Some of the Most Famous Cars in Modern Film & TV

We’ve all experienced the magic. The popcorn is buttered to perfection and the lights are dimly lit.  The slow stir of anxiousness floods your body.  Watching a movie for the first time is an experience in itself.  The character interaction with trying situations creates a bond between you and the protagonist, but it doesn’t end there.  Movies have created certain characters that, even after the film is over, you still have a connection or admiration for.  In some cases, a protagonist’s car can be given this title.  A vehicle used by main characters in the plot have a mind and personality of their own, or are reflective of their character, creating a cool ensemble of on screen characters to watch.  Here’s a look at some famous cars in cinema:

Ford 1967 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500.

This car, American muscle defined, starred in the film Gone in 60 seconds with Nicholas Cage in 2000.  The Mustang named ‘Eleanor’ in the film had 360-hp and in one scene launches 30 feet in the air over 15 feet of cars to land intact on the other side.  WOW

1981 DeLorean DMC12

Maybe one of the most classic movie cars of all time, the DeLorean starred in Back To The Future with Michael J. Fox.  It was able to break the law of quantum physics with a modified flux capacitor to travel through time at 88 mph.  The ill-fated Irish sports car had a good run.

1963 Volkswagen Beetle 

The distinguishable red and blue racing stripe, the number 53 on it’s hood and the human-like emotions of a Classic Volkswagen, all incorporated Herbie’s demeanor. The car star of several films of the same name, it was even able to drive himself from time to time!

1969 Dodge Charger

The General Lee was an icon.  The Dukes of Hazard car had a confederate flag painted on its roof, doors that were welded shut, and a trunk full of sandbags and concrete to let it fly over those hills.  The Duke boys had it good…

1982 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am

This car was a super smart, crime-fighting machine built to protect its driver, (a young David Hasseloff) in the TV series Knight Rider.  The car, known as ‘KITT’ was backed by an ‘Alpha Circuit’, which only the producers of the show know where it came from or how it made KITT speak.

1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor Ambulance

Who you gonna call?  The Ghostbusters was a national hit when it was released in 1984 and with the “Ecto-1”, a white end loading ambulance corroded with dust and ghost catching technology, the Ghostbusters were able to speed through New York to solve problems with the macabre. 

There are countless movies with unforgettable cars.  What are some of your favorites?  

Top 5 Instagram Pics Picked by Our Staff

Here are the Top 5 Instagram Pics picked by our staff.

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How Much Does An Electric Vehicle ACTUALLY Cost to Maintain?

The Jetsons is the first thing that comes to mind when I think of electric vehicles, not necessarily a floating utopia equipped with flying cars, but it’s definitely a wave of the future.  With countless manufacturers rolling our production vehicles and prototypes, it’s not difficult to get lost in the shuffle.  We’ve heard the conversation around electric vehicles: they’re quiet, cheap to maintain, and environmentally friendly.  Lets delve a bit deeper and get the actual price of maintaining one.

According to Edmunds: to figure out the cost of fueling an EV, start with the electric car's energy consumption rate, which is expressed as kWh per 100 miles (kWh/100m). This figure will be listed on the EPA's upcoming EV fuel economy label (the 2011 Leaf's preliminary label is shown here, complete with an erroneous 12-cent per kWh figure in the cost estimate that Nissan says it is correcting). The next figure is your home electric rate, assuming that's the primary charging site. Multiply the kWh/100m figure by the electric rate to get the cost per 100 miles. For instance, the Leaf's kWh/100m figure is 34. If electricity is 11 cents per kWh — the national average — it would cost $3.74 to go 100 miles.

Utility companies, and the time and level of use set the electricity cost.  You pay more for kWh at peak hours, making a lot of electric commuters pay more than the national average of 11 cents per kWh.  How do real individuals save on their electric vehicles? 

Tom and Cathy Saxon have two electric vehicles.  They installed separate electric meters for their EVs (electric vehicles) in July 2009 and have been tracking them since then.  The Saxton's Tesla is consuming at a rate of 30.8 kWh/100m (bettering its official EPA rating); the RAV4 is averaging about 35 kWh/100m.  They pay an average of 11.25 cents per kWh.  In other words, they drive about 30 miles on a dollar’s worth of electricity, it would be much more expensive to drive with gas.  Results do vary, depending on a couple factors like when and where you’re charging, but the true cost of filling up is a tad more complicated than expected.

Big Brother: Traffic Cameras and How They’re Making Us Paranoid

I know you’ve seen these inconspicuous little buggers on top of stoplights, on street corners, and in your nightmares.  They record your movements through traffic with the flicker of a flash, causing paranoia that could lead to a citation in the mail, with a photo of you disregarding the law.  A smile planted on your face as you cruise through a stoplight is all the evidence they need. 

Red light cameras are made to deter running red lights. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), in 2007, almost 900 were killed and nearly 153,000 were injured in crashes that involved red light running. About half of the deaths are pedestrians and occupants in other vehicles who are hit by the red light runners. The IIHS has reported huge decreases in red light running in several cities in which the cameras were used.  Since they’re working, the cameras have been installed in more major intersections. 

Some drivers ask if this is an invasion of privacy.  Nope. Driving is a regulated activity on public roads.  When you receive a license, you must obey the laws of the road, which contains nothing to prevent local governments from documenting violators.  According to an article appearing in the Atlanta Journal Constitution, the city of Lilburn, GA issued about 1,500 citations in January 2008. The citations dropped by 80 percent to around 300 in January 2009, after a new Georgia law mandated a longer yellow light duration. The extra second on the yellow light may have reduced the problem of red light running for the driver, but it almost worked too well for the city. Red light cameras were no longer issuing enough citations to keep them "profitable" and as a result, Lilburn and four other cities in the same county suspended their red light programs.

The red light camera system looks like it’s here to stay, for mow.  For more info on how they work, visit: http://auto.howstuffworks.com/car-driving-safety/safety-regulatory-devices/red-light-camera1.htm

The 10 Best Automotive Quotes Ever

Who doesn’t love classics?  From cars to TV shows to movies, we’ve always had a thing for nostalgia.  When it comes to cars, everyone has fallen in love with a classic car they loved.  It’s just inevitable.  So, in today’s blog, we’re listing the coolest car quotes said by awesome people.  Enjoy:  

To finish first, you must first finish. – Juan Manuel Fangio

The winner ain’t the one with the fastest car, it’s the one who refuses to lose. – Dale Earnhardt

Once you’ve raced, you never forget it…and you never get over it. - Richard Childress

To achieve anything in this game you must be prepare to dabble in the boundary of disaster. – Sterling Moss

What’s behind you doesn’t matter. – Enzo Ferrari

Nobody remembers the guy who finished second but the guy who finished second. – Bobby Unse

Faster, faster, faster, until the thrill of speed overcomes the fear of death… – Hunter Thompson

When you win a race your on top that day, so take it for what its worth, have a good time and party, cause the next day when you get out of bed, the meter goes back to zero again. - Bobby Allison

If you’re in control, you’re not going fast enough. – Parnelli Jones

Auto racing began 5 minutes after the second car was built. - Henry Ford

Bonus!

Speed has never killed anyone, suddenly becoming stationary… that’s what gets you. – Jeremy Clarkson

Uncommon Car Facts: 2013 Edition

Hey, Fans! A new year means new beginnings for us.  We’re rearing up for another great year in the Automotive world, and wanted to have some fun with our blog.  Every year, we showcase the coolest car facts (not to be confused with Car Fax) this side of the Northern Hemisphere.  If you have facts that you would like to add, feel free!  We welcome any and all feedback from our readers.  

• Rear view mirrors were first attached to cars in the year 1916.
• The world’s longest skid marks are 950 feet long.
• The Carburetor and the clutch mechanism were invented by women in the year 1923.
• The world’s first license plates were issued by the French police in the year 1893. They were called number plates then.
• The Tata Nano is the cheapest car in the world. ($2500 US)
• The world’s first car accident took place in 1769. The car is still preserved at a museum in Paris.
• The average length of electrical wires in every car is about 3000 feet.
• A driver spends about an average of two weeks of his life waiting for the traffic light to change color.
• Japan produces the most number of cars in the world.
• Airbags take only 40 milliseconds to open in case of an accident.
• The first cars had levers instead of a steering wheel!
  
  

We’re looking for more facts to expand our list!!!

The Best Automotive Instagram Profiles of 2013

Are you on Instagram?  Yes?  Maybe? No?  Well, for the 100+ million users Instagram has siphoning through its content on a daily basis, you’ve most likely heard of it.  Instagram is a fast, beautiful and fun way to share your life with family and friends via a picture or video.  You’re also able to add filters to your content to transform the look.  In today’s blog, we’re listing the TOP automotive Instagram users.  These individuals eat, sleep and breathe gasoline.  They’re tuned into the latest trends in automotive and provide a bird’s eye view of the automotive landscape.  Check it out:

Vossen Wheels - @vossen

Vossen is the quintessential wheel shop.  They create gorgeous photos with different makes and models accented by their beautiful rims.  It also reveals a unique lifestyle by Vossen employees as they create dynamic videos, prank each other and reveal their undying passion for the automotive industry.

Dave Nickerson - @davenickerson2

Dave Nickerson is a professional photographer of everything automotive.  He’s also an auto aficionado with a passion for high-end cars.  He captures the beauty of vehicles in still shots taken with his iPhone, revealing behind the scene shots from countless photo shoots.

Ken Block - @kblock43

Ken Block is a legend in the automotive competitive circuit.  He’s known for events like the X Games, WRC, Rally America and more. 

Auto Kings - @autokings

Autokings is a crowd-sourced Instagram profile with a wide range of vehicles.  Manufacturers range from Ferrari, to Honda to Jeep with a feeling of random automotive bliss.

Do you have any to add?  Feel free in the comments below!