LONDON.- This beast of a car is finished in the correct shade of Alpine White with Black vinyl upholstery as a tribute to Kowalski's rubber-burning ride in the cult 1971 film, Vanishing Point. It could be yours if you bid for it at
H&H Classics Online Only sale on April 29th.
For everyone who loves muscle cars and films that include a great car chase, this is one of the most memorable, featuring a Dodge Challenger R/T like the one for sale with H&H.
Restored to a high standard it is powered by a massive 440ci (7.2 litre) 390HP V8 allied to 3-speed automatic transmission. Looking every inch the road racer, the Dodge sports a prominent boot lid spoiler, deep dish wheels, bonnet retaining pins and quad tunnel exhaust tips.
In the film Vanishing Point, a delivery driver called Kowalski (Barry Newman) bets his amphetamine-supplying dealer that he can use his latest charge an Alpine White Dodge Challenger R/T to cover the 1,250 miles from Denver, Colorado to San Francisco, California in less than 15 hours. A former racing driver and decorated Vietnam war hero to boot, Kowalski thus challenges himself and the Challenger to an average speed of over 83mph! As the police become informed of the crazy project, he struggles to avoid the cops with the help of a blind radio disco jockey who calls himself Super Soul (Cleavon Little).
The New York Times review of the movie said: The chase begins in Colorado and ends against a pair of massive bulldozers in California, and it is wholly the idea of one Kowalski (Barry Newman) who is supposed to deliver a car from Denver to San Francisco but in so doing gets involved in a personal race with time, and then with the cops, and then, I guess, with his own fate. A kind of supercharged, overaged, four-wheeled easy rider, Kowalski doesn't show much mindbut he shows lots of hair, lots of heart, lots of soul.
Responsible for consigning the Dodge, senior specialist James McWilliam comments: The mid-1960s saw a real divergence between the American and European manufacturers in how they chased performance. On this side of The Pond the emphasis was on minimising weight and maximising handling capabilities through the widespread adoption of independent rear suspension, rack and pinion steering and disc brakes. However, Stateside they went down the route of big engines, big horsepower and bold styling. A true Muscle Car was typically a four-seater Coupe that could light-up its rear tyres and slide round a corner at will. During their circa ten-year reign (1964-1974), they were some of the most exciting machines money could buy. Their flair for the dramatic was why Steve McQueens Ford Mustang 390GT was chased by a Dodge Charger R/T 440 in Bullitt and why another Dodge muscle car, a 1970 Challenger R/T, was chosen as the anti-hero car for Vanishing Point. One of the Fords used to film Bullitt and dubbed The Mona Lisa of Mustangs sold at auction earlier this year for $3.74 million so it is little wonder that people want to create tributes to their favourite movie cars. This one though is a little rarer and cooler than the glut of Highland Green Mustangs out there!