John,
E Firefly series is currently running on the Sci-Fi channel. I agree
that it is a good show, but I like science fiction anyway so my opinion
is tainted.
The sad part of this car is that they used up what appears to have been
a perfectly good round tail Spit to do it.
Cheers,
Joe C.
333
-----Original Message-----
From: nass@yahoogroups.com [mailto:nass@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of
John Innis
Sent: Sunday, August 28, 2005 9:11 AM
To: NASS Yahoo Group; spitfire-enthusiast@yahoogroups.com; Spitfires
Subject: >>NASS Strangest Spit sighting yet.
This really is on topic, I promise.
So I was watching a DVD last night, when I saw something interesting.
Knowing how the movie industry works, I often watch to see where they
got their props. It is especially easy if the prop is made from
something that you are familiar with. For example, most one off movie
cars start life a production automobiles and are then highly
customized or modified. So when a custom car shows up as a prop it is
fun to tr to identify what it came from.
Enter the DVD I was watching last night. The DVD of the TV show
Firefly. Which, if you never saw it is well worth your time to check
out. The premise is downright weird (western in space), but it works.
And not just because of special effects and the like. The show is
very well written and directed. Or was. The FOX network did
everything in their power to kill this show before it even got
started. But, like I said, the show is brilliant.
So I have seen all the episodes once and was going back to rewatch
them. The second to the last episode, titled Heart of Gold was never
aired (because FOX sucks) has in interesting vehicle in it. The
vehicle is a futuristic hovercraft with a mounted machine gun.
Perfect for the daily commute. When I first saw it (head on, at a
great distance in the shot) it looked for all the world like it had
been made from a 50's era corvette. But when it got closer and you
see a side profile, there can be no doubt that this was a Spitfire
before the props dept got to it. See some pictures here:
http://www.johninnis.com/automobilia/FIREFLY_SPIT/FIREFLY_SPIT.html
Key points of identification are the rear fenders, which are largely
intact, and the bonnet release handle. Also note the fuel fill cap,
relocated to the right "windshield" area. The door handles (now
located on TOP of the doors) appear to be MG Midget (did the Spit ever
have these?). The turn signals appear to be the reverse lamps from a
roundtail. The headlights are there but seem to have some sort of
cone shaped cover over them. The trim strips are still present over
the front and rear fenders.
This is a pretty obscure reference, but it makes you wonder where our
little cars will be in a couple hundred years. We already have guys
making Spits into electric cars, and monster trucks. So why not a
spit hovercraft? I guess we should hope that Jessie James doesn't
catch wind of this conversation.
John
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