Just finished watching the Movie Vanishing Point that I found about a year ago in video store. Brought back alot of memories. Remember going to the Drive Inn in my new 71 R/T Challenger. Had no idea what the name of the movie was about . If you where like my self. Didn't matter . Just a legal place to Park and make out with your girlfriend. Pulled into this movie after it had been on for awhile . So what . As I cruised through the lot with my med green Challenger R/T with the white R/T stripe down the side . People were getting out of their car's and gathering around me . I hadn't been back from Nam but about month. And been out that much at night. As a crowd gathered around . I saw what the movie was about and this White Challenger R/T going like a bat out of Hell. Think Vanishing Point to us Mopar people is like Easy Rider is to those that ride motorcycles. The Dodge Boy's have done good bringing the Challenger back . Love my 09 Black R/T with 6 speed stick . The new Challenger get's as much or more attention than the 71 . Every where I go.

 

Liked the movie but hated the ending. Stay away from dozzers their bad for paint jobs

 

It was a Chevy
They used a 67 Chevy Camero pulled by a cable to hit the dozer's . Don't know what happened to the Challenger in the Movie . They had to have had several with all the stunts.

 

I think it was a 69 Camaro (gills on the quarters), but anyway they didn't waste a Challenger in the process. There were 3 Challengers used in the movie, but it is speculative as to what engines were in the cars. I thought the movie actually sucked as far as story line, but the driving sequences were just frickin AWESOME! Anyone who hasn't seen this movie can't truly claim to be a MOPAR fanatic, IMHO.

 

From what I've read, it was either four or five Challengers. Either three or four were 440 Magnums with four speeds (at least once, a 440 badge on the hood is clearly visible). The other car was a 383 Magnum with an automatic. The automatic was the one that was used to tow the Camaro via a cable into the bulldozers and was frequently used as a camera car.

Also, note that despite the obvious display of Chrysler products in addition to the Challengers in the movie, there is no "Vehicles Courtesy of the Chrysler Corp." tag at the end. Also from what I've read, when Chrysler discovered that the movie involved a guy taking speed and even featured a nude chick on a motorcycle, the decision was made to disassociate the corporation from the film. Stupid move, as "Vanishing Point" undoubtedly sold more Challengers than all of Chrysler's advertising put together.

 

Guillermo Cain wrote the screenplay for Vanishing Point based on two actual events: the disgraced career of a San Diego police officer and a high-speed pursuit of a man who refused to stop, eventually killing himself when he crashed into a police roadblock. Cain modeled the character of Super Soul after legendary rock and roll singer The Big Bopper, eventually re-naming the character from Super Spic to Super Soul. His script had all the ingredients that reflected the popular alternative hippie-lifestyle of the time: rebellion, drugs, sexual freedom, and rock and roll. In 1969, director Richard Sarafian had turned down an offer to make the Robert Redford film Downhill Racer and was drawn to the counterculture themes in Cain's script. Originally, the director cast Gene Hackman to play Kowalski but 20th Century Fox studio executive Richard Zanuck refused and insisted on relative unknown actor Barry Newman.

According to Sarafian, it was Zanuck who came up with the idea of using the new 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T because he wanted to do Chrysler a favor for providing Fox for many years with cars on a rental base for only a dollar a day. Stunt Coordinator Carey Loftin has said that he requested the Dodge Challenger because of the "quality of the torsion bar suspension and for its horsepower" and felt that it was "a real sturdy, good running car". Five Dodge Challenger R/Ts were loaned to the production by Chrysler for promotional consideration and were returned upon completion of filming. No special equipment was added or modifications made to the cars, except for heavier-duty shocks for the car that jumped over No Name Creek. Loftin remembers that parts were taken out of one car to make another because they "really ruined a couple of those cars", what with jumping ramps from highway to highway and over creeks. Newman remembers that the 440 engines in the cars were so powerful that "it was almost as if there was too much power for the body. You'd put it in first and it would almost rear back!" To convey the appearance of speed, the filmmakers undercranked the cameras. For example, in the scenes with the Challenger and the Jaguar, the camera was cranked at half speed. The cars were traveling at approximately 50 miles per hour but at regular camera speed, they appeared to be much faster.

 

Wow , Albeeno . You know alot about the movie. Some mag years ago told of some of what yu said. There were very few Challenger's in my area. So they really stood out . Even though my new 71 only had the 340 . it ran great . Beat a 383 Road Runner that was quick and a 66 Chevele SS 327 300 hp built up with gears and 4 speed. So that put me pretty high on the list as being bad ass in town. I took one of my long time Muscle Car friend's and racer a ride in the 09 R/T . Didn't take long for everyone to know this car is more than look's. But I just want to enjoy the fun of it cruising . And knowing it can run.

 

I've got the movie in VHS and have paused the film of the crash and it sure looks like a 67 Camaro to me. I too had a 71 Challenger with the 340 and it was a very respectable car. Mine was a convertible with auto and 3.23 gearing. I think the 09 would hands down thump it. The 340 in a Duster and 3.91 gears would give any big block car with highway gears all they wanted. I raced such a car with my 70 GTX when it was new and just beat it by half a car.

 

SEMA Challenger Pic's

http://semadigital.com/netpub/server...ts.np&offset=0

 

Trying to post a picture of the 71 R/T 340

[IMG]local://upfiles/1994/52E9C257EA0F40CC847B46398FDC8305.jpg[/IMG]