Pretty much every college student has taken a road trip some where. I was guilty of taking a few myself. But I can't say I jumped a car over a bridge like the guys in the movie Road Trip. A movie about four guys on a quest to drive half away across the country to prevent one of their girlfriends from seeing a explicit video tape. Along the way they're dealt a series of wild challenges and obstacles. The crew talk one of their nerdy friends, Kyle Edwards into borrowing their car (a 1991 Ford Taurus) for the 1800 mile trip from Ithaca, New York to Austin, Texas.
Things go wrong fairly early in the journey. They start off taking shortcuts that lead them to a bridge that's out of commission. Faced with the choice of either turning back and losing valuable time or going Dukes of Hazard style over the short gap in the bridge. As you can imagine the group chooses the later. Working out the physics of the car jump they predict they can clear the gap by approaching the bridge at 60 miles an hour. Nervous car owner Kyle reluctantly gets climbs into the backseat and puts on a crash helmet.
They back the car up and take off down the dirt road leading up to the bridge. They all brace for impact and the car hits the bridge. Like pure movie magic they clear the bridge and come to a hard landing. The grill and front bumper shatters on contact. They're all celebrating until all four wheels fall off and the air bag deploys. Thinking they've met the worst of the incident the car bursts into flame destroying the car and their stuff. Awesome!
Of course now they've gotta figure out what to do next. But we'll let that be for now. Don't wanta ruin the story for ya. But what about some of serious goofs we're seeing here? Could a 1991 Ford Taurus really jump a bridge? I'm sure the SHO package would help drastically! Well I guess you can jump anything that far with the right kinda power and if you hit it right. I did a little bit of research and I found a interesting article where someone talks about the physics behind the jump. Pretty interesting stuff. But the goof that stuck out the most to me was the misrepresentation of the actual weight of the car.
A 1991 Ford Taurus curb weight is roughly 3100 pounds. Sorry guys 1500 pounds is more like a sport car. Another site notes that the front wheels lift up unnaturally during the jump. I haven't been able to find any technical information about the jump yet. But I'm fairly sure this feat was pure movie magic. But none the less if it wasn't, I wouldn't be surprised if the car didn't end up like the one in the movie. But I felt this jump is worth mention. Road Trip is and always will be one of my favorite college movies. Till next time, don't go sending out video tapes that you wouldn't want anyone else seeing!
Wouldn't you like to own a tv/movie car? How about a car used in actual hollywood production? With luck you may be able to find one on eBay. This week's eBay find is a 1970 Dodge Challenger used in the movie The Bucket List. A movie about two older guys who have little time to waste. The guys met while in the hospital. Where they're given the bad news that they have little time left on earth. Together they decide to share their wealth and do all the things they've always dreamed of. One of those things on the list was drive race cars. This is where this sweet Challenger pops onto the scene.
According to the auction information this car was used in more than just The Bucket List. It was also used in an episode of the hit show NCIS. Not to mention a role in the 2010 movie The Runaways. An exciting career for a single car isn't it? Not to mention the mileage is only a little over 60,000 on the clock. Picture Car Warehouse has provided a Certificate of Authenticity and back that it's real. All looks good here. However it doesn't pack the muscle it advertises on the hood. Sorry there isn't 426 Hemi under there. But at least the seller is up front and honest about it. But what you do see is a reasonable powered 318 Mopar V8. All in all it looks like a clean car.
You can see more about this car on eBay. So what do you think about this post? Is eBay Finds a great idea for a new segment on our blog? Let us know what you think in the comments. Till next time, live like there is no tomorrow!
Looking for a great way to spend the weekend? Let me correct myself. Car nuts are you looking for a great way to spend the weekend? This weekend Barrett Jackson fires up it's auction floor in Las Vegas! The famous auction company will put on their annual charity auto auction event Sept. 23th - 25th.
After looking through the line up, I've spotted a few interesting rides for our community. None claim to be tv/movie cars. But there are several clones and special edition cars of interest. Including two 1981 Delorean DMC-12s, one with an after-market turbo conversion. Several Bandit Edition Trans Ams. Not to mention one Trans Am with the Year One package. A replica of the famous 1957 Chevrolet 150 "Black Widow" NASCAR Sedan will be auctioned at no reserve. If you're looking for something to do while watching, Revell produced a great model kit of the Black Widow not long ago.
Granted once your car has been on Barrett Jackson isn't it an On Screen Car? It would be an honor to own anything that's been driven across that auction floor. Now just because you can't be there. Doesn't mean you can't watch it on tv. Not to mention they now on live streaming of the shows (also on Speed Online). Going once, going twice... I'm outta here.
In the world of pawn, everything has it's price. Especially items of extremely rare proportions. During one episode of History Channel's Pawn Stars, owner Rick Harrison got a rare opportunity to buy one of the baddest collector sports cars ever built. The rare Shelby Cobra. Only problem is it wasn't complete. But does that mean it's still not worth something? Hardly. In Rick's case he was presented with an aluminum body shell. Even in rough shape an original aluminum body shell can bring a pretty penny. The owner obtained the body and frame while clearing some items out of storage rental on a contract. In other words, he was paid to haul it off. Not a bad gig if you ask me. But is it real?
That's a question left to experts. There are a lot of known continuation and replica cars out there. The show had an expert come on and explain how to tell. One way to tell is of course the serial number. All real Shelby Cobra's left the product plant with a serial number starting with "CSX". The expert on the show found the CSX serial number on the frame. Shelby serials are stored in a master database/registry that contains known details about each authenticated car. Once the car on the show was authenticated as being real a deal was made. After a few offers a price of $30,000 was agreed on. Quite a steal for the pawn shop. The expert felt the retail condition of the body/frame was at least $60,000. But if you've seen the show, you understand that a pawn shop must be able to turn a profit. Just because something is worth something doesn't mean it will be bought for the price it's worth. It's just business. But hey, what's the tow truck driver out? Notta!
The car was left with a team to be restored. Over the course of a few weeks (with the magic of hollywood) the car was built from the ground up. Looking to maintain maximum profit margins, the restoration crew cut a few corners. For starters they used "simulated leather" in place of real leather sets. Personally I wouldn't have made this move. Nothing like the real thing. Next they used a carburetor induction system instead of fuel injected. No harm here. A lot of the original cars used carbs. After restoration was complete. The Pawn Stars crew met at a local track to test it out. The old man made a lap at a extremely slow pace. Next was the son's turn. The credits roll.
I have a few concerns about the final product. It just doesn't seem like the body/frame that was bought in the beginning of the show. Some folks point out that if you look closely the finished car looks like a fiberglass kit car. Could this be a different car? Possibility. Thousands of these kit cars have been built. Another interesting fact. If you look closely near the end of the episode you can catch Carrol Shelby's signature on the dash. Did they have time to have 'da man' himself sign it? Why not mention this fact? It only makes the car worth a little more. But none the less it's still a very cool car. I would love to own even just a replica car. It would be too much fun to own. I remember as a kid owning a 1/18 die-cast replica below. Some where I'm sure I still have it. If ya haven't watched Pawn Stars yet, see our Amazon Ad to the left. Totally worth it! See ya next time.
Classic Detroit muscle has always been a great fit for superheros. The Green Hornet is no exception. Black Beauty is an awesome name for a car of such caliber, a 1965 Chrysler Imperial. Also known as the top of the Chrysler line. Elwood Engel the same guy that brought us the 1961 Lincoln Continental, designed this generation Imperial. The lines are straight and long as with most cars of the time. As you can see Black Beauty earns it's name. The car is nearly completely black. You might miss the Green Hornet's green headlights. But you won't miss the sound of a Big Block Chevrolet...
What? No Mopar? That's right folks. Reports show that the movie cars were powered by Chevrolet engines. I'm sure they'll dub over the engine sounds with the factory 440 and 413 V8 these monsters came with. Most of the On Screen Cars were modified with full roll cages. Some were beefed up to take side impact. Your template movie car on the inside. Guns? Oh yea. Two large guns as well as missile launchers. I think actor Seth Rogen will have plenty of fun with those. I have to say though the weapons array reminds me of Triple X.
So who's the designer? Sources say Sony Pictures put the screen cars together. I would have thought George Barris (the creator of the car in the original '60s TV series). ButYou can hear the display staff at Comic Con video confirm it isn't. None the less an amazing retro re-creation of a Dean Jeffries* design. Don't forget to watch the trailer (below). I'll be putting it on my list to watch. Catch ya next time!
* Correction from http://www.theblackbeauty.com, Dean Jeffries did the original design of Black Beauty on the TV series.
