Are you an All-Star? We know you are! This week we're saluting the car loaded music video "All Star" by Smash Mouth. So you get your game on! This music video came out in 1999 and is based on the B movie Mystery Men. Don't worry, I didn't remember that movie either. But apparently it had a good cast. Was it just too cheesy? Who knows. But anyways, without the movie we wouldn't have this beloved video. So on to the cars.
One of the major stars of All Star is this 1979 Corvette Custom Limo. Digging through blog archives over on Corvette Blogger, I managed to find a few details about the car. Apparently it's a custom build from Cinema Vehicle Services for the movie and later the video. Yes, the same folks who build Eleanor! One of the things I love about this car is the paint scheme. It's the same paint scheme featured on the 1978 Indy Pace cars. According to the post, it was built from a stock 1979 Corvette that was stretched to 23 feet long! Can you imagine driving around in this thing? The article later mentions it being sold on eBay. I haven't been able to find much else about it. Other than this post over on Bang Shift. I can hear Adam Sandler walking up to this thing and saying "Woah.. must be Burt Reynolds or something.."
Believe it or not, this is the villain car of the movie and music video! But what about our heroes? Well they get a 1959 Rambler Rebel Cross Country Custom. The Mystery Men pile in it and later pop out for a fight scene. There's some debate over on IMCDB as to what exactly the car is. I think it could be just a dagwood of a car put together from pieces. It's Hollywood, we can do anything we want right? One interesting note about this classic is, like a lot of classics. They only made this body style two years, 1958 and 1959. You can learn more Rambler Rebel Cross Country over on Hemmings.
This next ride, I honestly don't know much about. It looks straight up out of the 70's. A time when the custom trikes were all the rage. But I thought it was worth a mention. That's the wrap for this post. Check out full video below! Till next time, the articles start coming and they don't stop coming (hopefully). See ya!
It's been a while since we've posted a music video. I thought I would share one of my favorite country videos of all time. Drive by Alan Jackson talks about sharing memories of growing up. I believe Alan wrote this song in dedication for this father Gene who passed way in 2000 and his three daughters. But why are we talking about this on On Screen Cars? Well there are some on screen cars of course! Mid-way through the video you'll see Alan talk about driving his dad's 1964 Ford F-100.
In the song Alan describes the pickup as being a handy-down from his uncle. As the story goes. Alan's uncle bought it new in 1964. It's unclear when his dad acquired the truck. But never the less it needed some work (burnt valves, dent in the door). Just as in the song the video shows a young boy and his dad driving down a dirt road called Thigpen Rd(Google Maps). The song talks about it being a three-speed on a column model. Which wasn't uncommon for the time. From my research I would say the truck had a straight six engine (223 or 262). The 292 V8 was avaliable for 64' but I couldn't imagine the 3-speed being super popular with a V8.
"Just an old half ton short bed ford
My Uncle bought new in 64
Daddy got it right cause the engine was smoking
A couple of burnt valves and he had it going
He'd let me drive her when we haul off a load
Down a dirt strip where we'd dump trash off of Thigpen Road
I'd sit up in the seat and stretch my feet out to the pedels
Smiling like a hero who just received his medal.."
Gotta love the last line of that verse! Pretty much the way I felt the first time my dad let me drive is 1987 Ford Bronco. Speaking of Broncos. There's also a 1977 Ford Bronco in this video. The song makes reference to him and his daughters riding around in a "Jeep." I believe the term was meant to be used loosely. Jeep of course is a brand name. But like anything else the name gets thrown around for everything with a removeable top and four-wheel drive.
I believe this first-generation Bronco is part of Allen Jackson's personal collection. Which wouldn't surprise me. Allen Jackson was a former mechanic and long-time gearhead. Just another reason to like Allen Jackson! If u notice in the video he's got it decked out pretty good. The top is off, roll bar installed. The doors are off. The windshield folded down. Just all kinds of win! Well that's all for now. Watch the video and let us know what you think in the comments! We'll be back with more On Screen Cars! Sorry for the absence!
Katy Perry and On Screen Car fans, heads up on her latest video "The One That Got Away" now on YouTube. The song talks about an older lady looking back on a young love she lost in the past. She was once happy and evolved with this young artist and things were going great. Things take a turn for the worst and she loses him in a car crash following a fight. The lady is very well off and knows no matter what she does she's can't bring him back. The song itself mentions a Mustang. This is where On Screen Cars.com comes in.
Summer after high school when we first met
We make out in your Mustang to Radiohead
And on my 18th Birthday
We got matching tattoos...
The video in addition to the lovely Katy Perry there's a Mustang sighting or two. If you watch the video closely you'll see two different Mustangs. The one shown the most is a 1966 model with 289 badges. The second is a 1967 - 1968 model (an email from our friend Jim confirms it's a 1968 model). Both are black and appear very similar. However they are not the same. One of the dead give-aways is the longer nose and different wheels. The first Mustang has factory wheels while the second has aftermarket American Racing Torq Thrust D wheels (Jim points out these are US MAG wheels). I can't give credit on identifying these vehicles on my own. I'm not a Mustang expert. But a great article on spotting the differences on early Mustangs is on About.com (great read). I have the video embedded below. Till next time keep your love in check and don't let them be .."The One That Got Away."
Nov. 12th 2011
After posting this article I got an exciting email from Jim Foster. Jim is the president of the Valley Mustang Club. He is also the owner the second Mustang used in the video! Jim shared with me the background of his car which he named "DABEAST". Jim said he was contacted by a prop company specializing in cars, called Mr Vintage Machine. The prop company was contracted by the producers to find a Mustang to use in the production. Mr. Vintage contacted Jim as the president of the Valley Mustang Club and Jim offered his car for the production. Believe it or not but this Mustang has it's original 289 V8 with over 500k miles on it! You can read the full story over at the car's profile page over at motortopia.com. Thanks for all your help Jim.
You couldn't watch MTV during the 80's without seeing ZZ Top's Gimme All Your Lovin' video. It just didn't happen. ZZ Top had a ton of hits. Not mention a sweet 1933 Ford Coupe nicknamed 'The Eliminator'. Inspired by the Ford Coupe in the hit movie, The California Kid, Billy Gibbons contacted the owner Pete Chapouris. They began a long process that would lead up to the finished product.
They turned to Don Thelen, a car builder for Buffalo Motor Cars in Paramount California. The base car was acquired from a lady in Tucson Arizona, she had been the car's only owner. The car was in perfect condition. The crew focused on style and dependability. The roof was chopped three inches and a the car sits on a Pete and Jake's aftermarket chassis. 39' Ford taillights in the back and 34' headlights in the front. The car was outfitted with a mild Small Block Chevy 350 backed up by a Turbo 350 Transmission. The graphics were created by legendary car artist Kenny Youngblood.
As with most ZZ Top videos there is no short supply of girls. It seems like they followed a simple formula for musics videos. Show a hotrod, show some girls and play some music. I think it worked out pretty good. Most of the videos feature some guy getting hit on by a group of girls. Saved by the band as they hand him the keys to the ride.
Our star car was featured in 3 (Gimme All Your Lovin', Sharp Dressed Man and Legs) music videos before it was retired. However it's still rock'n at the Cleveland Rock'n Roll Hall of Fame. Don't let it fool ya. It got plenty of show time. So much show time that they had to build two of these cars to meet demands. The car also had many mini-clones too. Monogram Model Car company produced a 1/24 scale kit of the car complete with details and graphics. Hot Wheels also followed suite. Till next time give us all your lov'ns and tell your friends about OnScreenCars.com!
Can you believe our government wanted to tell us we could only drive 55 mph on the interstate? How could we get anywhere? Like Sammy Hagar, I can't drive 55! Nor do I think I could keep a Ferrari 512 BBi under 55. OnScreenCars.com is proud to present another great `80s car music video!
Inspiration
Sometimes inspiration comes from the strangest events. After a recent speeding ticket Sammy Hagar wrote this song about his speed limit frustrations. The incident happened while on a long drive from Albany, New York to Lake Placid. Sammy was on his way to meet up with his family at their cabin. He was caught in a speed trap. The cop ticketed him for doing 62 in a 55. As his took the ticket, Sammy looked at the cop and said "I can't drive 55." Viola the hit was born.
The Video
The video was shot to promote Sammy Hagar's album VOA (Voice of America). The video shows Sammy making some runs around the track in a Ferrari 512 BBi before meeting up with his real life mechanic, Claudio Zampolli. He then hits traffic on a busy road. As the song says "...too much traffic and I can't pass..." Classic! Sammy's band is picked up and thrown in jail and spends the rest of the video getting out.
The Car
The Ferrari BB (aka Berlinetta Boxer) was mid-engine car platform built by the company between 1973 and 1984. The horse in the video is one of 1,007 Ferrari 512 BBi built between 1981 and 1984. The 512 BBi is an improved version of the original 512 BB. The differences are the fog lamps, fuel injection system (hence the "i" in the name) and special tires from Michelin (TRX metric). 512 BBi is powered by a flat-12 engine that produces over 350 horsepower. Combined with a low weight configuration and design the BBi runs 0 - 60 in 5.4 seconds. To say 55 mph comes quick is an understatement.
Final Thoughts
The song may be timeless. But the clothing Sammy wears in the video may not be. I know I wouldn't be caught dead walking around looking like that. Oh well. It was the '80s. You can't say much. As for the car action, I give it a 10 outta 10. The song has been used in several films. Including Back to the Future II (alternative 1985 Biff's town center). You can also check out some of Sammy's others rides.Till next time. Stay out'a trouble. You can handle 65/70 mph a lot better than 55!
