When we’re not writing about cars or driving them, we like to kick back with some popcorn and watch movies starring our favorite four-wheeled machines. In this section, get a jump on upcoming movies featuring one of our greatest loves: cars.
The next James Bond movie is set to be released in October 2012 and, as usual, Agent 007 - played once again by Daniel Craig - will drive some of the most amazing cars in the world. For the new movie, Bond will be dropping his usual Aston Martin models in favor of a Jaguar XJ-L.
This video shot by Shmee150 on the Skyfall set shows off the beautifully luxurious XJ-L, as well as a Range Rover Evoque that was also seen filming. And since the never-ending technology of the movie world is present, the Evoque plays the role of a driverless car. Don’t get too excited though, this is just a magic trick played by the camera. We’re going to have to wait a lot longer for the Evoque to shed the driver.
The plot for the upcoming James Bond/007 Skyfall is still being kept a secret, but we’ll discover it soon enough. Until then, stay tuned!
It all started with a group of alien robots ready to protect our Mother Earth from their evil counterparts, using vehicles such as the sculpted Chevrolet Camaro to adapt to our world. The Transformers franchise has come a long way, grossing billions of dollars in theaters, but the fourth installment may be a game changer for many.
Michael Bay, the director behind the first three movies, has announced on his website that he will return for the fourth film, but many of the main actors will not. Meghan Fox already jumped ship even before the third film, but it looks as though Shia LaBeouf is also out, and Josh Duhamel and Tyrese Gibson may also be headed for the door.
So, what does this mean for the Transformers franchise? Well, we’re thinking not much. The last two films were more about the Transformers and Decepticons battling it out in intense and loud battles than they were about an actual storyline. We’re thinking that as long as the action stays on point, and more hot cars are introduced into the mix, the Transformers franchise will do just fine.
The new Transformers movie will be in theaters on June 29th, 2014.
Do you remember the Acura Concept spied a while ago on the movie set for The Avengers? Well, If you do, you may be interested in knowing that this high speed roadster is priced at an amazing $9,198,000 and gets 234 mpg!
Movie website, Collider, was able to get up close and personal with the Acura star car and have provided pictures of all of its nifty features. For example, the concept is powered by a palladium-powered 80,000 TOHC 32-valve engine with titanium-forged block and nitrous fuel-injection system combined with a 9-Speed HYPER-Shift transmission. There aren’t any details on the engine’s output, but the concept can achieve 234 mpg in city traffic and 302 mpg on the highway. Now that’s efficiency!
The exterior of the concept shows off an underbody kit with an aero-dynamic spoiler lip and black-night painted-wheels with particle matter technology. Since this is a superhero movie car, it was also equipped with plenty of defensive systems like advanced radar-deflecting capabilities with wave modifier, a bullet and foreign element-proof clear coat, and metal skin and bulletproof hyper-traction tires.
Wouldn’t be cool to see a vehicle like this on the streets one day? As long as it comes with a cheaper price, we’re all in!
Okay, so the stigma surrounding Mel Gibson as of late isn’t exactly earning him any brownie points, but the popularity of the post-Apocalyptic, "western" type Mad Max films hasn’t gone away. In fact, a couple of Mad Max vehicles were recently spotted in the Port Kembla awaiting transport to Africa. Apparently, the big news is that Director George Miller is off to the races yet again, working on Mad Max 4: Road Fury (2014) and these cars were being shipped for filming. Sorry, Ford Mad Max Interceptor, looks like your invitation to the party hasn’t arrived yet.
Despite the heavy security attached to the Africa-bound Mad Max vehicles, it looks like the shipment consisted of an army of off-road buggies and a posse of menacing-looking trucks. Next to these more rugged vehicles was the juiced-up Ford Falcon XB GT coupe driven in the original movie.
The fact that the cars were shipped to Africa and not Australia is confirmation that the fourth movie will most likely feature a totally different story than the previous films.
The movie franchise may not have some of the most compelling story lines, but when it comes to raking in the moolah, NBC Universal’s Fast & Furious franchise is certified box-office gold.
Fans of F&F will then be ecstatic to know that producers are currently developing not just one, but two follow-up movies to Fast Five, which by the way grossed a delightful $626 million in the cinemas all over the world.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Dominic Toretto...err...Vin Diesel was quoted as saying that with the inclusion of new characters and the deepening plot line of the movie, there wasn’t enough space to fit everything together in the "sixth-quel," hence the decision to spread the story out to accommodate a "seventh-quel."
Though nothing has been finalized, screenwriter Chris Morgan is currently writing the storyline with the intention of covering two movies, giving director Justin Lin the option to shoot the two movies simultaneously.
Should this end up being the case, we expect a lot of the race boy fans of the Fast & Furious franchise to be jumping up and down right now.
Richard Hammond and James May - two names not really needing any further introduction - are two of the three stars of Top Gear and together they are presenting a trailer video for the "Top Gear at the Movies" - a DVD that was inspired by the famous Top Gear show. This new DVD shows off "the most memorable automotive moments in cinema history."
"Cars are the bedrock of the most memorable moments in cinema history, so be prepared for a thrilling selection of races, stunts and awesome feats as Richard Hammond and James May celebrate cars on the big screen through a blend of action, amazing driving and exotic metal."
The new "Top Gear at the Movies" will be available for DVD, Blu-ray, and iTunes starting November 14, 2011. For anyone not able to catch Top Gear UK episodes the first time around, this DVD will be a great way to watch all of the highlights in one sitting!
We had the chance to watch the Ayrton Senna documentary yesterday, thanks to a special screening organized in Miami by trackweekend.com and we have to say that we loved it. This is a must seen for all of you who watched the Senna / Prost battle in the late 80s and early 90s. If you are too young to have witnessed the battle yourself, additional footage from the driver’s meeting and behind the scene will help you feel what was at stake. I remember watching the F1 championship myself at the time and I think this documentary adds another dimension to the fight that both driver were having on and off the track. The movie itself is well made and entertained my wife who is not even remotely a racing fan.
Go watch the Senna documentary on the big screen while you can. You deserve to watch those on board camera footage on a 50 feet screen!
About a week ago, we took the time to show you a video of the new Batmobile Tumbler in transit, on its way to a secret location in Pittsburgh. This week, thanks to YouTube member, DoctaM3, we have videos of the Tumbler in all its camouflaged glory.
The production of the movie has taken the cast and crew all over the world, but most recently, they were at the heart of Pittsburgh where the first shots of the undisguised Tumbler finally made their appearance.
All the whispers surrounding what the new Tumbler will look like has now been muted. The rug has been pulled off of Batman’s gargantuan street-destroyer and the military-inspired theme with the camouflage decal only emphasizes the growing sentiment that this particular Batman trilogy directed by Christopher Columbus will go down as one of the best Hollywood trilogies of all time.
And while we’re talking about the Tumbler - there were actually three of them - it’s worth pointing out that they look a lot fiercer and more imposing than the original Tumbler that appeared in Batman Begins.
Rowan Atkinson is known by most as the one of the world’s funniest, albeit quirky, men. After all, Mr. Bean hardly needs much of an introduction, but what most people don’t know is that Mr. Bean is also an avid car lover and collector. Move aside, Jay Leno, because Atkinson knows his fair share of automobiles too, and drives them like a pro.
The proof is in the pudding and while dropping in on the gang at BBC’s Top Gear, Mr. Atkinson brought along one of his prized possessions: a very special Rolls-Royce Phantom. We say special because it doesn’t feature the Phantom’s usual 6.75-liter V12 engine, but a unique 9.0-liter V16. According to Atkinson, Rolls Royce designed the Phantom especially for this engine, but changed their mind at the last minute. The V16 engine was hanging around the company’s store until Atkinson - knowing of its existence and history - specifically asked for it to be dropped into a Phantom. The best part is that the V16-powered Phantom will be used for one of Atkinson’s upcoming movies - Johnny English Reborn - set to air in the States on August 18, 2011.
Now that the 2011 summer movie schedule is drawing to a close, the whole world is turning its attention to the 2012 schedule, which is highlighted by the third and final installment of Christopher Nolan’s Batman film, The Dark Knight Rises.
The movie is currently under production and as many fans of the hit movie franchise will tell you, one of the newsworthy headlines being talked about these days is the return of Batman’s own wrecking ball of a Batmobile, the Tumbler.
The vehicle was noticeably absent in the Dark Knight after sustaining significant ’damage’ in Batman Begins. But now it looks like the popular ride is fixed to return to active duty as recent spy videos show the car in transit, albeit covered by a tarp, on its way to a ’secret’ hanger after spending some time on the set of its on-location filming in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The buzz surrounding the new Tumbler is that it’s going to be dressed differently from its prior incarnation in the first movie - the word is that it’s going to come in tan - which really isn’t a shock considering that the original Tumbler didn’t have any prominent hues to begin with.
Check out the video of the covered up Tumbler being transported to the Batcave...err...that ’secret’ hangar people have been talking about.
