Hollywood Hot Wheels: Round 05

[Neon Ignition]

WELCOME TO:

HOLLYWOOD HOT WHEELS: ROUND 05


Fifth gear on our race through the history of the industries most recognisable vehicles covering all manners of iconic designs from film, tv and gaming, their history and what you think of them.

Each round will see three vehicles lined up for the showcase. Unlike the voting conducted in the other threads, here things are more cutthroat.

You each can only vote for a single design in each round, casting the other two to the scrapheap of Hollywood history.
Make your choice then tell us why you like or don't like each vehicle and why you voted for the one you did.


VEHICLE 013 - Condormobile

When a comic book writer creates his own superhero suit, he is hired by the CIA and naturally needs his own car. The Condormobile was created from adapting a Nova Sterline and featured a rear booster along with the ability to inflate around the edges to ride on water. Detectives may be better than I am though as I couldn't tell you the fate of the car today.

Does this 80's effort soar for you?

->Open Spoiler<-

VEHICLE 014 - Munster Koach


The car is so unique that only a single one was constructed for the show and its film. Made by combining three Model T's, a total of three now exist. One is an unauthorised reproduction, the second an authorised one whilst the original car still exists but requires restoration.

Your pick or does the idea of this one scare you?

->Open Spoiler<-

VEHICLE 015 - Corvette Summer


Mark Hamills other sweet big screen ride, from Corvette Summer. Road tripping with a prostitute, the film wasn't a hit and the car divided fans but its distinct striking looks kept it surviving the film and passing from collector to collector in the subsequent years.

Is the summer Force with this one?


Which is the ultimate Hollywood Hot Wheel?

[Atticus]

The Munster-rod ... it's practical too

[Dogg Thang]

I’m impressed you’ve found 15 vehicles without getting to the one that will obviously win this (you all know it!). The research is impressive! I’ve never seen that Corvette Summer car before. I like it.

[Neon Ignition]

We haven't even touched the sides, it says a lot that when it comes to normal pop culture only 6-8 really get commonly shown but there's a sea of interesting designs that have more quietly survived

[QualityChimp]

I absolutely LOVE the Condormobile.

Condorman is currently unavailable to stream anywhere.
It was on Prime a few years back, but left when Disney+ launched, but it's not moved to there either.

We have to talk about how amazing this sequence is:


Woody (Michael Crawford) aka Condorman, is helping Natalia (Barbara Carrera) defect from Russia.
Disguised as gypsies in an old caravan, they start their escape, but they are caught up by Russian agents in a fleet of sleek black Porsches, lead by the ruthless Krokov (Oliver Reed).

Knowing they can't outrun them in their old jalopy, Woody presses a secret switch the duo descend into a cockpit that bathes them in green light from the array of technology that the caravan disguised.

With a press of a button, the CONDORMOBILE is launched!

However, the agents aren't outsmarted yet and a deadly game of cat and mouse ensues, with Woody using every trick in the car's arsenal to outrun the agents:


Only a transformation into a boat can finally allow them to make their escape.

So, yeah, it borrows liberally from The Spy Who Loved Me and maybe Spy Hunter, but as a kid, that sequence blew my mind!

I used to have a yellow Hot Wheels car that looked remotely like it and I used to make a plasticine caravan to disguise it:



The sequence is really well done, blending animation effects like the laser cannons and turbo boost jets with real-world stuns.

The stunt driving is top-notch with cars jumping, driving down steep slopes, driving in formations, racing through narrow lanes and doing a handbrake turn on a tiny jetty.

I don't know if anyone else caught the live show at Disney in the studio park, called "Lights, Motors, Action!", but there's a sequence where one red car is battling against several black cars and I couldn't help but notice the similarity.
There's an excellent sequence where the hero's red car drives around the back of the set, emerges again doing a 360 spin and driving perfectly backwards. It's then revealed it's a trick car with the body turned backwards!



The car is a Nova Sterling, which still looks amazing and is based on a kit-car that uses a VW Beetle engine, but I'm lead to believe that there were about 9 cars for filming and the main one had a Porsche engine in it.



However, its futuristic and sleek look was used in other films, including Death Race 2000 and Cannonball Run II:

It was also featured in the excellent Toy Story Short, "Small Fry" where Buzz is lost in a ball pond and joins a support group for lost toys that were included with happy meals over the years and I did a total DiCaprio snap when my long-forgotten hero finally made a return to the screen!

[beecee]

Condormobile.

Loved this film, remember seeing this at the pictures, double feature with watcher in the woods.