Friday, January 18, 2013

Top Six: Superhero Cars


GREEN HORNET
Originally a superhero for radio in the 1930s, the Green Hornet truly came into his own from the 1940s onwards when he was immortalised in film, comic books and a TV series. His car, dubbed Black Beauty, could not be found in any showroom but what's not to like about a car with "infra-green" headlights, 16 front rockets, 20 rear rockets, gas gun and mortar? The car is set to appear on the silver screen again next year with a new Green Hornet movie starring Seth Rogen in the title role.

Known to her mother as Rebecca, the British comic character came to life in the cinema in 1995 with Lori Petty in the title role. With her best friend Jet Girl, Tank Girl brazenly steals a ludicrously modified military machine in their quest to fight Water and Power, an evil government corporation that is running the world, albeit a world that has become a wasteland. And what better vehicle for such a mission than a tank? Tank Girl's theme song was Army of Me as sung by Björk.
Merely building a motorbike in a workshop was not enough for Ghost Rider aka Jonathan Blaze. Plausibly, he modified his bike using his demonic powers to create a machine that not only had plenty of horsepower but would also burn as he rode it. At first, his powers meant he could only ride his fiery steed at night but after a few months, Jonathan would transform into Ghost Rider whenever he sensed evil in his vicinity. This might sound like a cool power to have but it led to him becoming a tortured soul.
Before Robert Downey Jr hit the screens as Iron Man, the character had a smaller following. But with the 2008 movie, not only did Iron Man, the alter ego of wealthy industrialist Tony Stark, come to life but his Audi R8 became one of the most coveted sportscars around. The canny product placement continued with Iron Man 2 with the V10 Spyder being added to the superhero's garage. The garage also contains such cars as a Tesla Roadster and a 1967 Shelby Cobra.
Condorman, as his name suggests, is a superhero based on the bird of prey. While it is all well and good to be able to fly, Condorman is helped in his quest to find the stunning Natalia, an escaped female Soviet agent, with the help of a wicked set of wheels. Naturally, the CIA paid for this avian-inspired vehicle. In eye-catching yellow with fabulous brown wings, the Condormobile was actually a Nova Sterling, a British kit car. Its standout feature is a canopy roof/door that lifts upwards when opened.

BATMAN
The Batmobile was designed around a 1955 Lincoln Futura concept car. The car was first seen in the Chicago Auto Show in 1955, where it was painted pearlescent white. It had been built by hand in Turin, Italy to the tune of $250,000. It made its film debut in the 1959 feature, “It Started with a Kiss”. Dean Jeffries was originally hired to build the Batmobile, but when production moved up by a number of weeks, he was unable to complete the job. George Barris agreed to make it, but with only three weeks in which to complete the job, he decided to outfit a car that was already in his shop, and which he thought might become a hit in Hollywood. He designed the Batmobile around the Lincoln Futura that had been sitting in his shop for years, and the legend was born. Unfortunately, the car was plagued with issues during initial filming, and production ended up replacing much of the engine and transmission with Ford Galaxie parts, but the overall design remained. The car George Barris bought for $1.00 is now worth closer to $2 million. If you have that kind of cash kicking around, a little bit of Bat history can be yours.

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