You mean to tell me you built a Delorean, out of a hovercraft? I think those would be Marty McFly's words if he saw Matthew Riese's creation. Matt decided that flying cars won't be showing up anytime soon. So he took the plans for a popular hovercraft design and went a step further. The end result is a Delorean Hovercraft that carries two people on water (for now). A product of science fiction crashing into cold reality. By the way I think no actual Deloreans were destroyed during this production (in-case you were feeling a little uneasy).
According to Matt's Kickstarter project page the madness all started two years ago. He built a quick prototype then decided to move forward with the real deal. He would like to be able to use his creation on any surface. When completed it will be able to travel 45 miles an hour. Sorry no plans for a Flux Capacitor since the required speed cannot be meet. Looks like he met his goal of 5k for the project. For a $250 donation you would not only get a 30 minute ride, but a chance to drive!
The video above shows Matt in the water at McCovey Cove just outside baseball game at AT&T Park. Note the appropriate Marty McFly apparel (multicolor hat, jeans, etc). Not to mention that life preserver is required. It's a registered boat! I believe the video was recorded during a live game on TV. Note the game scores. That's all for now. Remember the future is what you make it. So make it a good one!
January 2021 Update
Matt did in fact get enough money from the Kickstarter to finish the project. A full scale working hovercraft can be seen in the clip below. The craft was later auctioned off in November of 2019 with a winning bid of $44,088. Just goes to show, dreams do come true.
Now for On Screen Car's Super Bowl 2011 Car Commercial Top Pick. The winner is: Miss Evelyn Chevrolet Camaro! Ok, we like a lot of the super bowl commercials this year. However they just were not as funny or clever as usual. But of the car commercials we liked this one the best. We felt it was the most original of the car commercials shown. It does leave you wondering a little bit. What does this have to do with the Super Bowl? Well it really doesn't.
It's just two guys talking about making a good car commercial. Choosing the car, the scene and the driver. Car chase, followed by the lady driving it off a building (a little odd). But all ends well. The driver turns out to be a teacher. All teachers should drive Camaros right? Throw in the specs for the SS model at the end. Leaving me with the words of Tim the Tool Man Taylor, araff araff araff (however ya spell it) more power!. Count'm 426 horses! There ya have it our pick of the bowl.
Not always, but usually where there is a car chase, there is a car jump. The Gone in Sixty Seconds bridge jump is no exception. The film comes to a climax as Memphis Rains nears his delivery deadline. After being chased through town by Castlebeck and the LAPD, Memphis is confronted with what looks like a dead end. A car crash on the Vincent Thomas Bridge.
Memphis stops for a second to look for a way out. Memphis will do anything to save his baby brother. Ahead he spots a roll-back tow vehicle with the bed down. Perfect! A jump ramp. He jumps back into Eleanor to back up and prepare for jump. Castle Beck pulls up from behind thinking he's got his mouse. Memphis floors the GT 500 and bangs through the gears. The camera shows several angles, including a speedo shot approaching 100 mph. Memphis flys through the air and clears the crash scene while scraping the top of an ambulance. Memphis lands with a swerve or two. But he quickly gains control. How did they do it?
The Magic
If I were Castlebeck, I would have given up at this point. Memphis seems to be nearly unstoppable. The jump is amazing. Granted there's a quite bit of movie magic going on. The whole jump staged in three pieces. But it's still some what believable (at heart). At least three Eleanors were used for this jump alone. Not to mention a Computer Generated Graphics (CGI) version as well. Two cars were completely destroyed. One was loss in the initial part of the jump on the ramp. The second was lost on a long jump during the landing. A third car was suspended by wires for the in-flight shots. The CGI car filled in the gaps. All of the stunts performed in the film were coordinated by Johnny Martin . Johnny also did stunt work in films Live Free Die Hard, The Italian Job, and The Matrix Reloaded.
Vincent Thomas Bridge - Scene Site
Final Thoughts
Even though the jump is some what fake. I totally enjoyed it. I think it deserves mention in our Famous Jumps section. It will live on in the hearts of movie car fans every where. Even if it's cheesy. I did find a great remake someone did in Grand Theif Auto IV on YouTube. Take a look at the clip below. Muztang2 did a great job of putting this together. By the way. A piece of trivia for ya. The Vincent Thomas Bridge was also used in the filming of the original Gone in Sixty Seconds. Your job is to find where and when in the film. Comment to us your best answer. Till next time. Keep your Mustangs on the ground! See ya next time at OnScreenCars.com
Great Scott! The 2010 Delorean Car Show is almost here! Great Scott! It's in Lexington, KY! We're excited to report that this year's DCS event will be held June 17th - June 20th at the Griffin Gate Marriott Resort and Spa. We're making plans to attend and give as much support as we can. Not to mention bring as much media coverage of the event as possible! This will be our first DCS event to date. But from our understanding, we're in for a treat.
The Delorean Car Show features a huge gathering of Deloreans from around the world. During the event, a private collection of Delorean Motor Company artifacts will be on display. Of course there will be a Back to the Future display. Rumors have been confirmed that Bob Gale, co-writer and producer of Back to the Future will be at the event. Other speakers include Kevin Pike & Andrew Probert of the Back to the Future production team. As you may know, Andrew was a major contributor to DeLorean time machine design. Kevin Pike was the Special Effects Supervisor for the films. I know I have only dreamed of meeting these gifted people. It will be an exciting time! You can find out more about the event on the Official Delorean Car Show site. See you in the future!
Not long ago LeftLaneNews.com did an article about the new 2011 BMW Isetta Concept. You may remember our earlier article about Steve's infamous love affair with not only Laura Winslow, but his not-so attractive funny looking BMW Isetta. Never the less Steve had car love bigger than the Volkswagen Beatle. After seeing the new concept, I had to ask "Would Steve Urkel Approve?" Let's look at the differences shall we?
The first striking feature is the fact the car has two doors. There is no large single door on the front. Granted I can understand. The single door on the front may not be the safest thing in the world. The wheel base appears a little longer. Nothing wrong with a little extra nerdy leg room. Engine? The new Isetta will feature a full zero emissions electric motor setup. On a single charge the car will be able to go a 100 miles. Gas and diesel engines will be optional later in life cycle. I guess Steve and Laura would have a hard time making that trip to Cincinnati from Chicago huh?
So would Steve Urkel approve? Given the "nerdy/tech" appeal of the car, I would think so. He'd be grin'n with his spenders all the way to the BMW dealership. Another chance for him to own a Isetta. If you recall, Steve's went over a cliff as he nearly escaped with his life. I wish him well! Got a nerdy car story for us? Let us know on our forums! Did I do that?
Vincent Thomas Bridge - Scene Site
