capt_furious Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 The 1971 movie Vanishing Point used 5 1970 Dodge Challengers; 4 with 440 Magnums and A833 4-speeds, and one with a 383 Magnum and a 727 Torque Flite. There was once an excellent website that had a copious amount of info on the production of the movie, interviews with cast and crew, then & now photos of shooting locations, and trivia and details regarding the cars themselves. The site is unfortunately long gone. (Never mind, I think I found its remains!) The details I can remember is that the 440 cars were used for the lion's share of the filming, doing the chase and static scenes. The 383 car was used as a chase and camera car, and stunt car - it towed the stand-in Camaro for the final scene via a cable rig. Loftin' reasoning was that if a shift was missed, the cable would go slack. This is a movie with the legendary Carey Loftin as a driver and Max Balchowsky on wrenches. Loftin himself said that the only modification to the cars was extra-heavy duty shocks for the jump over no-name creek. The rest of the cars were stock from Chrysler as provided. I'd trust Carey Loftin's choice, use a manual. That, and you've got less to go wrong from a damage standpoint. No pan to puncture, no coolant lines to break, no coolant tank in the radiator or extra cooler on the front of the car. Pick the right trans and it won't overheat, and you don't have to worry about it slipping. If you really are in a SHTF situation, the adrenaline is going to be a lot more difficult to deal with than if road racing. Driving at 9/10ths will probably be a death sentence when that keyed up. Training is going to be more important than the car. Being able to stay cool and drive 'eyes out' rather than gearjamming and 'balls out' will probably be far more conducive to staying alive. Taking an evasive driving course will probably lend more to surviving a roadborne combat situation than the vehicle will. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeleriousZ Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 i'd definitely go flappy paddle tiptronic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nizm0Zed Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 hmm, what tranny does an Abrams have? you could get away at a comfortable yet unstoppable 45mph Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwi303 Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 hmm, what tranny does an Abrams have?you could get away at a comfortable yet unstoppable 45mph AFAIK all main battle tanks these days use Auto boxes. I remember seeing a picture of an early M! (with the 105mm gun) rearing up as it took off from a standing start. Those gas turbines can really move those beasts might be harder now with the heavier armour upgrades over the years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jknc90 Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 Those gas turbines can really move those beasts hmmm... anyone ever swap an Abrams engine into their z? haha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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