Oh! Gizmo

By Andrew Liszewski

If there happens to be an upcoming movie centered around a famous car, there’s a good chance it will make an appearance at various auto shows throughout the country. Sometime this summer the Wachowski brothers’ film Speed Racer will be hitting the theaters, and even if you’ve never seen the cartoon (guilty) you probably recognize the Mach 5.

Unfortunately the car was relegated to the Michigan Hall, and for those of you who have never been to the Detroit Auto Show you can basically think of it as the basement. Besides being next to impossible to find (the main escalator access is always tucked in the back corner of where VW sets up their booth) the lighting also sucks when compared to the elaborate setups upstairs. And unlike the Batmobile or Tumbler from recent films, the Mach 5 doesn’t actually run. Rumor has it the mockup car was moved around with a crane during filming, and will most likely be replaced with a CG version in the final movie.