Speed Racer going to Hollywood

Sixteen after first seeing the first episode of the cartoon Speed Racer, Emile Hirsch finally got the chance to go behind the wheel of the speedster, which will be the heart of the movie set to debut on May 9, 2008.

"My first thought was, ’Yeah, they got the car right,’ " he says. "That’s one of the best things about the show, so it was always going to be one of the most important parts of the movie."

The speedster is actully the Mach 5 unveiled in 1999, described as "the most famous race car in the world" (that’s because of the popularity of the 1967 Speed Racer cartoon series). The March 5 is powered by a V8 engine with an output of 385 hp.