Here at Cars + Movies, we’re quite fond of Adam Carolla’s “The Car Show” on Speed TV. Fun cast, cool cars and overall pretty well done. It’s not Top Gear, but they’re finding a good pace and tone. In episode 8, they pitched Magnum PI’s 308 GTS Ferrari against… a V6 Toyota Camry and the Back To The Future DMC Delorean against a, oh man… a Toyota Sienna. So… a Ferrari against the most vanilla car on the road today and an 80’s icon with gull-wing doors against a minivan. Ahem… Sounds like the Toyotas stand no chance, right? Well, think again. Or if, like us, you’re not that much into thinking, you can just watch the video after the jump.

|Source: Speed TV |

Don’t miss his visit to the 2010 Chicago Autoshow or his impressions from the Houseware Trade Show either!

We’re not entirely convinced yet, but it looks pretty good.Bradley Cooper, Liam Neeson, Quiton Jackson & Jessica Biel are in and hearing hints of the theme song is exciting. But mainly, THE VAN is there! Can’t wait to see more!

Watch the trailer after the jump!

Hot on the heels of Tron (1982) came Automan, a TV show so successful only 12 episodes aired. Watching the intro I wonder why… although the kid in me knows I would have been all over it if I had known about it back then.

“I love it when a plan comes together.” Hannibal

A replica of the A-Team’s iconic mean of transportation needed to be built for a pilot (yep, a pilot, as in “the show could come back on TV” !!), so Ted Moser and his team got to work and assembled a correct replica of the van. Beside a few modern components such as an iPod dock and an on-screen navigation system, everything is period correct, from the hand-painted turbine wheels to the awesome reel-to-reel in the back. It was nice to see it in it’s real three-tone combo too, unlike some toys on the market where the van is all black with the red stripe. Talking about the paint, one of our fellow Cars+Movies gearhead noted how good the paint job was for such a big surface. The finish was mirror-like and it really popped out. This Chevrolet Cargo Van (the original was a GMC Vandura, but they’re similar in shape) is powered by a 350 V8.

Keep reading and see our photo gallery after the jump!

Recently a similar replica got sold on eBay for more than $25,000. Last Saturday this one (which is in no doubt closer to the original, since it was spec’ed out by Universal Studios) found a new lucky owner for only $15,000. That could have made a nice daily driver!
The auctionneer also added that Universal could need the van for the upcoming A-Team movie. It’s supposed to come out on June 10th, 2010 but, so far, it seems to be a lot of rumors an very little facts. Liam Neeson is said to be negotiating to play Col. John “Hannibal” Smith, and Bradley Cooper (from the Hangover and Wedding Crashers) is rumored for the role of Lt. Templeton “Faceman” Peck.

We shot the low-res video above when the van arrived for its auction, with screeching tires, theme song and PCW crew members jumping out from the sliding door like Murdock, B. A. Baracus, Hannibal and Faceman would have done. Classic!

Enjoy our gallery!

Being able to seat in the A-Team van was a childhood dream came true.

Last Saturday, August 15th, a big movie props and vehicle auction was held at LA Center Studios. Most of the movie cars came from Picture Car Warehouse, Hollywood’s biggest provider of wheeled heroes, villains, stars and extras. PCW was founded by Ted Moser and has supplied vehicles for hundred of movies and TV shows, including the Fast and Furious franchise, Knight Rider, Grindhouse, XXX, Mad Men, Transformers and Indiana Jones. Up for auction were, among others, the green chopper from Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen that Megan Fox liked so much, along with the “Barricade” Saleen Mustang and the “Landmine” sandrail, the van from Little Miss Sunshine, some Challengers fromThe Bucket List, the ‘32 hot rod from the latest Indiana Jones, KITT from the TV movie Knight Rider 2000, a pair of humongous H2s from Dragonball , an F-Bomb Camaro from Fast & Furious… and an A-Team van replica! A few cars from other collectors and a lot of props were there as well.

Cars + Movies was there and we had the chance to meet and chat with the excellent Ted Moser, who proved to be a very approachable and knowledgeable car guy. He also gave a lot of explanations about the cars and the work that goes into them during the course of the event, whenever one of them went up.
A lot of effort is put by his crew to fabricate the vehicles in record time and with a lot of attention to details. And most of the time they make several copies of them, for instance one for close-ups, a few for the stunts and chase scenes…
Now, we don’t go to auctions very often and the atmosphere is electric, very fun. Unlike when you watch Barrett-Jackson on Speed, you really get caught up in the tension and the enthusiasm from both the buyers and the the auctioneer.

Seeing the stars in person is a bit like spotting a celebrity: some are just as beautiful, and some are better in makeup. But all around it was fantastic to see them up close and see a bit of what goes on behind the scenes. Call it nerdy, but being able to seat in the A-Team van was a childhood dream came true… and we’re dedicating an article and a gallery to it! So stay tuned.

The steal of the day was a ‘74 Challenger made to look like a ‘70, equipped with a 5.7L 360hp Hemi crate engine that went for $12,500. Keep reading for more prices and our huge photo gallery!

To learn more: iCollector.com, Picture Car Warehouse

Farrah Fawcett and Burt Reynolds

Farrah Fawcett has died today after a long battle with cancer. Best known for her leading role in the 1970’s TV show Charlie’s Angels, she was an iconic figure of Hollywood and glamour. In the 1981 cult movie The Cannonball Run, written by Brock Yates and directed by Hal Needham, she co-starred Burt Reynolds, Roger Moore, Dom DeLuise, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Terry Bradshaw and Jackie Chan. She was the first character to appear on screen, getting out of a fantastic Lamborghini Countach.

|Source: Inside Line|

Watch her in the intro and of The Cannonball Run right after the jump.

Intro

Trailer

We always thought it would be fun to build a car a la Mad Max, but using that car to shoot at other remote-controlled vehicles with REAL weapons seemed like a wild dream… until we heard about Discovery Channel’s new show, Weaponizers. It pitches two teams of fabricators against each other, using old clunkers as a base to fit a given set of weapons… The result is explosive and some of the vehicles would have looked real good in movies.Tune in soon!

Source: Gizmodo

With Transformers on its second instalment already and G.I Joe coming soon in theatres, we have good hope to see the a live-action movie in the next few years (but should we…?) and that’s what some fan thought too when he put a trailer together on his computer. Yeah it’s a bit amateurish, but still it’s still cool that he spent the time and energy to make it!

Watch his work after the jump.

And of course,the real cartoon intro: