Rockford Files shooting locations, then and now!

I have to admit I am a sucker for fan stuff like this!  Being able to stand in the very place where movies or shows that I loved actually shot is just a fun “touchstone” to bring me closer to the action that I remember seeing on the big and little screen!  Below is super Rockford fan Jim Suva’s write up on his trip to Rockford Files locations!  The Herbie owners are planning a three day event to do pretty much the same thing for their Sothern California locations next month, so any group of fans can pull this sort of thing off, and if you do, well tell me about it with great info and photos like Jim does!  Enjoy! 

Nate Truman

Rockford Files Locations

 

Written by Jim Suva

In July 2011, Pat McKinney and I went to find the locations that were used on The Rockford Files.  Below are some of the locations we found.

Here is the original location of Jim Rockford’s trailer in the parking lot by the Malibu Pier on Pacific Coast Highway.

The first two pictures are from the show.  Last two are 2011.

   

First picture below is Lankershim Blvd. in 2011.  A number of scenes of Jim driving down this street have been used. The second picture is St Charles Boromeo.  The inside of the church was used while filming “Find Me If You Can”.  The church is located on the corner of Moorpark and Lankershim Blvd.

   

“The Real Easy Red Dog”  First picture is from the episode.  It shows the Services entrance to Ruehmanm Pontiac in 1975. The next picture is of the dealership today.  It now sells BMW’s.  The third picture is the house where Stefanie Powers character lived in 1975 and the fourth is 2011.

     

Jim entering the house and the side view of 4265 Denny Ave. North Hollywood.

    

“The Trees, the Bees, and T.T. Flowers”  The church is located on the corner of Cahuenga and Whipple in Toluca Lake.  The first two picture are from 1976.  The third picture was taken 2011.

     

“Beamers Last Case”  This is Tony’s Body Shop located at 4730 Blix Street in North Hollywood.  First picture is from 1977 and the next two are 2011.

   

Here is Jack Kelly’s characters home at 4365 Forman, Toluca Lake.  First picture is the gate to the property in 1977.  The next picture is the gate 2011.  Third picture is the driveway 1977.  Fourth is the driveway 2011.

   

“Hotel of Fear”  Here is the Mob Bosses Nova’s house located at 4256 Navajo, Toluca Lake.  First two pictures are from 1977 and the last two are 2011.

   

“Rosendahl and Gilda Stern are Dead”  The intersection is at Cahuenaga and Riverside Drive in Toluca Lake.  This is where Abe Vigoda and Robert Loggia’s characters met.  The first two pictures are from 1978 and the last two are from 2011.

   

This is Rocky’s House located at 3654 Lankershim Blvd., Studio City.  The house has had an addition built on the front of house.  It now has a row of trees in front.

   

This is Bob Morse’s Beach Cafe, Paradise Cove.  It use to be called the Sandcastle.  It has changed quite a bit over the last few years.  Jim Rockford’s trailer use to be parked in the parking lot.    That part of the  parking lot is now a sandy beach with tables.  Below are pictures of Paradise Cove, July 13, 2011.

I hope you enjoyed these pictures.  It is always nice to see what the locations look like today.

Star Car Central update! See famous movie and TV cars in August 2011~ to the batmobile!

OK star car fans, I have been asked to post more info on where we will be appearing so here ya go! Here’s the line up for the rest of August!

This Saturday Aug. 20, 2011 join Nate Truman and a big chunk of the Star Car Central gang for a  FUND RAISER for a  youth center in Montery Park.

Show Time: 3pm to 9pm

Location: Praise Alive Worship Center 201 S. New Ave., Monterey Park, Ca. 91755

Star Cars Confirmed so far:

1) Paul – BTTF DeLorean

2) Jason – Ratchett

3) Brian – Herbie or Bond

4) Oscar – Magnum PI

5) Jason – Herbie

6) Jon – Bumblebee

7) Sue – Get Smart

7) Ari – Jurasic Park Jeep

8) Mark – Adam 12

9) Alex – KITT

10) Nate in Batmobile! He’s actually going to bring it out of the garage, even after getting the right rims on his A-Team van! (I’ll believe it when I see it!)

So join us for some music and star car fun this Saturday!

Then on Sunday

AUG 21ST SUNDAY  SCC-SD CHARGER STEVE’S WILD RIDES AND CLASSIC CARS 6AM  
 This Sunday, if you are in the San Diego area, check out these SCC member’s cool movie and TV car rides!

http://www.chargersteve.com/pb/wp_8ca66bb4.html?0.31193643528426784
   BRIAN HERBIE OR BOND
JENNIFER KITT
LEE GENERAL LEE
STEVE SCOOBY DOO
MIKE TOWMATER
ARI JURRASIC PARK

TONY BANDIT

RICHARD PETTY CAR

Bikini Contests, star cars and great San Diego weather, what more do you want? Check it out!Aug 28th SUNDAY this yr. 9-4 ANIMAL ADOPTION EVENT
Ventura County Animal shelter. event is on August 28.At the shelter in the Camerillo Airport.This will be our 7th year and anywhere from 150-200 animals find homes that day. Event is located at: 600 aviation drive in Camarillo.

The shelter is located on the property of the Camarillo Airport.There will be signs that will be posted they will say adoptathon.Off ramp off the fwy is Los Posas.  Starcars attending as of today: Jon’s Transformer BUMBLEBEE Camaro and Brian’s Die Another Day
007  JAMES BOND CAR!  If you want to adopt a pet and can’t make it, send my pal Craig Nadel an email!

Craig Nadel

ruffbarber@yahoo.com
Thank you for choosing to adopt a special orphan in need of a loving home.
http://www.rescuemeinc.petfinder.com

Aug  31 wednesday SCC-SD Cajon Classic Cruise Star Car Event (The Wed night show) http://downtownelcajon.com/event_ccc.shtml
Back down in San Diego, Charger Steve is lining up some star cars Mid week for all to enjoy!

Gary’s  herbie
Steve Scooby Doo Van
Michael towmater tow truck
Lee      general Lee from Dukes of Hazzard will all be on display!

There are lots of events for the Cajon Cruise, but only this one has star cars!

So come on out and say “HOWDY!”  and bring your camera and friends!

STAR CAR NEWS FROM AROUND THE USA AND THE WORLD! GO TEAM SCC! (THAT’S STAR CAR CENTRAL!)

Starcar fans are all around the world, and starcarcentral.com is trying to keep up with all of our members and chapters so you can find the famous movie and TV car events near you!

One of the most active groups outside of Nate Truman’s  Hollywood division is run by Dee up in the upper left corner of the USA!  He has even started a “starcar Concourse”.  After searching for star cars all over the U.S. Dee and Nate found several owners and they all started hanging out together up north!  So heres the info on their upcoming event!

Its time for the big 5th Annual ‘Star Car Concourse Classic” show at the Americas Car Museum.

The show is always the last Saturday in August, this year the 27th, and is held at the LeMay Museum’s Marymount location in the Tacoma/Spanaway area. This will be a ‘sanctioned’ AMCA event, hosted by the International Movie & TV Vehicle Owners Association and madmaxcars.com. The larger event, the LeMay/Americas Car Museum’s “Openhouse” that we are featured at, is a VERY COOL annual event even if it were not for the moviecars contribution, so it is well worth the trip. You can find the basic details on our events page here: http://www.madmaxcars.com/events.shtml

Then out in the middle of the USA Michael Knight has a great group that is now doing Comic cons and features one of the two original Monkeemobiles!  Here’s a few shots of them sharing the star cars with fans of all shapes and sizes at a recent con!

"Robin, you seem.... Different?"

Original Ghostbuster Ernie Hudson showed up to see and sign the Ghostbuster tribute car (Hey, before you point out it’s not the right body style, not everyone can find a 1959 Mercury Meteor Ambulance, ok? )

Ghostbuster Ernie Hudson and SCC chapter leader Mike Knight!

Everyone had a great time chatting up Ernie about his time as a ghostbuster, and he even signed their car!

"To StarCarCentral.com, thanks for the cool car... what? I don't get to keep it?"

Like I mentioned before, They also have one of the two Monkeemobiles from the old TV series, and it showed up at a live Monkee show!

Well what did you expect them to be rolling in?

Meanwhile, over in Europe, France specifically, Claude has been hosting a great star car get together each year, and it keeps getting bigger each time!

And an article in the french mag “La Vie de l’Auto” The N°1 for the collectors in France! 🙂

Thanks to guys like Michael, Dee, and Claude – fan boys and girls around the US and the world have opportunities to see and get up close to their favorite movie and TV cars!

Where ever there are two or more starcars gathered in the SCC name, you are sure to have a party with some fun loving people!  So to all those who are lovers of cool creations for the screen,

thanks for being part of the star car movement in your neck of the woods!  TO THE BATMOBILE! Transformers, ROLL OUT!   If you see a star car, or better yet, a bunch of them together,

Make sure you say “HI” and tell them you saw them here first!

Wizard World Comic Convention and Star Car Central.com in Anaheim 3 day eventorama!

Wizard World Conventions are all over the U.S. and Canada and over the last few years I have sent a few area chapter members out to appear with their movie or TV car, mostly on the East Coast and Canada.  But when Adam West and Burt Ward, the original Batman and Robin make a rare appearance here in nearby Anaheim, well the batsignal goes up, and starcars roll out!   More of the original Bat cast was in attendance as well, Lee Meriweather who was catwoman in the Batman Feature film, Malichi Throne who played the villain “False Face” as well as a host of celebrities and artists from all walks of fandom!

Nateman (That’s me!) and my Natemobile were up near the entrance, and right in front of Batman and Robin! Even though I was a bit lonely without my star car pals, it was a fun time meeting all the batfans and helping to raise money for the “Friends of Angels” Autism Camp.  We are in our eighth year and going strong!

Meanwhile, in the back, the rest of the peanut gallery were putting on their own show, and having fun talking to the press and fans!

Paul agreed to a rare interview about his car.... 🙂

When it comes to any comic con, you never know what “crossgeeking” surprises you  will see. (Crossgeeking means a fanatical pursuit or interest in two divergent areas of traditional geekyness, Such as owning a Herbie the Love bug, and also speaking klingon – copyright Nate Truman 2001! Go ahead and google it!) Here is an example that popped up, a Flux Capacitor in a Magnum P.I. Ferrari!

The fans crowded in to see the star cars we had on display, and lots of interviews for various media outlets, both TV and online sites were constantly quizzing the star car owners in front of the cameras.

The crowds were non stop all day long, and everyone had a great time checking out costumes, artists and celebrities that they got to spend time chatting with in person.  Hey, I got to talk with the 80’s Captain America about the release of the new one. Reb Brown is still in great shape and could pick up the shield!

But you can’t see the cars, so here is a shot of the set up before the doors opened up.

Rockin' the 80's... well Herbie spans several decades!

My A-Team van was on display for Friday only, then we swapped out the van for Brian’s James Bond BMW Saturday and Sunday along with three day attenders Oscar and his Ferrari from Magnum P.I. Paul’s BTTF Delorean, Alex’s KITT from Knight Rider and Brian’s Robo-Herbie. (Also there were two classic “Snake and Mongoose” funny cars! )

Being inside with fans who “get” our cars is always a treat. Plus, the fans are a lot more interesting to talk to and people watch at a comic con too!

Even Kermit the Frog came by to do some interviews!

Lots of dinner’s out and buying stuff we just had to have as well as meeting old friends made for a great weekend of fun fandom!

Look for us in November at the Los Angeles Comic Con, Danny’s BTTF Delorean inside at the San Diego Comic Con!  When this many fans line up to see us, well, we are always glad to share our famous movie and TV cars!

David Hasselhoff calls on StarCarCentral.com for an “instant” car show!

Who can refuse the “HOFF”?  Certainly not StarCarCentral!   Super fan and owner/builder of her own Super Pursuit Mode KITT Knight Rider Car, Jennifer got a call from David’s body guard, and he asked if star cars  could show up for an event that was close to David’s heart – an event for the retirement complex where the Hoff’s dad lives.

Well when you say “the Hoff will be there” that’s all Jenn needed! Star car connections were called in, and Nate (that’s me) Jenn and Charger Steve sent out the call! In record time the “instant car show” was born!

Jenn showed up with her KITT that was a hit with all the Knight Rider fans, Gary brought his Herbie The Love Bug,

Mike had Towmater,

John transformed his Bumblebee Camaro,

Mark scrambled his Adam-12 Patrol car

and Tony with the help of “snowman” got past the troopers in his Bandit Trans am!

To think that when I started starcarcentral, 4 star cars in one place was a huge event! Now 6 show up with just an email and the promise of free food!

David Haselhoff put on a great show and performed with his Dad who was obviously proud of his boy, and everyone enjoyed good food and drinks provided by the facility!

Awards were given out and even though Star Car Central usually asks to NOT get awards, when it’s the Hoff’s show, well, KITT has to win the “People’s Choice” Award! Congrats Jenn!

It was a fun day of food, entertainment, cool cars and the Hoff!  For star car fans, that’s just about as good as it gets!  I don’t need to congratulate Jenn for putting on a great fast and trouble free show, she got her reward – a day with the Hoff and a chance to get her dash signed, and most importantly the photo of him and her sitting on her hood!   KITT is even smiling!

KITT - "Hey, I can't see! Jennifer, is that Michael Knight?"

It wouldn’t be a star car event without at least one of the cars having some sort of trouble, but this time it made for a once of a lifetime event, a Bandit Trans am helping out a KITT trans am, or is it the other way around?  Star Cars showing some Pontiac love for each other!

That’s a different type of “jump” for both of these cars! This may be the only shot of Bandit and KITT “jumping” together!

Now you may be asking,  “Hey, Nate and Alex have KITT cars, and Paul goes to everything with his Back to the Future Delorean, where were they?”  Well you are right, we all would have been out to support Jenn and the Hoff, but we were at another three day show at the time, the Wizard World Comic Con in Anahiem with Adam West and Burt Ward and other cast members of the Batman show!  But that’s another blog….

STARCARCENTRAL IS EVERYWHERE THIS WEEKEND! WizardCon Anaheim, Torrance, and Rosemead!

Three, count em, THREE events, 5 days of viewing most of the line up of starcarcentral.com this weekend!

First, you can see Batman and Robin, Adam West and Burt Ward, along with other cast members and tons of stars and cool stuff all three days at the Anaheim WizardCon!  Friday 5-9 pm, Saturday and Sunday all day long! (No Adam and Burt on Sunday, FYI, but the star cars will still be there for you!
APRIL 29-30 – MAY 1st ANAHEIM COMIC CON WIZARD CON
http://www.wizardworld.com/home-anaheim.html
Here’s who’s at the Wizard Con all three days this weekend:
NATE with his  street legal tv style BATMOBILE
PAUL with his  Back to the Future Delorean Time Machine!

BRIAN is bringing his fully robotic ROBO HERBIE the love bug, along with his James Bond BMW with roof rockets!
ALEX is F.L.A.G.’s agent with his super car, KITT from Knight Rider.
and OSCAR will have his 308 GTSi Ferrari decked out just like MAGNUM P.I. !

Then on Saturday, while those guys are still at the Anaheim Convention center,
April 30, 2011  Jennifer and her Super Persuit mode car will be appearing at the
85th Anniversary Celebration of the Volunteer Club
Place:  California Mission INN 8417 Mission Drive, Rosemead, CA 91770
Date:  April 30, 2011
Time: 2pm-6pm
Theme – roaring 20s  !!

If you go to this show, you can see:
jenn and her SPM version of KITT from Knight Rider
gary with his Love bug AKA Herbie
John will bring his tricked out Transformer Camaro Bumble Bee
and Mark will be displaying his Adam-12 police cruiser as well!
mike will be showing his “CARS” tribute to “Towmater” too!  There’s even a rumor that the HOFF himself might make and appearance!
There will be food, entertainment, dancers, the car show and a raffle –

That wraps up April, but Sunday is
MAY!

MAY 1 REVVED UP FOR KIDS EDELBROCK SHOW
Sunday May 1, 2011 from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM PDT
Vic’s Garage
510 Madrid St
Torrance, CA  90503

So on Sunday you can check out the rest of the gang in Torrance!

At this show, scheduled to appear with their movie and TV cars are:

CLIFF with his HERBIE Fully loaded NASCAR Love Bug
GARY with the more classic HERBIE
charlie with his Green Mustang fastback from the Steve McQueen movie, BULLITT
JASON and his one of a kind Transformer cartoon tribute to RATCHET
CHUCK with his award winning ROD RIGUEZ custom rod
JOE with his transformer camaro BUMBLEBEE (SECOND MOVIE)
VIC with his BLUES BROTHERS car
LOU with his STARSKY and HUTCH Torino.
J RYAN BTTF may be there as well with his Time Machine Delorean!
You would think that would be enough, but then the next weekend another big appearance! So if you are busy this weekend, come see all the great collectibles and toys at Frank and Sons!

MAY 7th FRANK AND SONS SHOW    enjoy too many toys and collectibles  assembled under one roof!
Frank and Son
Star Car Central Show
19649 San Jose Ave.
City of Industry, CA 91748
9:00am to 5:00pm
So if you want to come see the cars all in a pile indoors, this is the one to come to!

OSCAR – MAGNUM P.I. Ferrari
PAUL – BTTF Delorean
NATE – 60’s TV style  BATMOBILE
BRIAN – JAMES BOND BMW
JON – BUMBLEBEE from Transformers
JASON – RATCHET  also a transformer
JERRY – HERBIE THE LOVE BUG
ALEX – KITT KNIGHT RIDER

The more we do, the less I have time to blog and tell our fans about it! So there are the facts!

Edelbrock and Starcarcentral.com join forces for Revved up for Kids event May 1st!

TEAM STARCARCENTRAL!

For the second year in a row, Nate Truman’s StarCarCentral.com will display a grouping of famous movie and TV vehicles at the 2011 Revved up for Kids event!  Mark your calendars, and stop by and support a great charity, while looking at cool cars and learning the history of the Edelbrock company! Many of the early Edelbrock cars are on display inside, along with fun events for the whole family!

Here are all the details, see ya there!

Edelbrock to Host Rev’ved Up 4 Kids Charity Car Show May 1 to Benefit Children with Learning DisabilitiesTORRANCE, CA (February 02, 2011) – On Sunday May 1st, Edelbrock will host the Rev’ved Up 4 Kids Car Show located at “Vic’s Garage” in Torrance, CA. Participants are invited to come out and enjoy a day of hot rods, great food, live entertainment and all around good fun. This charity fundraising event benefits The Center For Learning Unlimited, a private educational institution that provides a comprehensive education to students with complex learning differences.  All makes and models are welcome and interested participants can pre-register online at www.revvedup4kids.com. Early bird car entry registration costs $35.00 and is available until March 1st. Standard registration costs $40.00 and day of show registration will cost $45.00. A limited number of VIP spaces are also available for a $75.00 entry fee. Show hours are 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Spectator entry is free and The Center for Learning Unlimited will be accepting donations. Vendor space is available as well as event and trophy level sponsorships. The 2011 Rev’ved Up 4 Kids Charity car show will host the 3nd annual Hot Rodders of Tomorrow Engine Challenge Regional competition. Local high school students will compete in a high-energy engine building competition. The top teams from each region will earn their spot to compete at the National Finals in Las Vegas in the “Showdown at SEMA” in November. The top teams are honored with scholarships from Ohio Technical College, University of Northwestern Ohio and the School of Automotive Machinists. “Supporting America’s youth throughout the country and the community is something that we are very passionate about” states Christi Edelbrock. “It’s so amazing to me what we can do together to make the dreams come true for young individuals. Given the right opportunities America’s youth can contribute so much to our society, my goal is to provide opportunities to learn, scholarships and job placement in the workplace. We have national support for these initiatives and this is only the beginning.” All event proceeds go to the Center for Learning Unlimited. For more information visit: www.edelbrock.com , www.revvedup4kids.com , www.hotroddersoftomorrow.com www.cflu.org Just a few of the cars that attended last year! ABOUT EDELBROCK Founded in 1938, Torrance-based Edelbrock, LLC is recognized as one of the nation’s premier designers, manufacturers and distributors of performance replacement parts for the automotive and motorcycle aftermarkets. Edelbrock produces their core products in the United States of America using state-of-the-art equipment in their world class manufacturing facilities. Edelbrock, LLC encompasses six locations in Southern California totaling more than 500,000 square feet. For more information please visit us at www.edelbrock.com ABOUT THE CENTER FOR LEARNING UNLIMITED Established in 1985, The Center for Learning Unlimited is a highly specialized non-public school that provides comprehensive educational and social-emotional interventions to high-functioning students having complex learning differences, as well as on-going support and solutions for the entire family.

For Editorial and Media Relations Contact:Eric Blakely Director Of Advertising eblakely@edelbrock.com (310) 781-2222 ext. 2938

SCC on TMZ at Comikaze Party! Rain, towtrucks and starcar crashes!

Last Friday night in the worst rain and traffic I have been a part of in years, three intreped StarCarCentral.com members braved the weather and conditions to support GAMERS UNITED.

Harvey Levin’s TMZ TV show had a camera crew at the Beverly Hills event for the first L.A. ComiKaze Comic Con party where three SCC members came to support the cause of the night, giving out comic books and video games to sick kids!  Michele Rodriguez was a celebrity guest and was really sweet to all three of us, she loved the cars!

Nate and Paul caught by TMZ

Jon Bumblebee, Paul BTTF, and Nate Knight Rider all braved the rain and REDONKULOUS traffic but all got there before the party and the rain started.  Various camera crews were on hand to cover the party thrown by Regina Carpinelli CEO Comikaze Expo and was held at her art gallery “The Celebrity Vault”  at 345 North Canon Drive Beverly Hills,Ca 90210 that specializes  in celebrity and rock and roll star limited edition photography.

A donation of comic books or cash and an invitation got you into the party, but there was only room for three stars outside: Bumblebee from the Transformers, Back to the future Delorean and KITT from Kinght Rider were parked out in the elements!   The buzz and photography around the cars was non stop through the night, but after a few turns in front of the camera we went next door and the three of us had a New York Style Pizza and caught up on a few stories!  After some more rain and a few more times lighting up KITT for the cameras I decided it was time to go home, as Monster Jam was the next day.  Kitt had other ideas!  It let out a terrible sound and the starter decided it didn’t want to play any more! So what does every good Knight Rider do in that situation? TURBOBOOST!!!!

"TURBO BOOST? I THOUGHT THAT WAS THE START BUTTON!"

Actually, I just called AAA and they sent out a tow truck to take KITT back to the Knight Industries repair truck.

Paul and Jon stayed a while longer while the paparazzi never stopped taking photos of KITT even while being loaded on the truck!

I got KITT safely home, dropped him in the driveway and got the A-Team van out for Monster Jam the next day.   (see previous blog!)

Sadly it was Paul’s turn next to have some bad star car incident, he made it fine to the Monster jam the next day, but on the drive home hit  a stalled truck in the road and tore up the side of his BTTF car!

When you play with your toys, stuff like this happens!  Luckily the F.L.A.G. mechanic was over on Monday (aka Alex!) and had a new starter in KITT in no time flat and we went out for a nice lunch all before noon!  That man has skills and connections! But I don’t think he can get Delorean stainless panels.

Here’s a look at Pauls car before the accident.   I am not sure I want to see what it looks like now! 😦

Paul vows to be all back together and rolling by our next event!  Many of your favorite star cars will be on display in November at www.comikazeexpo.com

TMZ was also at another SCC event but didn’t get any of the Knights of the West Coast on Camera on Valentines day.  A few fans of the Hoff showed up with Knight Rider stories for a new series where stars trade places with celebrities who have their same name!

David Hasselhoff looks different! (click the link to watch the TMZ video)

MONSTER JAM AND STARCARS AT DODGER STADIUM PREMIER!

Thanks to Charger Steve, Star Car Central Los Angeles and San Diego Chapters  have been part of the attraction at Monster Jam shows for the last four years. Most shows we drive  a parade lap inside the stadiums for the fans as part of the pre-show.  This year we appeared at three Monster Jam shows in San Diego, Anaheim Stadium and a first time ever at Dodger stadium with different members of the famous television and motion picture car group at each event.

Back in black! Bandit, KITT and the A-team van! I Pity the fool who don't like black star cars!

In the shadow of the famous Dodger Stadium we eventually lined up our cars, hoping the rain would pass over us and we could drive the infield of Dodger stadium!

Our first stop of the day was to gather in the nearby police academy parking lot, not just because it was close and a big open area to gather but also because it was a movie and TV location used many times. Most notably in the opening sequence of “Charlie’s Angels”

So in another instance of “Cross geeking” (tm nate truman 2003) Here’s a shot of Paul’s Back to the Future delorean under the Academy arch!

"1976 pilot shoot of Charlie's Angels! Where's Farrah?"

So we all parked in the historic lot until everyone arrived!

Then we all drove around the stadium, stopping to admire a few closed gates and lined up for the driver’s area display.

'NEW JURASSIC PARK EXPLORER! LOU, WATCH OUT! IT'S BIGGER THAN IT APPEARS IN YOUR SIDE MIRRORS!

We also welcomed Scott with his Jurassic park Explorer for the first time! Everyone agreed he was an easy addition to the SCC team!   Lou was a trooper and came all the way to the event, and after a call from his wife and a look up at the sky made a wise decision and went home! Little did we know what was in store for us!

Charger Steve led us in and lined us up, then lined us up again, then finally got us where he wanted us!

"Rain? What rain?"

Lou was the first to leave of the 15 cars that made it to the stadium. We lost about three cars in the days leading up to the show, and another three before the main event started! It was going to be 20 cars! Darn Rain!

Magnum P.I. Ferrari and Back to the Future Delorean, with Knight Rider bookends!

Jenn’s SPM Kitt lead the display, Paul’s Delorean, Oscar’s Magnum P.I. 308 GTSi Ferrari followed by Alex’s KITT at the start of the row of movie and TV cars. Before the big show started, Oscar and Alex had headed for cover with their cars due to leaks! Thanks for staying for the fans as long as you did!

Herbie the Love bug, Star wars, and James Bond?

Obishawn and Yoda made a mad dash for cover, but Cliff and Justice in their Nascar Herbie and Brian in his James Bond BMW stayed for the show!  (We did have a nice tent city to keep us dry during the worst of it thanks to Mater Mike!)

Next up was the Blues Brothers 2000 police car, and Tony’s perfect Smokey and the Bandit trans am! He even had the T-Tops off for a while!  Tony’s bandit is spot on, even down to the Coors boxes!

This was the first SCC event for Scott and his dad Norm with their Jurassic park Explorer.  We have to get Ari and his Jurassic park jeep together at a future event!

What's that Orange car next to the A-Team van? It should have a sign.

Down at the far end of the display was Jon’s Bumblebee, some orange car Steve brought ( he’s working on a sign so people know what show it’s from. It was a spin off from Smokey and the bandit I think…) and the A-Team van!

Charger Steve's General Lee, and Mr. T's A-team van! (Mr. Truman, that is!)

Due to the rain, most of the owners and drivers of the Star CarCentral.com cars stayed under cover and enjoyed great food and stories in a near by tent city, but the crowds still flocked to the cars to see their favorite movie and TV cars!

Not even pouring rain could keep the fans away from the famous cars!

Towmater and the A-Team, and some contructobot transformers at Starcarcentral.com HQ!

Bringing up the other end of the display was Mike’s Towmater tribute tow truck and Nate’s A-Team van!  Those darn constructobots always are photobombing . They act more like decepticons than Autobots!

Even though the rain thinned the group throughout the day, hats off to all who came! Otherwise we would never have this cool shot of the rain storm with starcars at dodger stadium!

Next up, KITT turboboosts into the Knight Rider repair truck, and Back to the Future has a run in on the freeway on the way home….

LMX: the next batmobile?

While there are a few of us who are driving George Barris’ classic TV Batmobile, and even fewer that own  one of the movie models, maybe there is a car that will fill that “need’ to be batman coming soon. With Sasank Gopinathan’s Kinetia LMX Supercar, one day you too, might be able to have a ride that would make Batman proud.

Inspired by F-1 cars, and specifically the Peugeot 908, the LMX is designed to have attractive curves while still having little air resistance. In fact, the car is built in mind for normal roads, rather than race tracks. This makes it highly likely if the car ever hits the mass market, it’ll be street legal out of the box, as it were. With its gull-wing doors and LED running lights, this is one car that may put the fear of the Bat into any shady characters passing by. All it needs is little eye cutouts on the hood!

Sadly, the LMX hasn’t reached the mass-production stage yet, and there is no word on how much it’d cost when it does. Even so, it’ll probably be easier to register and make street legal than owning one of the other Batmobiles, so let’s all cross our fingers!   Yeah, a few bat logos, and this one’s good to go!