Autographed by Carroll Shelby, this Eleanor replica is true to the movie ‘Gone in 60 Seconds’, down to the nuts and bolts. It was built by the much troubled Unique Performance which packed 585hp in the 427 Ford V8 engine. The rest of the car follows up with a lot of performance parts and a beautiful finish. It took $110,000 for a lucky bidder to get his hands on it a few days ago at the Barrett-Jackson auctions in Scottsdale, AZ.

Gone in 60 Seconds (2000), with Nicolas Cage, Angelina Jolie and
Robert Duvall, was a remake from the 1974 eponymous movie.

Gallery

And here’s a little sum up found on the auction page:

Summary: 1967 Carroll Shelby GT500E built by Unique Performance. Fully loaded with many options including upgrade to Keith Craft 585hp/427cid aluminum Fuel Injected V8, Tremec 5-speed and 3.89:1 9″ gears. Grey with black stripes.

Details: Carroll Shelby autographed “Eleanor” from Unique Performance. Pepper Grey Metallic with black stripes and equipped with many options including air conditioning, 15″ LeCarra wooden steering wheel for Cobras, hi-back leather bucket Seats, 4-point racing seat belts, Phantom II Autometer gauges, 160MPH speedometer, Eclipse CD stereo package, power steering, Total Control Products rack & pinion power steering, Goodyear Eagle series tires, Baer Brakes, slotted, cross-drilled and zinc-washed rotors, 16 gallon fuel cell, MSD Ignition system, JBA ceramic coated tuned headers, dual exhaust, Spin Tech aluminum mufflers and Griffin aluminum radiator with electric cooling fan. Kustom Classic upgraded Eleanor with a Keith Craft 585hp/427cid Fuel Injected all aluminum V8 with a Tremec 5-speed transmission. The new engine and transmission have less than 1,000 miles on them.

| Source : Barrett-Jackson | all images copyright: Barett-Jackson |

The release of Iron Man in theatres is getting close, so there’s more and more spots on TV to promote it. The latest shows some cool gadgets and Iron Man catching an Audi R8 like you would catch a pillow during a pillow fight flash mob. Brakes my heart every time to see that poor Shelby Cobra getting smashed though…
Iron Man will be out on May 2nd.

We just opened it and you’ll find our main photo galleries there, including some new ones, along with wallpapers. The Bullitt Mustang, the Knight Rider, I Am Legend, The Golden Compass… they’re all there.
Keep an eye on it, new stuff will be added soon. And if you have any requests, leave a comment! You have to leave your email address to do that, but we won’t use it or give it to anyone. Word.

In less than a month, the legendary Barrett-Jackson auction event will be held in Palm Beach, Florida. From March 27 to March 30, hundreds of car aficionados and investors will gather in the coastal city to see and maybe buy some of the rarest and most beautiful cars in the world. The Barret-Jackson auctions are also famous because of the star cars they offer, such as Bo’s General Lee (see our article) or the Monkeemobile.

This time though, a much more recent star will be up for sale: the Shelby Mustang GT500KR from the new Knight Rider. Or to be precise, two of them, since the lot is comprised off the normal KITT and the Attack Mode KITT. The buyer will make a good action too, since 100% off the proceeds will be donated to Salute to Education (a scholarship program funded by Ford).

While this is all good and charitable, does it have a hidden meaning? Are they selling the cars because the show won’t come back as a regular series? Is it because the show is coming back but not the cars? Is it a publicity stunt?

Well, they made more one of each version of KITT, and the show did very well with 12.7 million viewers. According to the New York Times (via The Knight Rider Online), one of NBC Entertainment co-chairman, Ben Silverman, declared that ” its ratings success makes it a likely addition to NBC’s schedule when it is announced in April”. So either the cars will be replaced (or modified. Can it get the Turbo-Boost, please?), or Ford and NBC are killing two three birds with one stone, promoting the Mustang, promoting the show, and offering scholarships at the same time.

Anyway, we hope they raise a lot of money for the cause, and that the lucky bidder will take his new rides on the road. The kids will love it.

Source: Barret-Jackson

02/23/2008 update:
The first video we put up was removed:”This video is no longer available due to a copyright claim by NBC Universal” ….BUT you can see the whole movie on their website. But we found a new one, just for you!

NBC aired its two-hour movie “event” last night and of course we were in front of the TV.
While we were pleasantly surprised by the show -which was better than we expected- it could have been much better.

There’s been tons of reactions on the Internet, both by websites and their users, and they tend to be either very sour (like Autoblog and its “liveblog” (and most of the comments on it), or the Seattle Post Intelligencer), or very sweet (like the Knight Rider Online).
On NBC.com, the comments reflect the same trends: net-net wrote” We loved the way you combined the new knight rider with the original.It’s definitly a show we’ll continue to watch.” and Craig wrote “KNIGHT RIDER = 1 FAT FORD COMMERCIAL.”

So what was good, and what was awful? Here we go with our lists:

Pros

Cons

Anyway, NBC got good ratings out of it, since the Knight Rider Online revealed the show was second last night, just behind Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, earning a 6.9/10. So maybe we’ll get a full season next year or even in September…

In short, we almost liked it, we want to see it back, but please, NBC and gang, make some changes!

Be kind, rewind: if you’ve missed it, or want to see it again, the full movie is viewable/downloadable on NBC Video Rewind, for free.

On February 17th, right after the premiere of the two-hour Knight Rider movie, NBC and Ford will launch a contest where participants could win four Ford vehicles, including a Shelby Mustang GT500KR “just like KITT” (read black with matte black stripes).
To enter you will have to watch in order to be able to answer show-related questions. The sweepstake will end on February 18th, which could mean very quick results and one happy fellow.

Where to enter? Here.

Source: NBC

Update: watch the commercial for the contest after the jump.

Only a week away from the 2 hours pilot of the new Knight Rider, the marketing is getting more and more aggressive and NBC airing new commercials.
Here, Justin Bruening (as Mike Tracer) is being explained that the Foundation is back and that they want him to drive the car. He’s then seen driving it and gettting a first hand experience of KITT’s abilities (including not getting a single scratch from a crash with a full-size SUV).
It’s easy to tell we’re getting closer to the premiere since official website has gotten much better since we first told you about it (read “ The Knight Rider, 2008 edition“) and Ford product placement is way more visible.

Source: NBC

This video aired by Hollywood 411 shows the new KITT doing burnouts on the NBC lot. It’s the radio controlled version the Attack Mode car (the one with the many spoilers and black rims), and it’s impressive to see what the guy with the remote can make it do. The Hoff and the actors are also interviewed.

Watch the video after the jump.

800×600 wallpaper 

While researching some info about the new Knight Rider design, we stumbled upon the official Ford’s press release and found out some interesting facts.

KR

On January 10th we were talling about the KR suffix used for the new Shelby Mustang, and what a coincidence it was: “By the way, did you notice that originally KR stands for “King of the Road“, but is a perfect fit for the “Knight Rider“?”

Now, we should have read that press release first, since they talk about it in the intro:

DEARBORN, Mich. Dec. 13, 2007

When the 2008 Ford Shelby GT500KR launches this spring don’t be surprised if there’s some confusion over what the letters “KR” stand for.

While the super car has been known to racing fans as “King of the Road” since 1968, it’s about to star in a remake of the hit TV series Knight Rider making mix-ups inevitable.

“It’s purely a coincidence and a nice one at that,”" said Al Uzielli a senior advisor, to Ford Global Brand Entertainment the Ford office in Beverly Hills which works to place Ford branded vehicles in movies, TV and other media. “Auto enthusiasts will know what KR stands for. But most viewers will probably think it means Knight Rider; at least at first.”

Keep reading the press release after the jump

The popular American television series which ran from 1982 to 1986 starred David Hasselhoff as Michael Knight, a kind of modern day “knight”. His partner was an advanced Pontiac Trans Am with artificial intelligence. Not only could it talk, it could morph into an attack vehicle that accelerated to 300 mph, used a Turbo Boost to jump over obstacles and even drive itself.

In the new version, Hasselhoff returns, but the lead character is now Justin Bruening who plays Knight’s long-lost son Michael Tracer. Replacing the Pontiac is the KR which in real-life is about to launch a 40th anniversary limited edition with an engine output estimated at 540 horsepower.

But Knight Rider is more than just the product integration of a Ford vehicle into a plot line; it’s also a media sponsorship with commercials and promotions for Ford products interjected throughout the two hour program. If the ratings are good, NBC plans to turn the show into a weekly series this fall.

Knight Rider will provide Ford with the opportunity to showcase its new SYNC voice activated information and entertainment technology into the storyline in vehicles like the Focus and Edge. The arrangement allows NBC and Ford to co-promote both the movie and the cars at special events, in theaters, in print and on the internet.

“This is a completely car-centric show and my understanding is that NBC was heavily pursued by both GM and Chrysler,” Uzielli said. “We landed it because not only did we have the perfect car, we had the right logistics. Our advertising agency Teamdetroit had strong contacts on the business side and our team at Ford Global Brand Entertainment had a close relationship with the creative side including the new head of NBC Entertainment Ben Silverman.”

For many Knight Rider fans the casting of the car known as KITT (Knight Industries Three Thousand) is as important as the lead character.

In the movie version, KITT’s supercomputer is capable of hacking almost any system and its body – thanks to its creator’s work and nanotechnology – is capable of actually shifting shape and color. Plus, its artificial intelligence makes it the ideal good cop partner: logical, precise and possessing infinite knowledge. It is the ultimate car – and someone will be willing to do anything to obtain it.

For designers, the first challenge of creating a screen version of the “King of the Road” 2008 Shelby GT500KR, was that the car isn’t even on the road yet. The solution was to go to Galpin Auto Sports (GAS) who is well-known for creating one-of-a-kind vehicles in the California market.

GAS had one week to create the new KITT, and they pulled out all the stops. Six people worked full time to create the Mustang that would be sent over to Picture Car Warehouse as the father of all the KITT derivatives and stunt cars.

Not only does KITT make its appearance as a GT500KR but Knight Rider fans get to see KITT in three modes – HERO, ATTACK and camouflage versions.

The HERO is a standard 540-horsepower Shelby GT500KR and the ATTACK is a further modified high-speed version.

The GT500KR is built up from a Mustang GT with an automatic transmission to facilitate the driving scenes, stunts, and camera work necessary to produce the great action scenes in the movie. Stunt versions were also built for doing all of the aggressive driving maneuvers.

The ATTACK version was designed by Harold Belker who is also responsible for the vehicles in movies like Batman & Robin, Armageddon, Deep Blue Sea, Inspector Gadget, Battlefield Earth, Spider-Man, Minority Report, XXX, The Cat in the Hat and Superman.

Working with Belker was Ted Moser of Picture Car Warehouse and 25 automotive specialists who, created six variations of the GT500KR. The ATTACK car features a new rear bumper cover, two-tiered spoiler, side scoops and custom rocker panels… not to mention a completely modified interior to accommodate creative needs, shooting and post production computer graphics.

“Ford wanted to keep KITT as close to the Mustang Shelby GT500KR as possible,” Belker said. “Some may say the ATTACK version is a little over the top, but this isn’t about reinventing design language, it’s about being entertaining.”

By the time Knight Rider debuts in February, a Mustang will have already had extensive media exposure in the movie I Am Legend which opens December 17. Starring Will Smith, the story gives major screen time to a Ford Shelby GT500. Between the two roles, the Mustang brand is about to get three months worth of the kind of Hollywood visibility not often seen by one product – or for that matter one star.

“I don’t think we’ve ever seen anything like this,” said Cindy Stacy, senior vice president and director of national broadcast for Teamdetroit. “The important thing is that while the Mustang has a starring role in both projects, other Ford vehicles are integrated throughout the films. In fact, in Knight Rider I think just about every Ford vehicle is accounted for.”

While some may see the timing of the two projects as pure luck, Frank Zazza, considered a legend in the product integration industry for placing products like Reese’s Pieces in the movie ET and Junior Mints in a well known episode of Seinfeld, says it’s more.

“You can only call it luck if you realize that being lucky is being prepared when the opportunity comes,” he said. “The people at Ford were prepared and they knew how to act quickly. They have been excellent at finding quality projects and putting the right vehicles into the right parts.”

Source: Shnack.com