Stealing a Volvo 240 Station Wagon: film review, "The Go-Getter"

In contrast to Ale's life on the margins in "Chop Shop," (see in a another blog entry), the 2007 independent film "The Go-Getter" paints the picture of west coast kids living in aimlessly and in angst.[1] High school senior Mercer (Lou Taylor Pucci) who recently witnessed the death of his mother, has just read Mark Twin in an AP English class and wants to journey on "the river." Impulsively he steals a 240 Volvo station wagon at a car wash in his small Oregon town and begins an odyssey to find his half brother, Arlen. Along the way he discovers that his brother is a no-good, and that humans generally disappoint. There is one exception, however. The owner of the car, Kate (Zooey Deschael), has left her cell phone in the car and begins to have an extended conversation with the young thief. She raises an important question; namely is "life random or fate?" Was Mercer's theft of the Volvo a totally random act, or is there a deeper meaning behind this crime? Mercer's trip takes him (and for a time a girl living in Fallon, Nevada that he once knew in Middle school) through such places as Shelter Cove, California; Reno, Nevada; the Mohave Desert; Los Angeles; and finally, Ensenada, Mexico, where he catches up with his half brother and Kate's love. Mercer's next stop is Pointe Coupe' Parish, Louisiana, where an aunt and two cousins live, but this time he has Kate along for the drive. In sum, the film is reflective of a generation’s fears and challenges, and the stolen car is a conveyance geographically and psychologically. In a way the old Volvo is nothing more than an appliance, so typical of the way this younger generation views automobiles in general.

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[1] "The Go-Getter," DVD, Peace Arch Home Entertainment, 2008.

Do you like Porsches? A film review of "No Man's Land," starring Charlie Sheen. One of Charlie's lines is "I hate drugs!"

A decade later Ron Howard's penchant for the subject of auto theft resurfaced with a far more violent and serious twist in the feature film "No Man's Land."[1] Howard was an Executive Producer of this action film, written and produced by Dick Wolf (and Joseph Stein). Starring Charlie Sheen (Ted Varrick), and D.B. Sweeney (Benjy Taylor), it is a tale of luscious cars, camaraderie among thieves, and one beautiful and rather innocent young woman. Sweeney is cast as an undercover cop, while Sheen plays the role of a cocky rich kid turned master auto thief and ring leader. Rookie cop Benjy takes on the identity of mechanic Bill Ayles, and gets a job at Technique Porsche, a shop that is suspected as being a place where stolen Porsche 911s are cloned and chopped. Indeed, the film opens with a scne form this hsop in which a Prosche 911 VIN number is being cut from the frame of the car, while its speedometer and steering wheel are being removed. (Too bad that the parts shown actually came from a Prosche 356, while the car shown is a 1980s Porsche 911 Targa!). As the plot evolves, mechanic Bill not only develops a friendship with master thief Ted Varrick, but also Varrick's gorgeous sister. Gaining Varrick's confidence, Ayres teams up to steal a number of Porsches, but their success leads them into a conflict with a rival gang. As the undercover cop gets deeper and deeper into the ring, where does his allegiance lie? In the end the violence turns deadly, the romance goes sour, and Ted is shot to death by his former friend Bill.

"No man's Land" highlighted the significance of the chop shop in organized auto thievery, a place where "every car gets a new life." Skilled thieves stole 1980s Porsches with only "Slim Jims," slide hammers, and some force to break a steering wheel lock. Aided by insider collaboration from both the police and "a guy at the DMV," these thieves thrive at the expense of the wealthy, some of whom no doubt live the "life style of the rich and aimless." There seems to be no sympathy expressed for the car owner in this film, and perhaps its greatest virtue are various scenes in which Porsche 911s are driven hard on the street. And the real danger in doing this kind of crime was not from the police or the actual act, but from rival rings and contested turf.

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[1] "No Man's Land," DVD, Orion Pictures, 1987, MGM Entertainment, 2003.

Film Review of the 1978 Release, "Corvette Summer"

Oh, I wish I was back in 1978. I didn't watch many films that year, and in retrospect probably didn't miss that much. Here is the review of Corvette Summer, a version of which will appear in my next book, Stealing Cars: Technology and Society from the Model T to Today.

1978 must have been a good year for goofy comedies about car theft, because that year "Corvette Summer" was also released.[1] Starring Mark Hamill as Kenny Dartley and Annie Potts as Vanessa, the film is to a point entertaining before it's slow pace takes over. The story begins with a high school shop class going to a salvage yard in order to pick up a project car. Kenny ends up saving a Corvette Stingray from the crusher, and soon he leads the class in what becomes a custom restoration of the shark-nosed vehicle. Kenny sees the final product as "perfect;" his shop teacher, Mr. McGrath, cautions his student not to get to involved with the car, as automobiles "always let you down." This viewer saw the car as one of the most garish creations in all of automobile history!

During a night of celebration at a local cruise-in, the car is stolen by organized car thieves, and while authorities are resigned to the loss, young Kenny refuses to give up and consequently begins his search for the vehicle, an odyssey that eventually takes him to Las Vegas.

On the road Kenny eventually meets a young woman who will become the love of his life, Vanessa, a wanna-be hooker who drives a customized love-making van. At first, Kenny resists Vanessa's come-ons, preferring the love his lost car to that of a young woman who was excessively thin before that thin was "in." Indeed, his love is for a car that is not his, but rather the high schools, and thus his obsession is with his work and creation, rather than with personal property.

After making it to Las Vegas and several sightings, Kenny finally tracks the car down to the Silverado Auto Body Shop where he discovers not only the car, but the fact that his mentor back in Los Angeles, Mr. McGrath, is a part of the stolen car ring. After a time of acceptance of the loss of the car and actually taking on work at the body shop, Kenny decides that the right thing is taking the car back to LA anyway, even though he has heard arguments that "a car is a commodity to be bought and sold," that "the crime was victimless," and that the insurance Company can afford it. Finally, after a chase scene in the desert outside of Las Vegas, and the return of the car to the high school, Kenny comes to his senses and walks off with Vanessa. In the end, the girl does become more important than the car, and human relationships triumph over one with a machine.

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[1] "Corvette Summer,"DVD, 1978, Turner Entertainment.

Porsche 911T is back on the Road!!!!

A lowly hemostat -- the key tool that made the job of shutting off fuel flow from the tank easy to do.
Hi folks -- just a quick note to say that the Irish Green 1971 911T targa is back on the road. I had correctly diagnosed the problem as the failure of the electric fuel pump. Got a new one from NAPA this morning, put it in along with a new fuel filter upstream from the pump, hooked it all up, and "bam," the car ran like a top again.
One key to the whole job was shutting down the flow of gas from the tank to the fuel filer and pump. Yesterday I bought a Hemostat at Harbor Freight for $4.99 that did the job. Made in Pakistan, probably by the Taliban. But with the fuel flow shut off, it was easy to take my time to do the repair.

Europe Trip.

Hie Guys,

Ive been away for 2 weeks to europe..I went for some automotive training and exhibition as well. I learnt alot of new innovation and gain some valuable informations . For me it's a good trip and good exposure to me .

Film Review of Ron Howard's "Grand Theft Auto," 1977

One wonders if this love would really last!
Collin's mother defies the law. A recent court ruling says that this kind of gesture is OK, given our right to free speech.

Three years after the release of Halicki's "Gone in 60 Seconds" another feature film centering on auto theft appears, this time a zany comedy with the title "Grand Theft Auto."[1] A cross between "Gone in Sixty Seconds" and "American Grafitti," "GTA" was the first film directed by Ron Howard, while also drawing on the talents of B-grade film creator Roger Corman, who served as executive producer. The plot is as silly as it can be, and this viewer could not wait for the film to end. Filled with mindless special effect explosions, car chase scenes and crashes, and slanted characters, I guess Ron Howard had to start somewhere as a director. Despite its flaws, the film did make money, as it parlayed a $600,000 investment into a $16 million profit.

The "GTA" story centers on two very young lovers who want to get married, Sam Freeman (Ron Howard) and Paula Powers (Nancy Morgan). Paula, the daughter of wealthy gubernatorial candidate Bigby Powers, is one of those headstrong and independent young women so characteristic of that day, and is dead set on marrying Sam, contrary to the wishes of her parents. Instead of Sam, Bigby desires his daughter to marry wealthy Collins Hegeworth (Paul Linke), a foolish prig of a young man to say the least. As the young couple elope from Los Angeles to Las Vegas as fantastic chase ensues, as the couple take off from the Powers estate in a 1959 two-tone Rolls Royce. With a reward on their heads and numerous pursuants, the trail takes them (and us) through the desert wastes of California and Nevada, ending at the Nevada Speedway. As one might predict, love triumphs in the end, as the rich young girl chooses to follow her glands rather than her pocketbook.

Beyond the rather anti-materialistic message, Grand Theft Auto does contain a latent meaning concerning auto theft. From the moment Paula "borrows" her father's Rolls-Royce to the demolition derby scene at Las Vegas, characters "borrow" the cars of others to suit their immediate convenience. In fact, Paula remarked that she is merely "trading with dad," since she cannot drive off in her own Fiat X1/9 because he had taken the keys away from her. Consequently Collins drives off with a Dodge Charger, and then later a battered, yellow pickup truck. Collins mother, concerned over her son, "borrows" a servant's VW Beetle. Later, 2 gas station mechanics, 1977 clones for Beavis and Butthead, borrow a kit-car that was in their garage for service, and later a Chevy Luv pickup with a camper attached. A policeman "borrows" a bus filled with senior citizens, who do little to protest when they discover that they are going to Sin City. In sum, Grand Theft Auto perpetuated the notion that stealing a car was often not stealing, but just temporarily suing a motor vehicle because of a personal need.

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[1] "Grand Theft Auto," 1977, DVD, Buena Vista Home Entertainment.

My Porsche 911 Dies on the Side of I-675: A Suspected Fuel Pump Failure

Hi folks -- a bit of excitement last night, although not the kind I like. Driving my 1971 Porsche 911 T targa to tennis last evening, about 7 p.m., when I suddenly started to lose power. The first sign of it was on the ramp leading on to I-675. I tried to keep the revs up but after a mile or two I had to pull off the road. Called my Haggerty Insurance towing service, and it took more than an hour for someone to get there (we'll be there in 35 minutes (ha!)). In fairness, the flatbed guy did a very nice job in taking car of the car. Centerville, Ohio cops also showed up after a while, but they were there more because of a closure of the interstate due to construction than my misfortune. Several friends also stopped by to help: Rise' Kreitzer and her husband from UD and Kirby Gabori from Five Seasons. Very hot weather here, so I'll try to get under the car early this morning and get at the fuel pump. Hopefully, photos will follow.