of the water. As for coolness, you can’t beat the 01 and the rebel flag. It is instantly recognizable.
You drive that Flacon around and people will point and say Hey look! Somebody tricked out an old piece of crap Javelin!And besides, a car you have to climb into is sooooo much cooler than opening the doors.
That’s not a car race—this is a car race. [It starts with an ad, but if you return to view the footage again, the ad doesn’t replay. Also note that our MSM betters call an APC a “tank”.]
Posted by andycanuck on 2007 07 15 at 12:50 PM • permalinkIsn’t that the point?
Absolutely, Bruce. Even as a child watching that show, I knew the entire schtick was a cartoon.
But the cheesey piece of shlock was absolutely ruined everytime Batman™ and The Boy Wonder™, in their rush to go screeching out of the Bat Cave™ in the atomic powered Batmobile™ and do battle with The Forces Of Evil™, found the time to simultaneously fasten their seat belts.
Up and coming nanny staters is what they were.
Posted by The_Real_JeffS on 2007 07 15 at 12:52 PM • permalinkWhat? No Eleanor?
OK, that was the Nick Cage remake… HB Halicki proved that with enough horsepower, even a 1971 ship’s anchor can fly.
Posted by Spiny Norman on 2007 07 15 at 12:53 PM • permalinkYa beat me to the Green Hornet, cirby!!!
Posted by The_Real_JeffS on 2007 07 15 at 12:55 PM • permalinkAnd yet another of the coolest of cool cars.
“found the time to simultaneously fasten their seat belts.”
Not to mention the lectures about not exceeding the speed limit, etc. Batman works on different levels, and, as camp, I always found the seatbelt thing hilarious—and one could draw certain inferences about Batman’s living arrangements…
Posted by Bruce Rheinstein on 2007 07 15 at 01:05 PM • permalinkI’d like to highlight for everyone that the Delorean time travel car and the Batmobile are reproductions. The originals are still safely encounced in Hangar, um, well, some number. I can’t quite remember. And they’re being safeguarded around the clock by heavily armed minions. Trustworthy minions like, um, well, I can’t remember that either.
Posted by wronwright on 2007 07 15 at 01:30 PM • permalinkAs someone who in the past has owned the following vehicles, among others -
1965 Mustang GT w/289
1967 Pontiac Lemans w/400/th400 Ram Air
1967 Pontiac Firebird w/400/TH400 Ram Air
1969 Ford Mustang w/428 CJ/C-6I feel that I can state with authority that the S&H Torino, General Lee, MM Falcon and BTTF Delorean all suck hind tit.
Posted by joe bagadonuts on 2007 07 15 at 01:58 PM • permalinkWould you believe… a souped-up Trabant?
Or the stretch-limo version?
The Concrete Mixer?
Or the Monster Truck?
I think the most appropriate use for a Trabbi is as a mobile Crane.
Where’s the Monkey-mobile? (Pontiac GTO) The coffin dragster from The Munsters? The yellow and black Plymouth ‘Cuda from The Mod Squad?
For crying out loud, no mention of the Triumph twin ridden by the Fonz?
Maybe next time.
Posted by Spectre765 on 2007 07 15 at 05:05 PM • permalinkPaco,
I never was much of a Mopar man. I owned a 65 Baracuda and had a chance to buy a 70 Cuda with 340 but passed on it. The styling of the Chrysler products just didn’t appeal to me.
Barrett-Jackson sold a 70 Hemi Superbird a couple of years back for 194K. I’ve seen some asking prices approaching 250K lately.
Posted by joe bagadonuts on 2007 07 15 at 05:30 PM • permalinkHmmmm.
For crying out loud, no mention of the Triumph twin ridden by the Fonz?
I didn’t think anybody really rode those things.
There were just interludes between pushing them along the road.
Posted by memomachine on 2007 07 15 at 05:30 PM • permalinkWhere’s Sonny Crockett’s Ferrari?
I actually like the Daytona Spyder myself, even though it’s bolted onto a Covette chassis. But its episodes were far cooler than most with the Testarossa.
Posted by Ed Driscoll on 2007 07 15 at 05:52 PM • permalinkWhat about the beverley hillbilly’s car/truck/farmhouse? Now that thing rocked! A 1.618 pixel drawing artwork to the first person to find out the make / model!
The coolest was the interceptor, because of the film - that scene with Mel crawling out of a wrecked interceptor, then limping, cannot be beaten!
Since the Dynamic Duo aren’t British, they got some splaining to do.
Try here, Texas Bob.
Or you can take your pick of discussions here.
TO THE BATCLOSET, ROBIN!
Posted by The_Real_JeffS on 2007 07 15 at 07:50 PM • permalinkHe didn’t even mention Jim Rockford’s Pontiac Firebird? A shame. (Beware: large images of people with 1974 hair and clothing styles. I’m inured to the stuff, but those born in later eras may get a bit of a shock.)
Posted by Andrea Harris, Administrator on 2007 07 15 at 08:28 PM • permalinkOf the production vehicles, the Torino looks great with the long swept bonnet ... the Bat Mobile appears to have been inspired by the SR-71 Blackbird, the first stealth plane.
In the 1970’s, I had a white 1970 Chevrolet Monte Carlo, 400 cu engine, mag tires, Kragar wheels. I’d probably beat anyone here (in your hybrid cars).
Posted by wronwright on 2007 07 15 at 09:42 PM • permalinkOther interesting cars that didn’t make it:
Steed’s 3 liter Bentley from The Avengers.
The Saint’s P.1800 Volvo.
Smokey and the Bandit’s scream’n chick’n Trans Am.
Frank Bullit’s Ford Mustang 390GT.
Etc.
Posted by Bruce Rheinstein on 2007 07 15 at 09:46 PM • permalinkOf those reviewed, I gotta go with Mel’s Interceptor. The Dukes only outran the hapless Boss Hogg…Mel had to take on the freakin’ Humongous, fercrissakes.
My submission: The Green Hornet’s Black Beauty
Posted by Jeffersonian on 2007 07 15 at 09:57 PM • permalink#44 Bruce Rheinstein
How about Maxwell Smart’s Sunbeam Tiger?
Posted by Spiny Norman on 2007 07 15 at 11:33 PM • permalinkBah!
An SUV with a more subtle accessory fit. For those days when other measures seem less appropriate.Cheers
Posted by J.M. Heinrichs on 2007 07 15 at 11:34 PM • permalinkWell now, somebody doesn’t like hotlinking…
Posted by Spiny Norman on 2007 07 15 at 11:56 PM • permalinkWhy thank you, Pete! (Somebody call the police, I think it’s a forgery.) And who can forget the Family Truckster?
Posted by dean martin on 2007 07 16 at 01:47 AM • permalinkits hard to take any car with a 3 speed automatic seriously no matter what the paint job. What is it with the US and auto transmissions?
Posted by Astonished on 2007 07 16 at 05:36 AM • permalink#58, Astonished:
What’s the matter? Can’t keep up with the current news? We Americans are all fat, lazy and stupid.
A clutch is too much bother. 4 speed trans are too complicated. We cant deal with shifting because our arms barely reach around our stomachs to reach the steering wheels.
It has to be true. All the best euros say so.
#60, entropy:
Your post has me concerned. You say that the vehicle in the Australian documentary series “Mad Max” was faked out to look like a supercharged car?
If that is true, what else was faked in that series? What about Australia could possibly be true? If you’ll fake a car, you’ll fake anything.
#48. How about Maxwell Smart’s Sunbeam Tiger?
Now that was a cool car!
And, of course, Steve Urkle drove a BMW…
Posted by Bruce Rheinstein on 2007 07 16 at 12:08 PM • permalinkHow could those lumps of rust compare with the XB Coupe?
Fake supercharger? In MM it was real, because you see Max engage it several times. Perhaps the fakeness was the reason that the reviewer said there was no low end power….
Which is a load of crap anyway. The 351 Cleveland (as opposed to the Windsor) was an absolute BEAST, with high-torque power all through the range.
You know what? If I had a blow-up doll of Jennnifer Hawkins, you can bet that it wouldn’t be as good as the real Jennifer Hawkins.
So this so-called review article is totally bogus.
[Harrumph]
Posted by Apparatchik on 2007 07 17 at 09:44 PM • permalink
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The lost of the beeg V-8 Inteceptus. Be a shame to blow et ap.
Eh, my money was on the General Lee.
Them Dukes, them Dukes, gyua, gyua…