Friday the 13th, 5 cars from Horror Movies.

I’m not sure if this has to do with History, but it’s Friday 13th. So let’s not miss this

1958 Plymouth Fury ‘’Christine’’

Although the the movie “Christine” included a 1958 Plymouth Fury as its main character, the film interchanged the vehicle with 1957 Fury cars and other Chrysler models. All vehicles shared similar characteristics and were highlighted in the movie based on Stephen King’s thriller novel. The plot centered around a car that had a mind of its own.

1957 Plymouth Fury Performance
The 1957 Fury was approximately one-inch longer than the previous year’s model, and standard equipment included padded dash, foam cushion seats and variable-speed wipers. Besides these features, the excitement was contained under the hood. It had the powerhouse V-800 engine, which delivered 290 horsepower, as well as an automatic transmission. The 1957 Fury contained Chrysler’s new three-speed TorqueFlite transmission with push button controls. The solid front suspension provided great handling as well.

Facts from the Movie “Christine”
More than 20 Plymouths were used to film the movie “Christine.” Belvederes, Savoys and Fury models were used during the filming process. All cars were painted red and given matching interiors. From the opening shot, this car played an important role in the film. Christine rolled off the assembly line as a feisty and evil red car ready to create havoc.

No remote controls were used to drive Christine. Stunt drivers were given small viewing windows within the black tint that signaled the car’s evil mood. The final scene concluded with Christine crashing inside a garage. The car was attached to cables and pulled through the wall. Today, only three cars from the film are known to still exist.

“Christine” Trivia
As happens often when books are adapted into movies, on-screen “Christine” differs a bit from her paper-bound counterpart. First, the novel refers to Christine as a four-door vehicle. However, the 1957 Fury was only available in a two-door hardtop. Also, Christine was red and white in color. True Plymouth fans know the 1957 Fury only came in beige with gold trim.

The reason for all the errors was explained by King: the author wrote the middle part of the story first, and then he wrote the beginning and end a few years later. This sequence made it impossible to accommodate what was being released by the auto industry. Since the Fury name perfectly described the car, he chose the brand for the novel.

''Ok, show me!'"

1974 Dodge Charger ‘’Wheels Of Terror’’

We all remember “Christine.” We all remember “Duel.” But what about “Wheels of Terror”? Starring Joanna Cassidy and a sadistic ’74 Dodge Charger, this movie takes us on a wild ride through the Arizona desert as a madman in his brutal car terrorizes a small town and its inhabitants. While this little 1990 made-for-TV movie isn’t the best I’ve ever seen, it’s certainly worth checking out for the nasty looking custom Charger that really becomes a character in it’s own right.

The Black Dodge Charger is a vehicle of mixed years of 1971 and 1974. The driver has never been seen in the vehicle. Throughout the entire movie, the vehicle had been known to molest and even sometimes kill young girls. The vehicle even stalked a young girl named Stephanie who is the daughter of a single mother who is also her bus driver. One day, the car kidnapped the young girl in front of her mother’s eyes, and the chase began throughout Death Valley until they reached a quarry in the middle of the valley. The mother eventually rescued her daughter and she threw the car off the road into the deep earth below with her bus. Thinking that the car was finally gone, the mother and daughter were both shocked and horrified to find that the driver of car was still alive and making its way to kill them. The mother managed to get the bus going again and backed up just in time just as the car drove into the cliff and crashed into the explosive house below and destroyed it completely.

''Evil waits, with the motor running''

ŠKODA 110 Super Sport ‘’Ferat Vampir RSR’’

You may not have heard of the Skoda 110 Super Sport Ferat, but it could be the answer to the alternative fuel conundrum. Forget electric, solar or hydrogen, this thing ran on blood.

And you thought putting a tiger in your tank was bold.

The Skoda ‘Ferat’ began life as a prototype known as the 110 Super Sport. Unveiled at the 1972 Brussels Motor Show, the fibreglass concept was mid-engined and featured no doors. Instead, the entire roof and window structure tiltled forward for access to the cockpit.

It took the pop-up headlight to the next level, featuring a light bar running the entire width of the car and housing SIX light clusters. This alone makes it one of the most PETROLBLOGGY cars ever to emerge from Czechoslovakia.

Sadly, it never made production, but the concept’s story didn’t end in Belgium. Indeed, the Brussels prototype sprouted a new lease of life when it was modified to appear in several Czechoslovak films, most notably the 1982 Czeçh Horror Film ‘’Upír z Feratu’’, or in english ‘’Ferat Vampire’’.

The IMDb plot summary makes for compelling reading: “A doctor Marek is shocked when his beloved nurse Mima signs a contract with foreign car manufacturer Ferat, in order to work for them as a rally driver.

“A fellow doctor makes him believe that human blood is being used as fuel for Mima’s ever-winning car, but does that really work?”

Admittedly, it doesn’t sound like it’s going to knock From Dusk Till Dawn or The Lost Boys out of the top 10 vampire movies of all-time, but the YouTube clips make for compelling viewing. Why? Because Skoda Ferat, of course.
BULLET WITH BUTTERFLY WINGS
It might seem sacrilegious to modify a one-off concept car, especially one with six pop-up headlights and a rear light bar that wouldn’t have looked out of place at Cape Canaveral, but in fairness to the producers, the transformation is rather convincing.

Sadly, the pop-up headlight bar was ditched in favour of more conventional light clusters, while the rear end was given a makeover that looked production-ready. Heck, it has the look of a Skoda Rapid Coupe, and that’s no bad thing.

The work is credited to Czech costume designer Theodor Pištěk, who ditched the white body in favour of a more vampire-friendly black paint job. A few decals and a set of BBS alloy wheels completed the transformation from innocent white to black night. Or something.

Power was sourced via a 1147cc engine from the 110R Coupe, while the entire car weighed less than 900kg. It meant that the batty Skoda Ferat could hit a top speed of around 130mph, assuming you only took it out at night.

Today, the Skoda Ferat lives in the Skoda Museum in Mladá Boleslav, although you’ll have to look up because it probably hangs from the ceiling. Just listen out for the sound of dripping and look for a pool of blood on the polished floor.

The killer car from Ferat, actually raced, passed the rally track with huge applause from fans. But it was just because of filming.

''The Ferat has ridiculously low fuel consumption.''

Lincoln Continental Mark III ‘’THE CAR’’

It was designed specially for the 1977 movie “The Car” starring James Brolin. Made from a 1971 Lincoln Continental Mark III. George Barris gets credit for this mashup of sheet steel and the chopped-up carcass of this coupe. According to Barris’s website, he designed the beast and four were built for the production.

Fenders were 20 gauge steel shaped over a 1971 Lincoln Continental Mark III original body. The grill was hand made from square steel tubing. Four bumpers made from heavy 18 gauge steel. Seven inch single headlights sunk behind the grill and fender. The body was raised to upper doorline.

Top the car was chopped 4 inches with all black transparent windows. Full body roll bars installed over and around stunt driver. A steel tube canon was installed on passenger side which had a telephone pole inside and steel cap which housed dynamite and black powder. When the stunt man rolled the car he would trigger the tube telephone pole by igniting the dynamite which drove the pole into the ground and roll the car 5 times.

The car was finished with 20 coats of black pearl lacquer.

“That came from a nightmare I had where a car rolled down the corridor of the place I was living. The timing had to be exquisite. The ram would set the car barreling down the track, and it was designed to hit the sheriff’s cars on the hoods.” At one point, though, the timing was not so exquisite: the ram jet fired accidentally, and the car nearly knocked off Silverstein’s head. “I was convinced that car may have had a vengeance for me,” he said.

The Car was released in May 1977, two weeks before Star Wars (oops), but since the 1970s, its cult following has grown. Guillermo del Toro is one of its biggest fans and owns a replica of the car that his brother built for him. The film may have even inspired Stephen King’s Christine. Some folks considered the movie to be less than a masterpiece and it was panned by critics, but even those who regard it as B-movie fare agree that The Car is fun.

''IS IT A PHANTOM, A DEMON, OR THE DEVIL HIMSELF?""

Chevy Nova SS ‘’Death Proof’’

One of the most significant cinema cars of recent times has been the 1970 Chevrolet Nova, a vehicle that, with its hood decorated with a skull and two rays, was one of the undisputed protagonists of Death Proof, one of the most provocative films from the Tarantino factory.

The 1970 Chevy Nova SS was a machine for the time and was part of those known as muscle cars, medium-sized cars and a large high-power engine, with an exterior sporty aesthetic, but with interior capacity as a family car , front engine and rear wheel drive.

With a 6,500 cc engine. and 375 horsepower, the Chevy Nova SS belonged to the third generation of the Chevrolet Nova, a series of cars produced from 1962 to 1979 in the United States by the Chevrolet division of General Motors.

As for the movie, Death Proof, who have seen it soften conflicting opinions. Those who expected otherwise hate her; while those who declare Tarantino geeks cannot stop flattering their benefits. The truth is that the film caused real stupor in Cannes.

Death Proof is part of the binomial named Grindhouse, along with the movie Planet Terror, directed by Robert Rodríguez. The fact is that, while many people waited for a new masterpiece of the author of such renowned films as Pulp Fiction or Kill Bill, what Tarantino and Rodriguez had illuminated was nothing but a tribute to the Gore and Z-series films of the years 70 that were projected in American theaters in double sessions, and that gave rise to a genre called grindhouse. But in Cannes they should not have understood the wink … Many other spectators have not done so yet.

For those who have not seen it yet, if you are curious, we tell you that Death Proof is the story of Stuntman Mike, who gives life to Kurt Russell, a psychopath on the road in search of beautiful and young girls to become his victims and of his powerful car “Death Proof”.

''It's more than safe, it's Death Proof!''