Published: June 21, 2017, 4:30 AM
Updated: November 21, 2021, 3:10 PM
Designing a new Batmobile
Thanks to recent big-bucks spending on product placement in film, we may never again see vehicles made specifically for a movie. Still, some props require special attention and big film budgets have in the past resulted in the creation of some truly unique vehicles.
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The Batmobile
Although not as iconic as the TV-series Batmobile made by George Barris, the 6,622-mm long Batmobile created by Anton Furst for Tim Burton’s Caped Crusader made up for it with an imposing presence, impressive (virtual) performance and some nifty gadgets that took it far beyond the Chevrolet Impala from which it was created.
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Chevrolet Impala
The sixth-generation Impala was downsized from its predecessor, though it still came in at over five metres in length (5,387 mm). Power came from a 3.8-litre V-6, with optional power coming from 4.4-litre or 5.0-litre V-8s, and in some years 5.7-litre V-8s using gasoline or diesel.
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EM-50 Urban Assault Vehicle
Speaking of George Barris, he was also responsible for the motorhome-turned-tank in the 1981 Bill Murray romp Stripes. The EM-50 is a military vehicle done up to allow spies to operate deep behind enemy lines in the guise of a family vacation vehicle. It’s an armour-enhanced motorhome tricked out with machine guns, rocket launchers, flame throwers and then-military-surveillance (but now common-consumer) systems such as GPS, satellite link-ups, etc.
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GMC Motorhome
Believed to be a 1976 Palm Beach model, nobody can really pinpoint the exact year of the GMC Motorhome from which the EM-50 was created because the production-line vehicles were only built between 1973 and 1978, by GM’s Truck & Coach Division as a fully-finished vehicle (rather than conversions of other manufacturers on various truck chasses). The front-wheel drive vehicles used Oldsmobile 7.5-litre or 6.6-litre V-8s and 3-speed automatics. (Credit: Wikimedia Commons/Mic)
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Wagon Queen Family Truckster
As the TV Batmobile was Barris’ signature creation, surely the film equal has to be the wagon bought by Clark Griswold to take his family on a driving vacation from Chicago to California’s fictional Walley World theme park. Barris reportedly wanted to make a ridiculously-tacky station wagon with over-the top styling such as wood panelling, excessive lighting, fully-covered grille, large chrome hubcaps with huge crown logo, and a hard to find fuel-tank flap.
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Ford LTD Country Squire
The seventh generation of Ford’s family vehicles was the last of the Big 3 to be downsized, though it retained its 8-passenger capability and only slightly-reduced cargo carrying capacity, despite a reduction in overall length of almost a foot (which is the type of counter-productive design that made the hulking Wagon Queen derivation such a great satirical statement). Power came from Windsor-built 4.9-litre and 5.8-litre V-8s.
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Tartan Prancer
As with the original Vacation’s Wagon Queen Family Truckster, the Vacation remake/sequel’s family wagon is meant to ridicule today’s obsession with onboard technology and alternative fuels. The “Honda of Albania” is a mash-up of minivan and crossover, with push-me/pull-me styling that features Land Rover headlights front and rear, forward facing mirrors on the rear fenders, suicide rear doors, exterior door-handle cupholders, ambiguous labelling for the myriad instrument panel buttons, and tri-fuel capability (gasoline, diesel and electricity).
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Toyota Previa
Although it’s difficult to find out exactly what the Prancer started out as, it’s generally accepted from B-pillar, front quarter windows and roofline, that it was likely a Toyota Previa minivan. Plus, the initials match. Previa was considered quirky when it was launched in 1990, what with its mid-ship 4-cylinder engine mounted under the front seats powering the rear or all four wheels through 4-speed auto or 5-speed manual gearbox, and an accessory driveshaft running things such as the air-conditioning, radiator fan, alternator and power steering under the hood.
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Pursuit Special
The Last of the V-8 Interceptors was borrowed by “Mad” Max Rockatansky to exact revenge on the motorcycle gang that ran down his wife and child. It was designed by John Dowding and created by Melbourne’s Graf-X International from a 1973 Ford Falcon XB GT Hardtop. It’s chock full of interesting features, such as eight side pipes, but is most famous for the protruding supercharger that could be switched on and off as needed for power or to save fuel.
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Ford Falcon XB GT Hardtop
Bearing a visual likeness to the big Mustang fastbacks of the early 1970s, the full-sized XB Falcon coupe was produced in Australia for only four years (1973-76). The GT used a 5.8-litre V-8 and is best known in real life for its exploits on the racetrack, counting Australian touring car sprint and endurance victories at the hands of Canadian-born Allan Moffat. (Credit: Wikimedia Commons/Sicnag)
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Captain America
Wyatt’s bike in Easy Rider is arguably the most instantly recognizable “chopper” ever. The hardtail Captain America, so nicknamed for its Stars-and-Stripes fuel tank, was designed and created for the film by bike builders Cliff Vaughs and Ben Hardy, from a 1952 police Hydra-Glide cruiser purchased at auction by the film’s star and writer Peter Fonda. The only piece retained was the Harley-Davidson Panhead engine. (Credit: Wikimedia Commons/Silosarg)
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Harley-Davidson FL
Introduced in 1941, the large-frame FL received its first major change in 1948 when it was fitted with the panhead engine. A year later, it received hydraulically damped telescopic forks, in the process acquiring the Hydra-Glide moniker for marketing purposes. The 1952 model is also known as the first to be offered with the hand-clutch/foot-shift transmission that would become standard motorcycle fare.
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Wet Nellie
When producers of the James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me wanted an exclusive car, they called on the Lotus Esprit. However, it was required to go submarining in the film’s prolonged chase scene, and that’s where Perry Oceanographic (no, not Q!) came in to create a submarine that resembled the Esprit. Though the original Esprit was not converted to go under water, the underwater craft is currently owned by Elon Musk, who hopes to use the Tesla electric drive to make it a functional road car that can function as a submarine when called upon to do so.
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Lotus Esprit
Created in 1976 as the successor to the Europa, the lightweight Esprit S1 (for Series 1) was powered by Lotus’ 2.0-litre 4-cylinder engine that made 140 hp in North America (due to emissions restrictions, as opposed to the 160 hp it made in Europe). Panned for its lack of power, it was conversely praised for its handling and looks, featuring design cues borrowed from other cars (most notably, taillights from the Fiat X1/9).
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Black Beauty
When Seth Rogen went about bringing The Green Hornet to the screen, he tried to stay as close to the TV series as possible, keeping in mind that modern technology would afford so many improvements. One of those items carried over was the Imperial-based Black Beauty (though with a few modern weapons), with a reported 26 Imperial Crowns from model years 1964-66 used and subsequently wrecked during filming, with only two surviving. (Credit: Wikimedia Commons/Nigellegend)
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Imperial Crown
1964 marked the first year that Chrysler’s upscale Imperial was designed completely by Elwood Engel, who at the time had just designed the latest Lincoln Continental for Ford. The model years between 1964 and 1966 were marked by changes in the car’s exterior looks (most notably grille and headlamps). Depending on model year, power was supplied by either a 6.8-litre V-8 or a 7.2 V-8. (Credit: Wikimedia Commons/Herranderssvensson)
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Mach Five
The Mach cars were driven by Go Mifune in the Speed Racer anime series. By the time a live-action film was made, Speed Racer had become the name of the protagonist and the Mach Five has become basically an everyday driver (later adapted for racing), with the Mach 6 the race car with which Speed wins the film’s climatic race. Of note is that the car was not actually driven in the film but was suspended from a crane with its effects computer generated. (Credit: Wikimedia Commons/Doczilla)
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C4 Corvette
Although the film Mach Five was completely drivable, it wasn’t driven on screen. But that hasn’t prevented the development of several tribute Mach Fives customized from various Corvettes, most notably fourth or fifth generation cars. The C4 Corvette of 1984 was the first completely redesigned Corvette since the C2 of 1963. Notable features included moulded plastic rear bumper and body panels (as opposed to previous generations’ fibreglass), and the replacement of the front springs with a fibreglass monoleaf spring that aided handling while reducing weight.
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Buckaroo Banzai Jet Car
Buckaroo Banzai is a neurosurgeon, ultra-performance car designer and driver, rock star and particle physicist who has perfected a method of moving through solid matter. He tests out his oscillation overthruster in a jet car he designed and built, so the prop designers wanted it to look like something put together by an “amateur” from existing components, rather than some sleek concept using futuristic materials. The jet car is built from a heavy duty Ford pickup with a single seat cabin and the necessary jet components packed into the truck’s bed. It is reportedly capable of 3,000-plus lbs’ of thrust and able to hit top speeds of 322 km/h.
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Ford F-Series
Nobody’s really sure of the vintage of the F-350 used in the film, but judging from the headlight and grille treatments, it’s a good guess that it’s the seventh generation truck that looked a lot like the sixth-gen but had a blue oval in the centre of the grille. Engine choices in the early-’80s included a 120-hp 4.9-litre straight-6, up to a 245-hp 7.5-litre V-8. They came in gasoline or diesel powertrains.
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