ATTENTION GETTERS

Nothing gets more attention than a badass car, it's almost like the car defines the driver for a split second. There is nothing more badass than a cool movie car. No vintage movie car owner drives their prized possession on a daily basis but when they do it is a something to behold. I love movie cars because they serve as that part of the movie that actually makes you forget all the things you hate about said movie or makes you focus on what you love. There is something to be said for how those cars transferred into television in some cases actually becoming the centerpiece of the show.

One horrible movie whose car became the only bright point was a film known as Corvette Summer. This particular film was released in 1978 and it really centered around some punk kid's infatuation with a Corvette he put his heart and soul into building in a high school class. The kid also becomes tasked with the life of a prostitute designed to be his loving interest. The movie was shit and pretty much stood out because of the mechanical co- star.

Enter Batman's set of wheels into the equation and you have one hell of party. The Batmobile is the essential badass movie car and it stands alone. There has yet to be one single Batmobile, except for maybe George Clooney's metrosexual one, that did not kick ass in a major way. From the original souped up 1955 Lincoln Futura, all the way to the ones designed for the series, the Batmobile is the ultimate fantasy car, attention getter, TV vehicle and movie car. How can you go wrong with a car that has turbines, rockets, parachutes and occasionally  doubles as a plane or cycle?

The Cooper Minis in the original Italian Job were something else. The Minis in that film were an integral part of the movie that helped establish the timeless and rarely altered design of the Mini. While the film itself kind of gives a big fuck you to the viewer with the irresolute ending, the cars became reason enough to make it again with an even cooler Mini scene.

One particularly memorable car was the Lamborghini Countach from the series Automan. Automan was a series widely considered the Tron of TV without as much attempted depth. The car itself was outfitted in such a manner that it actually looked like it was computer generated. While the series was not such a hit, lasting one season, the vehicles were an integral part of the series that really made up for the lack of interesting dialogue. 

I call this entry attention getters because that's exactly what those vehicles were. No matter how complex the story, how simple, how campy, all those vehicles made for essential props that would draw us in and create a story all their own. Often times we were busy wondering what would happen to the car and not so worried about the star. As long as there is that effort into visuals there is always a good chance for some decent entertainment.