reazindcomp2's Blog

Chicago 

              Musicals are usually filled with a bunch of scenes that have horrible choreography and the usual same note singing. Girls singing on rooftops with umbrellas just don’t pertain to guys, however girls dancing seductively in skimpy outfits do. The movie Chicago changed the way I thought about musicals, and it also raised the bar for future ones.

            The musical Chicago was put together in a way that kept you entertained. It has an interesting plot that keeps you hooked all the way through the musical. Unlike most musicals, Chicago has actors and attractive actresses that can sing and dance. A review by sw-12 states, “ Whether the stars come by these moves and voices easily, or were rehearsed within an inch of their lives, it’s clear they come by them naturally — they each perform their own songs, and the dance moves are both fluid and stylistically true to the Fosse choreography.” I used this direct quote because these well known actors in this movie could not only act well, they could sing and dance as well.

            Future musicals that are turned into movies will have to be written and directed well so it can be on the same level as Chicago. Chicago has paved the path and gave new direction for musicals in such ways as an interesting plot and ending that will make you set and wonder if it had really happened or not. Chicago has changed the way I feel about musicals, and now I will not refuse to watch them.

To get another prospective on Chicago, go check out Katie’s Blog

Works Cited

Sw-12. “Chicago.” IMBD. Amazon. 2002. Web. 28 Apr. 2010.

Beavis and Butt-Head

            The early ninety’s was a beginning for MTV television network, and a beginning for television shows about losers. Losers that can’t get anything right such as getting the girl or excel in school. A animated show that was aired on MTV was all about these losers. This show was called Beavis and Butt-Head.

            Beavis and Butt-Head live in a shabby house and sit around and watch music videos all day. They would either think the videos were “cool” or that they “sucked”. The videos would be cool if it had violence and images that represented sex. The videos sucked if it took some interpretation on what the video was trying to say. When they aren’t watching TV, they are either disrupting the teacher at school or drawing a paycheck at a fast food restaurant. Other activities they like to do are burn down houses or torture animals in which the animal ends up dying. Beavis and Butt-Head portray the types of teenagers that are looked down upon in society, and yet millions of teens watched this show. Parents that allowed this weren’t raising their kids properly and then wondered why their kids began disobeying. My mother wouldn’t let me watch this show and when I did I would get into trouble. She then blocked MTV for awhile until I was old enough to know better. The few times I watched Beavis and Butt-Head had an effect on me. I would try to mimic their voices and sayings like “Damnitt Beavis.” I was too soft hearted to torture animals so I didn’t have that problem, but many other kids did.

            Television shows of this nature should be banned because they are tasteless shows that teach young to not excel in life, but to rather be rebellious. Looking back I think I had a few boys in my class that watched Beavis and Butt-Head or shows like it.

Chapter 5 summary

            Films effect people in their everyday lives. Films have an effect on how we live from day to day.  Sometimes films make are just for entertainment and sometimes they make us take action. The movie Shrek is referred to as a movie and the film Walk the Line is labeled as a film. My opinion for this reason is because Shrek is just for entertainment and Walt the Line has meaning to it.

            To write about film first you must know the type of language the film is. A very good method of analyzing a film is to watch it the first time not taking any notes or anything. Then, the next time you watch it take notes and look closer at the aspects of the film.

      The invention of the television has had an impact on all aspects of American’s lives. It has affected how we work and interact with others. Americans on average watch up to four hours of TV every day, and have over two TV sets in their homes. The new inventions of technology make it possible to watch your favorite shows wherever you are. Inventions such as high tech cell phones and iPods.

           Children’s television is a popular babysitter for many American families. Kids will tune in on their favorite shows and stay quiet. Parents don’t have to pay for a babysitter or worry about if their kids are in good hands. But are the kids really in good hands? What are parents teaching their kids to do for past time activity? This could be a reason why Americans have become more obese in recent years. Parents should stop and consider what bad habits they are teaching their kids.

             Comedy shows are based off of humorous events that happen in everyday life. Shows such as Seinfeld and Friends have many scenes of funny events that entertain their viewers at home. Animated comedy shows have become popular in recent years, and many adults watch them. You could say they are cartoons for adults. Shows such as Family Guy and The Simpsons fall in this category. It’s important for parents to know if these shows are suitable for their children.

         TV is America’s favorite past time activity and this will probably never changed. Before you know it our eye glasses will have TV shows projected over them so we will never miss our very important shows.

            Like many of Americans, I spend a lot of my time watching TV. As a kid the commercials were about new snacks and toys that were hitting the shelf. Now that I’m older and watch TV later at night, commercials are all about ways of getting fit fast. For example, the “Body by Jake” is a home acccesible piece of equipment that seems quick and easy but doesn’t suffice. Jack Lalanne had a different approach to fitness that was more realistic and showed results. Whether it’s by taking a pill or a do it all at home gym, TV commercials always show cheap trick that never gives you the results you hoped for. 

            Jack Lalanne has been the health guru since the 50’s is “an American fitness, exercise, and nutritional expert, celebrity, lecturer, and motivational speaker who is widely referred to as “The Godfather of Fitness”(Lalanne). He had his own television show “The Jack Lalanne Show”, which ran for thirty five years, was the longest running television show in history. He inspired his audience to get fit by doing the exercises himself that he wanted his followers to do. Today’s television health ads have paid actors endorsing the supplements or equipment that they don’t use themselves. Jack’s latest health item is the power juicer. The power juicer makes juice from fruits or vegetables with hardly no waiting time at all. Jack Lalanne has done many outstanding things that only someone in excellent fitness could do. At age forty Jack, “swam the length of the San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge underwater with 140 pounds of equipment, including two air tanks… an undisputed world record” (Lalanne). Another great accomplishment he has accomplished is at age forty five he, “completed 1,000 pushups and 1,000 chin-ups in 1 hour and 22 minutes” (Lalanne). If that didn’t make people believe the exercises that Lalanne endorses works, then I don’t know what would. Lalanne will turn ninety six this September and is one of the healthiest men on Finger tip pushups.   
        The “Body by Jake Tower” is a piece of equipment that attaches to your door and gives you up to 200 lbs of resistance. The commercial for this exercise machine has paid actors that are shredded like Greek gods doing exercises on the machine. This is a type of false advertising because the actors didn’t get in shape by using the Body by Jake Tower. This method of advertising is the complete opposite of what Jack Lalanne did to endorse his exercise methods. The Body by Jake is endorsed by one of UFC’s legends Randy Couture. One of the advertisings slogans are from Couture himself, “you wanna train like I do, get the Tower 200” (Jake). This slogan would catch the eyes of many UFC followers and would make them consider buying the tower. The problem with this slogan is that Randy Couture doesn’t train with this piece of equipment. Jack Lalanne never had any false advertising on his television show or commercials, and this could be the reason why everything Lalanne had his name on has done very well for him. So next time your thinking about buying a supplement that will make you lose weight, or a home gym that is said to be easy and fast, you should think about the paid actors that endorse the product. Body by Jake

                Even though the Jack Lalanne Show doesn’t air anymore, do workouts that are proven to work. Don’t fall victim to the late at night commercial scams that say how easy it is to lose weight and become fit. Anybody that works out and is fit will tell you that it isn’t easy to get the body you want.

 If you get bored you can check out Sarah’s Blog.

Works Cited

“Body by Jake.” Body by Jake. Body by Jake, 2009. Web. 5 Apr. 2010.

“Body by Jake Tower 200.” Youtube. Youtube. 2010. Web. 6 Apr. 2010.

“Jack Lalanne.” Jack Lalanne. BeFit Enterprises. 2010. Web. 5 Apr. 2010.

“Jack Lalanne Fingertip Pushups.” Youtube. Youtube. 2010. Web. 6 Apr. 2010.

Masculinity Roles 

            Muscle cars have always been viewed as masculine vehicles. Cars that were designed to have the qualities of a man. Qualities such as a broad stance and few curves like that of a woman. Stiff suspension that makes the car rough to ride in, but better for performance. A well fit man has strength and endurance just like the power train of a muscle car. Cars meant for a man to drive. The muscle car portrays American masculinity.           

            In the 1971 film, Two Lane Blacktop, starring James Taylor and Dennis Wilson, masculinity is portrayed through the two main characters making a living off of their souped up ’55 Chevy, “phlegmatically slouch from race to race, pitting their gray Chevy against any and all gearheads in order to make money for gas and food” (Bozzola 1). The driver of the Chevy is James Taylor and the mechanic is Dennis Wilson. Both the driver and the mechanic are masculine looking men with square chins and defined jawbones. The driver doesn’t ever show much emotion and always has a stern look on his face, while the mechanic does more talking and shows some emotion. The driver doesn’t care about anything that isn’t his problem and this is a masculine trait. The mechanic shows his masculine traits by always working on the car and by knowing what is wrong with it. He helps other racers by telling them what is wrong with their motor just by listening to it run. The ’55 Chevy was a masculine vehicle right off of the assembly line before the driver and the mechanic put a lot of work into it. They took out the heater so the car would be lighter. The front grille was removed so that the engine could get more air to it. The hood was also modified for better air flow. The car is very masculine by its looks and also how it runs. The car is painted a dull grey and doesn’t have flashy colors, which also shows masculinity. The car’s motor is a big block 454 that helps justify why the car never loses a race in the movie. The car masculinity fits right with the driver’s and the mechanic’s. 

            Cobra, the 1986 film starring Sylvester Stallone, is an action film conveying the hero, Lieutenant Marion ‘Cobra’ Cobretti, as a masculine, crime fighting, protective man with a car to match his persona. The movie is about a gang of serial killers who kill people at random. The gang targets a female model that witnessed one of their murders but got away. It’s Cobra’s job to protect the only witness from the psychopathic serial killers. Cobra is portrayed as a very masculine man because of his looks and his actions, “Crime is a disease. Meet the cure.” Lt. Marion Cobretti, nicknamed Cobra, is a sunglass wearing, tooth pick chewing cop who is all about getting the criminal and breaking the rules” (“Cobra”). The car Cobra drives is an early ‘50’s souped up Mercury that has many masculine qualities. It’s dark grey in color and has a powerful motor. The exhaust on the car is loud and any man wouldn’t be laughed at for driving this car. The car resembles Cobra in many ways. Cobra is an aggressive man and that’s the way his car is driven, aggressive. The car is a dark color and Cobra wears dark colors as well. Another trait the car and Cobra have in common is that they’re both loud. Cobra says what on his mind and isn’t afraid if he hurts your feelings or not. The car’s exhaust is loud and you can always hear it coming. Cobra and his ‘50’s Mercury is a perfect match for each other.           

            In the 1968 movie, Bullitt, starring Steve McQueen as detective Frank Bullitt and directed by Peter Yates, masculinity is shown through the main character, his car, and the famous car chase scene. Detective Bullitt is a San Francisco cop that is assigned to protect a witness for the weekend until his trial Monday morning. The Mafia’s boss puts a hit on the witness and someone on the police force has informed the kingpin where the witness is hiding. The hideout gets ambushed and the witness has been killed. Detective Bullitt is determined to catch the hitman and the mafia’s boss that hired him. Detective Bullitt is viewed as a masculine detective because he is a well respected cop that won’t let anything stop him from serving justice. Bullitt’s car is a dark Highland Green 1968 Ford Mustang GT 390 CID Fastback. The car has masculine qualities by the square body and the 325 horsepower under the hood. The making of the famous car chase scene at the end of the movie portrays masculinity by being the first chase scene that was quality. This resembles masculinity by how in society the males usually are the first to set out and do something new on their own. For example, the Founding Fathers of our country were all men that rebelled against the King of England by signing the Declaration of Independence. Still today the chase scene is rated as one of the best by a rating of fourth on the Popular Mechanics webpage. New mustangs are being made in honor of the original Bullitt mustang, “… a 2008 Ford Mustang Bullit, a “tribute car” to the 1968 Mustang driven by Steve McQueen in the 1968 movie Bullitt”(Lambert 1). Men still want a car like Bullitt’s because they think it will make them more masculine. 

            Through looking at these three movies it is easy to see how the muscle car is a symbol of masculinity in America. These movies have masculine cars that help the main characters be viewed as masculine. Muscle cars are still being made today even though the only reason consumers buy them are for there masculine looks and power. There are far more efficient vehicles that are better on gas mileage and have better safety ratings, not to mention a much cheaper price tag.

                      Check out Katy’s page

Works Cited

Bozzola, Lucia. “Two Lane Blacktop Synopsis.” Moviefone. AOL, n.d. Web. 25 Mar.          

2010. 

Huffman, John. “10 Best Movie Car Chases in Movie History.” Popular Mechanics.   Popular Mechanics, 26 June. 2008. Web. 28 Mar. 2010. 

“Cobra.” IMDB. Amazon, 2008. Web. 27 Mar. 2010. 

Lambert, Lance. “Bullit Baubles a Bargain.” Mustangs Northwest. VSM, 2010. Web 28   Mar. 2010.

American Muscle Car Analysis 

             The term “muscle car” means a high performance two door vehicle that was created in the late 60’s and discontinued in the mid seventies due to EPA regulations and shortage of gasoline. Today the price of these antiques is well beyond what they were when the cars were new. Many people collect these antiques and blogging about their muscle car is one of their hobbies. The Ford Mustang Mach 1 and the Plymouth Road Runner are just two of many muscle cars. 

           The Road Runner blog was written by a guy named Chuck who actually owns the car. The Road Runner is Chuck’s favorite car and has been ever since he saw one as a kid in the late sixties. This blogs gives the history of the car. The other blog is about the Ford Mustang Mach 1 and it provides background information about the car as well. The Mustang blog has a picture of the car that helps support the writing because it lets the reader visualize what the car looks like, as where the Road Runner blog does not have an image. If a reader is unfamiliar with muscle cars then he or she may not know what the vehicle that the blogger is writing about looks like.

            Both of these blogs focus on one subject and that is the muscle car that the blogger has written about. These two blogs are ironically structured the same and start out talking about the heart of the muscle car which is the engine. Both bloggers go into detail about the specs of the engine such as how many cubic inches it is and how much torque and horsepower they put out. Next both bloggers discuss the looks of the car. The Road Runner blog goes on to tell you how the car changes over the years, as where the Mustang blog gives you the prices of the additional styling options such as a ram air hood.

            Advertisement is found on both of these blog’s pages. The advertisement has to do with muscle cars on both blogs. The Road Runner blog has only one advertisement which is eBay Motors. The Mustang blog has many advertisements all about places to either buy muscle cars or parts for the car. The Mustang blog also has an eBay Motors advertisement. The advertisements don’t distract the reader from the blogs since the advertisements are related to the blogs topic.

            From both of these blogs I get the impression that muscle cars are very important to car enthusiasts since people are blogging about cars that are over forty years old. People always refer to the sixties as the good old days and I believe that muscle cars had a very important role in that. Driving a muscle car isn’t like driving just any car, it’s a thrill and an experience people cherish. The biggest aspect I get from both of these blogs are the big, powerful engines that muscle cars have. Having all that horsepower respond to when you mash down on the gas pedal and the car slides out of control is a lot of the craze about muscle cars. Almost every boy dreams of owning a muscle car someday.

            The era of muscle cars began in 1964 when Pontiac made the first of many, “Detroit was racing to put more powerful engines in its biggest cars when General Motors’ Pontiac division took a detour in 1964 and created a $296 option for its midsize Tempest. By adding a bigger V-8 engine to Aunt Martha’s economy car, Pontiac created the prototype of the all-American muscle car — the rocket-powered family sedan (Mayersohn 1).” Soon car companies began making their own versions of muscle cars. A race soon began between the companies to out do one another. The muscle car enthusiasts loved this because there was always a better car that was soon to hit the dealerships.

            In my opinion the muscle car was the best thing that has ever happened to the car industry and i’m almost certain the two bloggers above would agree. I believe that the information the bloggers provided is true since  everything they were blogging about made sense. Muscle cars are truely pieces of art that are equipped with powerful motors. The muscle car era is coming back since the baby boomers are now middle aged men that have a high income and can afford to relive their adolescents, “They are purchasing the cars for four times as much as they were when they were brand new. Many guys are buying the muscle cars and restoring them to superb condition. Today many car companies are building new and improved muscle cars that still resemble the old muscle cars (Holloway 1).”

            The information that the bloggers wrote goes with my research mainly because I’m researching muscle cars and that’s what they are blogging about. The blogger’s information gives me an understanding of what it would of been like to live in the era of the muscle car. The Road Runner blog is both an informative piece as well as an opioniated; the Mustang blog is strictly informative. I hope you have the same passion for muscle cars as i do, or at least respect them.

             Check out Katie’s Blog

Works Cited

Chuck. “Plymouth Road Runner.” American Muscle Car Blog. American Muscle Car Blog, 2008. Web. 24 Feb. 2010.

“Ford Mustang Mach 1.” Classic Muscle Cars. Classic Muscle Cars, 2010. Web. 24 Feb. 2010.

Holloway, Andy. “A Sweet Ride.” Canadian Business 75.12 (2002): 73. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 24 Feb. 2010.

Mayersohn, Norman. “When Pontiac Meant Muscle.” New York Times 03 May 2009: 3. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 24 Feb. 2010.

Bibliography

Lico, Nick. “High-performance helped define generation of speed-loving drivers.” Advertising Age 79.34 (2008): C-44. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 24 Feb. 2010.

Woodyard, Chris. “Race-car driver makes name bulking up muscle cars.” USA Today n.d.: Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 24 Feb. 2010.

Restoring a Classic

    Having a forty year old muscle car in supreme condition is many car enthusiast dream, but it is vary rare to find such a car without it being restored. A TV show came out in 2004 about a crew that would give a car fanatic their dream of getting their old junk classic car restored to perfection in just seven days. This show is called Overhaulin and is lead by Chip Foose. A perfect leader for the show because Foose has been into restoring cars since the age of seven, “All of my interest is based on my childhood experiences in the shop with my dad (Schwartzapfel).” This guy lives for restoring classics.

    The show starts out with Foose’s team stealing the soon to be restored car from the owner, “Hey this is Mark Greep, the guy who got his fastback stolen (Overhaulin).” The owner has no clue on what’s going on since either his family or friends sent in the application to get the car restored. Many pranks are played on the owner throughout the show to keep the owner from getting suspicious. Once the car is in the shop, Foose’s team starts the “Deconstruction” phase of the TV show. The car gets stripped down to nothing but bare metal. More than likely while they are doing this a bunch of rust is found on the vehicle that has to be fixed. Once the car is stripped down, then the crew starts prepping the vehicle for it to be painted.

    In the paint booth the design, which was created by Chip Foose, is laid out on the car. The design is approved by either the car owner’s family or friends. Many coats of paint are sprayed on the car to make sure the paint job is to perfection since the paint is viewed the most on a car. They paint everything from the trunk to under the hood and everything in between. After the car is painted and has had time to dry, it is ready for it to be put back on the chassis and all of its components like the interior and drive train are to be installed.

    The newly refinished interior is usually put in first. The car’s seats are installed after being reupholstered with a stylish design that matches the car’s theme. All the rest of the interior is installed and a new sound system is added to the vehicle. Next the drive train is to be bolted in. A big, powerful crate motor that has been donated is crammed under the hood. After everything is installed and ready to go, the motor is fired up for the first time and the crew gets excited because they know that the car is almost ready. A few last minute touch up jobs such as waxing the car to get it all shiny and presentable is all that is left before the car is ready to be reunited with its owner.

    One last prank is usually played on the owner to get him to the bodyshop. When the owner gets to the shop then Foose greets him and tells him that he has been chosen to be on Overhauling. The owner is then blindfolded and brought inside. Once the owner is standing in front of his car the blindfold is taken off and the owner is overwhelmed with his newly restored car. He now owns a car that is one of a kind since it was built by Foose, ”Chips cars will be seen as some of the greatest works of our era (Marco 1).” The owner’s dream has come true.

    Check out Katie’s blog.

Works Cited  

Holzman, David C. “New Life for Old Cars.” Atlantic Monthly (10727825) 286.5 (2000): 109-113. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 10 Feb. 2010.

Marco R. della, Cava. “Chip Foose Overhaulin’ Mainstream Designs.” USA Today n.d.: Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 10 Feb. 2010.

“Overhaulin ’65 Mustang.” Youtube. Youtube, 2008. Web. 11 Feb. 2010.

Schwartzapfel, Stuart. “Cars That Tell a Story, by Design.” BusinessWeek Online (2006): 19. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 12 Feb. 2010.

Bibliography

Ulrich, Lawrence. “THE $4,000,000 PLYMOUTH.” Fortune 152.8 (2005): 192-210. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 11 Feb. 2010.

White, Bailey. “Someday the old junker will be a neat car again.” Smithsonian 22.6 (1991): 144. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 12 Feb. 2010.

   The article called “Turning Old Muscle Cars into Road Warriors”   is about how people such as Jay Leno are having their old, classic muscle cars tuned up so they drive like modern day cars. It goes on by saying how Jay had his favorite car completely redone so he could drive it with ease. There are many people who do this to their classic cars and it ruins them. The cars depreciate in value because they lost their originality.

   Muscle cars have been around since the mid sixties. For over forty years the muscle car has been an icon in American history and in people’s lives. People have a long history of defining themselves by the car they drive, and judging others in this same way. What you drive can mean different things to different people, but for most people it reflects financial and social status. For people who wanted to be thought of as masculine then the muscle car was the way to go. This is the reason why muscle cars are very popular still today. The stance of a muscle car just looks mean and powerful.

   When you get into a muscle car and start driving it down the road, you want to feel like you’re in a muscle car and not in a modern day car. You want the feelings of a forty year old car so you can see how it was to drive the car back in its day. Feelings such as pressing firmly on the brake when you want to stop, or having to put out some effort to make the car turn. Not getting the fast response of a fuel injected engine but the slower response of a carbureted one. Taking corners with caution so you won’t roll the classic. Feel the bumps in the road when you’re driving down the road. These are all feelings a muscle car should have. Some of today’s car collectors don’t want these feelings. 

A new breed of car collectors wants more. So they are giving classic muscle cars updated disk brakes, oversized radial tires, better shocks and other equipment to get the ride and comfort of today’s cars. Some enthusiasts also install traction control, anti-lock brakes and air bags to give the old cars the latest in safety equipment. The key to all of this is keeping the original look of the car while hiding the new technology under the hood (USA Today).

    People like Jay Leno that have their classic cars transformed to where they drive like modern cars don’t get any of the feelings the muscle car should have. They have things done like adding new suspension and traction control installed. Traction control doesn’t let the vehicle do burnouts and slide corners. This is a lot of the reason for horsepower and by adding traction control it defeats the purpose.   Leno had his favorite car the ’66 toronado restored with the technology of today so it would perform like a modern car. He traded out the chassis and suspension on his toronado for the suspension of a corvette. He had a fuel injected V-8 engine installed so it would have better response and reliability. All of the changes made the car not original anymore and therefore it isn’t worth as much. The article states, “Any changes to the original factory-delivered car decrease its value with purist collectors, who typically pay the most for classic cars. But the purists often are more interested in putting their classic cars in shows rather than driving them regularly.”

If you want to view some muscle cars click here. Or click here for Katie’s blog

WORKS CITED

“Turning Old Muscle Cars into Road Warriors.” USA Today 2004: Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 1 Feb. 2010.

Bibliography

Lambert, Emily. “Muscle Car.” Forbes 13 Aug. 2007.: Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. 31 Jan. 2010.

Matt, Krantz. “Cars Flex More Muscle than Stocks.” USA Today n.d.: Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 1 Feb. 2010.

   This still shot image came from the movie Bullitt where detective Bullitt is chasing the criminal down the streets of San Francisco. I chose this picture because its an exciting picture to me and anyone else who is a fan of muscle cars. It’s exciting to me not only because it’s Ford’s greatest muscle car, but it is also airborne.

   This is probably the most representable picture from this movie. I say this because this movie is known for its car chase scene at the end of the movie. In order for the director to get his cars to ramp the hills of San Francisco he had to have the cars modified. The Charger’s construction was actually quite advanced, with a unitary construction rather than a body on a chassis. Dodge described the unibody as being better able to resist the twisting and bending forces the cars endured than the separate body and frame construction that most cars had (Crosse 63). The stunt coordinator decided that this would not be enough with all the jumping the car would do, so he had the car modified. The car’s torsion bars were shortened, heavier duty dampers were fitted, and the lower control arms were shortened. They also swapped the multi leaf cart springs for some higher rated police spec springs (Crosse 63).

   Detective Bullitt’s Mustang GT took alot more work than the Charger. The Mustang’s motor was tuned up so it could keep up with the Charger. The car did not have the unibody like the Charger had so the frame had to be strengthened with bracing struts. The suspension was changed out all around on the Mustang with better leaf springs and the standard shock absorbers were changed out with heavy duty ones (Crosse 63).

   Safety measures were taken before filming any chase scenes. “All key components on both cars were magnafluxed ( a crack-testing process) to avoid any catastrophic failures during the high-speed action, and both cars were fitted with highly rated Firestone tires (Crosse 63).” Safety measures were taken as far as wrapping the Charger’s wooden steering wheel with a leather cover for supreme grip. Now that’s saying something for the safety of the stunt drivers for a filming in the Sixties.

   In order to create such a terrific chase scene which is still ranked high in today’s time, they had to have powerful cars that could get up to speed quickly.They also had to have light enough cars that would ramp great distances since they didn’t have the special effects like we have today. The power was no problem since they chose two muscle cars for their movie. The Charger was equipped with a 375 horsepower engine that was elite during the time. The Mustang had a 325 horsepower engine which was still a very fast car. The cars in the Sixties were much lighter than today’s cars because crash safety didn’t play a big role back then. With the cars being lighter, they were able to ramp higher and much farther. The producers of Bullitt only had two of each of the cars to work with, and one of the Mustang’s was sent to the crusher early in the filming. In today’s films alot more vehicles are used.

WORKS CITED

Crosse, Jesse. The Greatest Movie Car Chases of All Time. St. Paul: Motorbooks, 2006.

 Motor-Trendz. “Bullitt-The Mustang.” Photo. Bing.com