RIDE: THE MOST ICONIC WHEELS OF THE SILVER SCREEN

OK, hurray for Hollywood and it’s long-time creative and wonderful fixation on automobiles and other wheeled conveyances … FULL STOP.

If you, like me, have a favorite “car” movie* and you’ve always wanted to know more, hear more, and see more about how that film came to be, here’s a just spectacular new book that’ll surely help to slake your thirst for the hottest hot tip/inside info about thirty-four (34!) of those indelible flicks with page upon page (404 to be exact) of interesting, intriguing, and (way) inside intel about them accompanied by a selection of great in-action photos (and a ton of v. cool scale drawings and diagrams).  

You can just about hear the cacophony almost as well as you see them on this one’s brilliantly-printed, large-format pages. (Note to publisher: Where in the heck is the soundtrack album for this book?)

...And about that “Silver Screen” in the title.  This book goes full bore, first rate Tinsel Town and carries that glowing theme along literally with both the page edges and many of the book’s pages bathed and/or highlighted with glowing argent silver which adds something of an almost heraldic tempo to the read.  That’s to say this one is a pretty damn stunning presentation.

“Reverent/cool and dead-on proud” might be a good description here, it fits.

This one goes happily/heroically where no car movie book that I know of ever has.  

It posts detailed maps of the routes (long and short) for a wonderful selection of indelible films that went on classic movie journeys around town or across the country.  

Here’s the list, make some travel plans, maybe even really head out and retrace your favorite route one day soon.  Here’s a few of your travel options:  “BULLIT”: a ground-scraping, car-punishing chase on the steep streets of San Francisco all the way to Guadalupe Canyon Parkway down south past Portola. “FERRARI”: the route of the grueling, and often deadly Mille Miglia “Thousand Miles” open road race from one end of Italy to the other. “VANISHING POINT”: one enigmatic man on the lamb from Denver to Cisco, California, a blind disc jockey narrating the guy’s flight from justice, and a fiery conclusion.  And finally, “THELMA & LOUISE”: a crazed cruise from Little Rock, Arkansas to infinity at the Grand Canyon near Kenab, Utah. 

And, the Sci-Fi/Super Hero side of the movie world is well-covered here as well with flying cars from the original “BLADE RUNNER”, bat-mobiles, and motorcycle-like machines from the seminal computer-savvy 1982 sci-fi movie “TRON” where silent riders rode glowing “Light Cycles” up down and across the spectacularly-imagined imagery inside of a world that was made of electrons and impulses.

And here that big nasty-ass six-wheeled Bat machine called “The Tumbler” from “THE DARK KNIGHT” is not only shown here in on-screen action, but has two pages of v. cool tech drawings to show how the massive machine worked as well. 

“Herbie” the “LOVE BUG”  VW, the “TRON” Light Cycles, Dick Van Dyke’s bespoke Paragon Panther aka:“CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG”, the “SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT” 1977 Firebird Trans Am, along with the maniac motorhome from “STRIPES”, and Doc Brown’s decked out and daunting DeLorean DMC-12 from “BACK TO THE FUTURE” … and couple of other likely candidates all get the full “mini blueprint” illustration treatment here.

With thirty-four movies so well-illustrated and thoughtfully-discussed one might think that would make a great book … Yo: it does.  

And, topping the tech, the of addition of fourteen candid interviews with the people who live and work in the industry adds a great layer of authentic personality to this book about cars.  That stellar line-up includes: Chris Nashawaty, Michael Mann, Marcello Gandini, Dennis McCarthy, Jeff Gordon, Michael Bay, Matt Stone, Stephen King, Marc Newson, Steven Lisberger, and John Landis who all bring short (and vibrantly flavored) fact-filled stories of (automotive) movie magic. 

With 404 colorful pages about a whole flock of very cool flicks readers should well expect a nice selection of “behind the scenes” items about these films and those often juicy/always interesting tidbits are generously sprinkled throughout this multi-talented book.  For example:  Bullit’s (Steve McQueen) Factory fresh ‘68 (there were two of them actually: VIN 558 and 559) Ford Mustang GT Fastbacks) were both scrubbed down with kitchen cleanser (!!!) to: “… dull them down for a saltier look”.  

For “THE SPY WHO LOVED ME”:  The production company knocked on Lotus Cars’ door in England and picked up nine (that’s a whole lot of Loti!) Esprit “in various states of assembly and disassembly” which, as 007 fans all know tech wizard “Q” turns into a slippery submersible that Roger Moore takes Bond Girl Barbara Bach for an underwater getaway from a bunch of machine gun-toting bad guys in a helicopter. “… once the Esprits were converted into submarine form, the actual underwater motion sequences were performed with a battery-powered, remote-control vehicle.” 

For “SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT”: “Pontiac gave stuntman-turned-director Hal Needham a total of four cars, three to use in the film and one as a promotional vehicle to publicize the movie when it came out.  The three movie cars were destroyed during various stunts …” Honestly what did anyone who knew Needham or who had read the script beforehand expect that this fully-accredited, professional disaster master was going to do with those sleek, sexy, slippery black, showroom-fresh 1977 Firebirds anyway?  Needham also got two ‘77 Pontiac Le Mans models which were outfitted as patrol cars for the film … nope, they didn’t make it either.

And for another fun run: “THE LOVE BUG” back in 1969 … One of the (as the book says:) “variety” (that portends a whole bunch of Beetles, right?) of cars that they used in the movie had a snarling V8 engine stuffed in up front under the hood, which went a long way toward “...allowing much more extreme maneuvers than any version of the original air-cooled, four-cylinder engine could achieve,” (and they said that with a straight face mind you).

“...Fonda’s bike was as custom as custom could be, with a chromed frame and a red, white, and blue stars-and-stripes teardrop-shaped fuel tank to go with his matching helmet, hand-painted by the legendary Kenneth “Von Dutch” Howard”.  That’s a bit about one of the high-handle-barred Harley choppers, and riding gear that were more like characters than stage props in a very different 1969 movie called: “EASY RIDER” the tale of two societal outlaws who rode where the road took them and, in the end, that ride turning out to be not the kindest of venues.

One more?  OK then, what about the 1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor Terminal from “GHOST BUSTERS”?  Who you gonna call?  As Dan Acroyd’s character Dr. Ray Stanz described the “forlorn” gray-primered 1959 Cadillac ambulance that he bought for the “...deal of a lifetime … $4,800”, explaining: “...it needs suspension work, brakes, shocks, steering box, transmission, rear end, maybe rings, mufflers, and a little wiring.”  

FULL STOP AGAIN: Here’s something that everyone should know about this book … the photos, the diagrams, and the 34 original movie posters in this one are well-beyond spectacular, well-chosen and evocative.  

And the supporting text is so well suited.  The stories are interesting, inside, clear and fit the abundant artwork hand in glove.  Go ahead and page trough all the amazing photos and illustrations it would be silly not to, but don’t miss the clever, crisp, and observant conversations that go along with the artwork on each.  You here have the wit, wisdom, and wide knowledge of a team of experts who really know what they’re talking about as well as how to express it with some great story-telling about some very cool and interesting rides.- Doug Stokes

LACar MotorMathMoment:  This special book tells the inside (and outside!) stories of thirty-four silver screen “Rides” whidh range range from the silly to sensational and back again.  No two alike (not even close).  At its $65 list price, I round that tariff off to a very reasonable just under two bucks a ride. 

It’s a real keepsake for anyone who’s been thrilled by these all-time classics or for someone who might well get a great kick out of “finding” a film or two that they missed first time around or perhaps have forgotten. - DS

A word from the Publisher

Over the years we’ve been very fortunate here at LACar to be able to review a number of very well-produced, colorful, accurate, informative, and entertaining automotive-themed books.  In the big picture of publishing, the books we review are aimed at relatively narrow segment and none are ever going to be multi-million-seller tell-alls, exposes, or blockbusters.  But, and happily as this spectacular book proves they are published and we surely appreciate it.

With that, we thought that it might be appropriate here to let LACar readers know how that happens and what a truly involved publisher like Tra tries to accomplish in print these days.  Here’s how the publisher of this particular book feels about the subject:

“At Tra, each book is a unique experience, meticulously designed and fabricated in response to and with utmost respect for the contents. Tra works closely and often collaboratively with artists and writers to create books about fine and decorative arts, architecture, and design that inspire social, cultural, and environmental awareness. Particular emphasis is placed on the physical components of the bookmaking process, resulting in books that are works of art and modes of expression in and of themselves.

Tra was founded in 2016 in Miami by Swiss-born graphic designer and author Ilona Oppenheim. The publishing company builds on fifteen years of design excellence through Ilona Creative Studio, Oppenheim’s creative consultancy firm. The impetus for Tra was to create beautiful, substantial, and special books that readers experience physically, as opposed to digitally. “In today’s world of excess and technology, we believe that the tactile process of holding and reading a book is a mindful experience that creates a real connection to life,” Oppenheim says. “We want our readers to appreciate details such as the beauty of color on paper, and we want people to share these books with their friends and family.”

Tra’s design aesthetic is one of restraint; the images and words on the pages take precedence. Tra’s award-winning designers treat each title as an entirely original expression—in essence, there is no typical Tra book. The firm works with carefully selected bookmakers around the world and places a premium on ethical bookmaking practices and materials. Once a book is published, the relationship continues: Tra goes beyond traditional publicity practices to bring the contents of each title to life in additional ways, such as through exhibitions, events, and workshops.

Tra is passionate about books and passionate about the contribution each book can make. As part of that commitment, proceeds for many of Tra’s titles are donated to environmental, arts, and activist organizations. In 2020 we made the commitment to only use FSC-certified paper. In addition, every time a book is purchased through our website, a tree will be planted where it's needed most. We have partnered with One Tree Planted to help restore the landscape of old growth forests, encourage the proliferation of species that will be resilient in the face of climate change, and support the essential health of forest ecosystems that create habitats for wildlife species. We are eager to build a more sustainable future, one book––and one tree––at a time.”  - Tra publishing, Miami, Florida.