===Berrymore/Sandler - Movie Car===

MNAirHead · Post by **MNAirHead** » Thu Feb 10, 2005 6:29 pm

Howdy.

I'm sure you've seen the beast for sale.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayI ... eName=WDVW

Crazy question

What's up with the hub caps --- nver tried it --- did they force bus caps onto stock rims?

germansupplyscott · Post by **germansupplyscott** » Sat Feb 12, 2005 5:49 pm

they are not stock rims. thing rims have no holes. that car has been converted to late beetle 4-bolt pattern.

suntour · Post by **suntour** » Sat Feb 12, 2005 8:30 pm

I am not sure I would want a car with simulated rust either. I have enough trouble with real rust.

Kubelmann · Post by **Kubelmann** » Sun Feb 13, 2005 12:20 pm

For $7K and reserve not met you could get a much better Thing. With 4 bolt wheels you get bug drums. SOmething is really weird about this Thing. It has a 73 cooling shroud, no evidence of ever having a gas heater and not rear muffs. No sun visors, the car was repainted without removing the interior door hardware. To make matters worse.. which one of the movie cars would you end up with.. You can see two in one of the pictures. Unless you are just dying to own a "real live" movie car, you would have to be a "real live" jerk to buy this Thing.. Even the motor looks not right. Check out the air cleaner connecting tube. K-mann

germansupplyscott · Post by **germansupplyscott** » Sun Feb 13, 2005 12:27 pm

k-mann,

you are right on.

i work in the film business, and i would never buy a movie car unless you are going to put it in a museum, even then. i get pretty close to the picture cars, sometimes it is my job to oversee the "fake rust" and so forth. most of the time the vehicles are absolute crap underneath all that scenic paintwork. they only barely have to drive to be worthy of being called a picture car. stay away.

Kubelmann · Post by **Kubelmann** » Sun Feb 13, 2005 12:53 pm

Having worked a bit in the industry a bit myself, I can not agree with you more. I worked on Mr Magestic with Charles Bronson and some others. We worked up over a dozen ford trucks for his one chase scene. Every one of those trucks (none of them repainted) were from various bone yards and brought back to life for their 15 minutes of fame.

One exception to this is "Thelma" The T- birds from Thelma and Louise. I worked on that car with Gary Cadron (His father opened Cadron VW in LA (the first VW dealership in LA...)

We trailered the real Thelma out of a field in Kansas for $300. We bought it becasue the frame and drive line were perfect. Did a body off resto that cost over $20K just in parts. The car was built for the Movie but was actually built for the movie's Director Producter Ridley Scott. When Louise throws her stuff in the car when they first take off, Ridley had a cow because he thought Gina Davis had scratched the paint. That is one of the few scenes in the movie when the "real" "Thelma" was used. We built a good number of cars for the movie including the one that goes off the cliff at the end of the movie. That was no model that was a parts car that was put together from all the left over parts. It was a real junk pile with a fast fresh coat of unsanded paint. "Thelma" was one of the coolest cars I have ever worked on in my life. K-mann

suntour · Post by **suntour** » Sun Feb 13, 2005 5:41 pm

I worked on this one short where we had a Ford Explorer hooked up to an air ram. It was a junk yard special with the worst gold paint job I have ever seen. A $99 Earl Scheib paint job would have been a massive improvement. We sat around all night watching this thing get flipped on its side with the ram and having the actor smash the windshield and heads lights out with a sledge hammer. It was a lot of fun. I also owned an Explorer at the time and wished I could do the same to mine. That was the biggest P.O.S. I have ever owned. I wonder what ever happened to that SUV.

dr. no · Post by **dr. no** » Sat Feb 19, 2005 8:28 am

Well, at least it didn't sell...
Looks like they very nicely simulated rocker Bondo for the true effect as well. And that looks like a real Thing rim behind the seat.
Odd that they would show both the "hero" car and the other in the background--which do you think you would end up with?
Now they're auctining Vin Diesels tires--think he'll miss them when he looks out the window?

Captain Spalding · Post by **Captain Spalding** » Sat Feb 19, 2005 7:47 pm

Stay away from picture cars. They are modified in any way that serves the movie production, with only an eye to expediency and cost, and without regard to their future value, or to the unlucky subsequent owner.

Bad news.

Kubelmann · Post by **Kubelmann** » Sat Feb 19, 2005 11:21 pm

Look again at the rim behind the seat.. (NOT Thing) I thought so too at first but.. That rim is slotted. Thing rims are solid. K-mann

MNAirHead · Post by **MNAirHead** » Sun Feb 20, 2005 4:38 am

Interesting ride -- I sat through the entire movie and never noticed all the changes that are on the ebay ad.

Kubelmann · Post by **Kubelmann** » Sun Feb 20, 2005 8:17 am

I drove my family nuts. We rented the DVD and I stopped the movie and replayed every part again and again looking for details of the cars mdoifications. If you look how the car runs down the road I even have doubts if under that Thing body lies a real Thing pan and suspension. Somthing is funny about the fender clearance.

Some other interesting facts

At this point 4577 people have view this car on ebay.
The reserve price was not met
It did not sell.
You can get a fairly nice Thing for $7K

For example check out this show winning $6K Thing on Samba

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/pix/602873.jpg

K-mann

Kubelmann · Post by **Kubelmann** » Sat Feb 26, 2005 6:59 am

The 50 first dates Thing is back up on eBay. This time it is listed at $4K with no bids yet. Pitty the buyer who goes for this one. K-mann

Überkübel · Post by **Überkübel** » Thu Mar 03, 2005 4:57 pm

I noticed the lack of visors when I watched the movie- I figured it was on purpose so that the actors' faces wouldn't be obscured. Now I think that it's just because the car is a hack job fixed up by Hollywood Junkyard Mechanics, and they forgot about the visors!

Kmann- that's cool as hell that you worked on Mr. Majestyk. Bronson (R.I.P.) is my hero!

Kubelmann · Post by **Kubelmann** » Thu Mar 03, 2005 7:35 pm

Überkübel, Glad you share my admiration for the late great Bronson. He was as cool in real life as on the screen. A great human for sure. I had family connects that got me the shot a working those trucks. It was very fun making all the hack jobs for stunt driver and Bronson to destroy in under a 2 minute drive. The best part was a bar-B Que when Bronson asked who built the trucks and then thanked each of us for our efforts in creating protective support so he was not hurt. He was an awesome person and actor. Please share any info you have on gathering Thing parts via Indonesia. Pmail me so we can discuss any contacts or info you may have. Thanks. More later, K-mann

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===Berrymore/Sandler - Movie Car===

===Berrymore/Sandler - Movie Car===

Let me add my voice to the rest.