Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Pixar licenses <i>Cars 2</i> AMC villains for a song thanks to Chrysler bankruptcy]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2011/04/01/pixar-licenses-cars-2-amc-villains-for-a-song-thanks-to-c/http://www.autoblog.com/2011/04/01/pixar-licenses-cars-2-amc-villains-for-a-song-thanks-to-c/http://www.autoblog.com/2011/04/01/pixar-licenses-cars-2-amc-villains-for-a-song-thanks-to-c/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Pixar's Cars 2 characters Grem and Acer
Joe Mantegna and Peter Jacobson from Pixar's CARS 2 - Click above for high-res gallery

Earlier this week, we spent the day at Pixar to get a sneak peak at Cars 2. And before you ask, here's what you want to know: The sequel is an order of magnitude more awesome than the original and chief creative honcho John Lasseter drives a Mercedes-Benz SL65. So with that out of the way...

While interviewing one of the feature's principles, we asked about vehicle licensing. When the flick hits theaters June 24, you'll see "Carified" (their term, not ours) versions of everything from Audi to Opel models, but the villains in the film are made up of what the Pixar team contends are the world's worst cars. So there's an assortment of unloved Eastern European metal mixed in with two main antagonists: an AMC Pacer ("Acer" - voiced by Peter Jacobson) and a Gremlin ("Grem" - voiced by Joe Mantegna).

Obviously, it would be a tough sell to go to an automaker and say "We need villains, and your cars are perfect representations for the most loathsome creations on wheels," but the Pixar people came to AMC's owners - Chrysler - at precisely the right time.

When Pixar approached the automaker about licensing the names and likenesses of two vehicles for the film, Chrysler was in the throes of bankruptcy, it was divorcing itself of Cerberus, and it wasn't sure who its next parent would be... if indeed it was to have one at all. Pixar - knowingly or otherwise - took advantage of the situation and managed to snag usage rights to the vehicles for the film just when the automaker was in turmoil and strapped for cash. The results are spectacular, but you'll have to wait for our full story and the animated feature to come to your local cineplex to find out why.


Gallery: CARS 2


Gallery: CARS 2 Characters

Finn McMissileFinn McMissileHolley Shiftwell

[Images: Pixar]

Pixar licenses Cars 2 AMC villains for a song thanks to Chrysler bankruptcy originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 01 Apr 2011 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>amcamc gremlinamc paceramerican motorscarscars 2cars moviegremlinjoe mantegnajohn lasseterpacerpeter jacobsonpixarFri, 01 Apr 2011 17:30:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/19900544/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2011/04/01/pixar-licenses-cars-2-amc-villains-for-a-song-thanks-to-c/19900544/article-detail.xml 19900544 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2011/04/cars-two-pacer-and-gremlin_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2011/04/cars-two-pacer-and-gremlin.jpg <![CDATA[eBay Find of the Day: Party on with Garth's AMC Pacer "Mirthmobile"]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/12/ebay-find-of-the-day-party-on-with-garths-amc-pacer-mirthmobi/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/12/ebay-find-of-the-day-party-on-with-garths-amc-pacer-mirthmobi/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/12/ebay-find-of-the-day-party-on-with-garths-amc-pacer-mirthmobi/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,


Click on the Mirthmobile to view more pictures

This eBay auction seeks to find out if there are any set of circumstances under which an AMC Pacer is worth the Buy-It-Now price of $8 grand. So far, the answer is no, but there's still a day left. For fans of the movie Wayne's World, this vehicle could offer a unique opportunity to grab a piece of movie magic, as it was built by Paramount Studios as a prop for the Paramount Kings Island theme-park ride, Hurler, based on the Wayne's World series of movies. Wondering how you could be sure that this is legit? Worry not, it comes with a signed letter of authenticity from Volo Museum and the hood is signed by none other than George Barris himself.

No word on whether or not the "SHA WING" Ohio license plate is included in the asking price. We do have it on good authority, though, that the car has never been spewed in. Thanks for the tip, Stu!

Gallery: Wayne's World Pacer


[Source: eBay]

eBay Find of the Day: Party on with Garth's AMC Pacer "Mirthmobile" originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 12 Apr 2008 08:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>amc paceramc-pacerAmcPacerebayebay auctionebay motorsEbayAuctionebaymotorsmirth mobilemirth-mobileMirthMobilewayne and garthwayne garthWayneAndGarthWayneGarthwaynes worldwaynes-worldWaynesWorldSat, 12 Apr 2008 08:09:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/1164365/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2008/04/12/ebay-find-of-the-day-party-on-with-garths-amc-pacer-mirthmobi/1164365/article-detail.xml 1164365 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2008/04/c72c_1_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2008/04/c72c_1.jpg <![CDATA[eBay Find of the Day: Pimp My Ride AMC Pacer]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2007/11/25/ebay-find-of-the-day-pimp-my-ride-amc-pacer/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/11/25/ebay-find-of-the-day-pimp-my-ride-amc-pacer/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/11/25/ebay-find-of-the-day-pimp-my-ride-amc-pacer/#commentsFiled under: , ,



It's this kind of thing that makes it hard to keep Thanksgiving dinner down. We aren't frequent viewers of Pimp My Ride, so we really only catch the show's work via the occasional eBay auction. Frankly, in the few cars we've caught we thought we had seen everything. But no. Not in the least. Latest challenger in the Heavyweight Pimp of the World competition is this: a 1976 Pacer X with a starry-orange-fade-to-yellow paint job and yellow and white shag interior.

Channeling the spirit of Austin Powers, but without his superb taste, the transformation includes a custom 8-track player and the requisite multiple LCD screens. The buyer did at least pull the white shag carpeting off the headliner and replaced it with the stock headliner. (But the shag is included if you want to put it back.) Nevertheless, he left the yellow wing on the car. We'd rather not say anything else about the car right now, because we're starting to feel a little nauseous.

Check out more pics and get the complete skinny at eBay. And proving that the spirit of salesmanship never dies, the listing begins with the words, "Here's your chance to own..." A fine chance, indeed.

Thanks for the tip, Peter!

[Source: eBay]

eBay Find of the Day: Pimp My Ride AMC Pacer originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 25 Nov 2007 08:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>amc paceramc pacer xAmcPacerAmcPacerXpacer xPacerXpimp my ridepimp my ride pacerPimpMyRidePimpMyRidePacerSun, 25 Nov 2007 08:01:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/1046741/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2007/11/25/ebay-find-of-the-day-pimp-my-ride-amc-pacer/1046741/article-detail.xml 1046741 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2007/11/0d4f_1_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2007/11/0d4f_1.jpg <![CDATA[Hong Kong company revives Mustang II, Pacer]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2007/01/16/hong-kong-company-revives-mustang-ii-pacer/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/01/16/hong-kong-company-revives-mustang-ii-pacer/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/01/16/hong-kong-company-revives-mustang-ii-pacer/#commentsFiled under:



And the Gremlin and the Pinto. Yeah, all scale models, but didn't your jaw drop just a little after reading the headline? Mine did after spotting these at a major discount retailer's toy department last week. Available in 1:60, 1:24 and as a remote control 1:16 scale, these bad-rep rods of the 70s are part of the Fresh Cherries lineup from Motormax.

Surrounded by other, more respectable models like a Bugatti Veyron, the 2006 Camaro Concept, and a Ferrari F40, the 1:60-sized Gremlin on my work desk has sparked many conversations. The kitsch factor of these small mechanical monsters goes to 11. At less than $4 for the smallest versions, you can afford to have your very own ignoble garage, or recreate an 80s-era used car lot. For even more realism, set the Pinto on fire, and leave the Mustang II next to the Gremlin in the yard to build up some nice rust. We imagine the remote control Mustang II might cost more than a 1:1 scale version, though it would probably hold its value better.

We can't wait for the next round. What should be on that list? Hmm. Vega, Citation, maybe a Le Car.

Check the jump for a larger promotional photo from Motormax.

Continue reading Hong Kong company revives Mustang II, Pacer

Hong Kong company revives Mustang II, Pacer originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 16 Jan 2007 16:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>AMC GremlinAMC PacerAmcGremlinAmcPacerautomotive toysAutomotiveToyscar toysCarToysChevrolet VegaChevroletVegaFord Mustang IIFord PintoFordMustangIiFordPintoGremlinMustangMustang IIMustangIiPacertoysTue, 16 Jan 2007 16:11:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/736726/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2007/01/16/hong-kong-company-revives-mustang-ii-pacer/736726/article-detail.xml 736726 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2007/01/fordpinto_450_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2007/01/fordpinto_450.jpg <![CDATA[eBay Find of the Day: Flintstones car, Yabba Dabba Doo!]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2006/10/11/ebay-find-of-the-day-flintstones-car-yabba-dabba-doo/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/10/11/ebay-find-of-the-day-flintstones-car-yabba-dabba-doo/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/10/11/ebay-find-of-the-day-flintstones-car-yabba-dabba-doo/#commentsFiled under: ,



The old saying goes, you snooze, you lose. Unfortunately the tip for this eBay item came in a little past our deadline and a little past the closing bid, but we still wanted to share this unique vehicle with you. From the same collection that was offering the scary movie cars, we have one of the handcrafted vehicles from Flintstones, Viva Rock Vegas. No need to put the pedal to the gravel with this faux log car. Instead of the typical Flintstone's foot powered vehicle, this baby will move under its own power and is environmentally friendly to boot, with an electric motor under the planks. BTW, the boat wasn't part of the deal.

As the eBay description explains: "This log car was built by the special effects team at Universal Studios for use in the movie, 'Flintstones, Viva Rock Vegas'. It is a custom built chassis with an electric motor and electric disc brakes, much like a golf cart. It was all hand carved out of foam to look like wood. It was covered in resin for durability and hand painted... It cost about $50k to design and build... Just in time for Halloween!"

And don't feel too bad about missing out on your chance to own a piece of movie infamy history, the top bid was far short of the suspected reserve so it might pop up again in the future. And if a foam log isn't your idea of a classy ride, the seller is still offering Wayne's 1976 AMC Pacer, Chris Tucker's Corvette from Rush Hour, and the Grinch's sleigh from the live action feature starring Jim Carrey.

[Source: eBay]

Quick quackout to DuckFat for the tip!

eBay Find of the Day: Flintstones car, Yabba Dabba Doo! originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 11 Oct 2006 13:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>AMC PacerAmcPacerChris TuckerChrisTuckerCorvetteeBayFlintstone'sJim CarreyJimCarreyMike MyersMikeMyersRush HourRushHourThe GrinchTheGrinchViva Rock VegasVivaRockVegasWayne's WorldWayne'sWorldWed, 11 Oct 2006 13:58:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/683100/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2006/10/11/ebay-find-of-the-day-flintstones-car-yabba-dabba-doo/683100/article-detail.xml 683100 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2006/10/flintstonescar_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2006/10/flintstonescar.jpg -1 2