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Real Working Mach5 On eBay

Taper writes "Here he comes, here comes Speed Racer... now you too can drive Speed Racer's car, the powerful Mach 5. Complete with saw blades, jumping ability, and robot homing pigeon. The entry price looks to be over $150k though part goes to charity and the winner gets delivery with a Speed Racer party featuring the voice cast! "

27 of 127 comments (clear)

  1. Reminds me of the Simpsons... by pen · · Score: 2
    "Do you come with the car?"

    "Oh, you!" <giggle>

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    1. Re:Reminds me of the Simpsons... by smack_attack · · Score: 2

      Forget the car, when does bidding start on the girl? :)

  2. Irony.... by SaintAlex · · Score: 4

    "Child Safety Network appreciates the enthusiastic interest in the Mach 5 prototype."

    "Additional Features: 18" McCulla retractable pneumatic saw blades."

    Anybody else find this insanely funny?



    Observe, reason, and experiment.

    --



    Observe, reason, and experiment.
    (if you're too dumb, just pray)
  3. Re:Goddammit, Hemos! by www.sorehands.com · · Score: 2
    It's because only the nerds who got lots of stock options could afford to buy it!

  4. Not irony.... by www.sorehands.com · · Score: 2
    It has safety features. If you are about to hit a tree, or a wood house, you use the blades to cut through. Otherwise you jump.

    The homing pigeon is to watch out for accidents up ahead.

  5. If street legal by www.sorehands.com · · Score: 4
    I'd think about buying it. Let see some cop give you a ticket...Make of car: Mach 5, Violation: jumping over police car, cutting through trees on side of road, riding with kid in trunk.

    You think the judge would throw it out?

  6. Re:it's not street legal by generic-man · · Score: 2

    Bah, street legal is overrated. I'll just drive it in my driveway. At 185MPH (discounting time for acceleration and whatnot) I can go from one end of my driveway to the other in just 0.37 seconds!

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    For more information, click here.
  7. Hmmmm...Chevy? by ktakki · · Score: 3
    Definitely looks like it was assembled from parts of a mid-'60s Chevrolet Corvair.

    • Body: Fiberglass®
    • Mid-Engine: 400hp 327ci 4 Bolt Main
    • Rear Suspension: Saginau[sic] trans-axle with Air Bags
    • Brakes:8" Rear Drum, 9" Disc Front Vented Rotors, Tilton Brake & Clutch
    • Additional Features: 18" McCulla[sic] retractable pneumatic saw blades. U.S. Navy PX18 periscope. Airtronics remote control homing pigeon. Pneumatic auto jacks for jumping.


    Homing pigeon? Oh, right: that mechanical thing.

    Okay, first of all, the 327 is probably a small-block Chevy. Saginaw is a GM plant; these days they make tilt-wheels for obese Caddy owners.
    It looks like someone took the engine, drivetrain, and brakes from a Corvair and stuck it in a tube frame covered with plastic. Drum brakes in the rear? Sixties tech, along with the air suspension.

    I think I remember seeing this at an auto show back in the '60s, along with the Muenstermobile, the Batmobile, and other George Barris Kalifornia Kustom Kar Kreations.

    Hell, throw in the girl, the kid, and the chimp, and it's a deal.

    k., who wants the Jaguar hearse from Harold and Maude
    --
    "In spite of everything, I still believe that people
    are really good at heart." - Anne Frank
    --
    "In spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart." - Anne Frank
  8. Re:You can order these things too by wrenkin · · Score: 2

    I noticed that too. The car on eBay, 'built for CSN', apparently cost 350k to build. However, the pics are hte same as for the 61k car? It's far less cool if everyone gets to be Speed Racer... I mean, who gets Trixie?

    --
    -- "Is this death or is this Ohio?"
  9. Anyone saw this little gem by hpa · · Score: 3
    The bottom of the page says:
    In order to maintain bids from qualified buyers, you must contact the company that owns the Mach 5. They will ask for information that will verify your ability to purchase the vehicle. This will assure that unqualified bidders do raise the price.


    My emphasis... :)

  10. Re:Safety Features by zeck · · Score: 2

    How ironic that the is being used to promote child safety.

    The woman in the picture is not a child, is she? Clearly a child's head would be well below the decapitation point.

  11. Re:Why didn't you mention MATTEL in this post? by www.sorehands.com · · Score: 2
    All you have to do is read the website.

    But since you asked, they got rid of the lawyers who filed the countersuit, and replaced them with the one who persecuted the CPHack case.

  12. Hrmmmmm by keepper · · Score: 2

    Is the chick on the picture included?

    ;)
    if so, not too bad of a price.

  13. A neat toy and a possibly worth cause, certainly.. by An+Ominous+Coward · · Score: 3
    But, do we really want to support Ebay while they continue removing valid auctions of Microsoft products?

    I don't share the overwhelming hatred of MS that some on Slashdot express. But Ebay violating their own EULA is an important blow against consumer rights. Acceptance of this policy is a bad precident for the online marketplace.

    Boycotting Ebay until they change their policy can be a worthy action. Nerds like us still make up the majority of the population that are making internet purchases. Our boycot would be felt.

    Besides, does anybody really need more garage-sale junk? :-)

  14. Re:Personal use only? by Fishstick · · Score: 2

    My understanding is that it was commissioned for some promotional use that required the purchase of a license from whoever holds the rights to the 'Speed Racer' thing. They say if you are going to use it for commercial purposes, you have to negotiate a separate license agreement. I would imagine if you started using the 'Mach 5' in commercials, the owners of 'Speed Racer' would come after you with C&D.

    It's not street legal, so personal use seems to be limited to keeping it in your garage to impress visitors and towing it to the local track and paying $100/hr to drive in ovals. Not very practical, but I guess if you had gobs of cash and had already built your own petting zoo, amusement park and whatever else... MJ, anyone?

    --

    There is much cruelty in the universe, John.
    Yeah, we seem to have the tour map.

  15. http://www.galactic-hwy.com/sr_mach5.htm by ekmo · · Score: 2

    Why bid when you can have your very own Mach 5 for $31.95 (WITH REMOVABLE SAW BLADES!)?

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    | Ceci n'est pas une pipe.
  16. You can order these things too by slandis · · Score: 2

    Starting at a base price of $61,000, you can order one of the Mach 5's from here. Of course, you have to put down a $35,000 deposit, and you aren't guaranteed a Mach 5. On a side note, they're going to build a Racer X car too.

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    BAM!
  17. Hmmm by FreeJack1 · · Score: 2

    Looking over the ad, I waxed a bit nostalgic... for a moment. Then my senses came back and I realized that if I had lots of money to throw away, this would possibly be one of the things I would buy. Sorry, while this is neat and kinda cool, I just don't see it as having any kind of value. I especially would NOT pay the kind of money that they are looking for! (125K and STILL not made minimum bid!!) For that kind of money, I could rent a decent room in someone's partitioned garage here in the San Jose area! Gots better things to buy...

  18. Re:stupid by The+Man · · Score: 3
    Why did anyone waste their time building such a thing?

    Because he was paid to do so.

    Who would be dumb enough to buy it?

    Speed Racer fans and/or car collectors who have too much money, obviously.

    Lighten up.

  19. gez - Mach5 and Model with dark roots. by in8 · · Score: 2

    I don't know - I guess many of you guys haven't seen the car mags covers in the supermarkets. Now, they've got accessories (chicks) more worthy of a $350k car! [besides - the Racer X beats the sh*t out of the Mach5.]

  20. Re:Trixie by PD · · Score: 2

    Yes, it does come with Trixie. The auction says that both the actors who played Speed and Trixie will be there when the keys are given to the auction winner.

    "That's right, Trixie and Speed Racer will be there. Peter Fernandez, the original voice of Speed Racer and Racer X can't wait to turn over the keys to help support his favorite charity, Child Safety Network. Corinne Orr is the voice of Trixie, Mom Racer, Chim Chim and all the female voices used on the show."

    So there you have it.

  21. Hehe, this reminds me... by smack_attack · · Score: 2

    You know, I've seen porno flicks that started like this

    Also, did anyone else notice the rearv iew mirror?

  22. Trixie by Tei'ehm+Teuw · · Score: 3
    I wonder if it comes with Trixie, man she was a hottie.

    And what about Sprital and Chim Chim? Are they still hiding in the trunk?

  23. Reserve? by MindTree · · Score: 2

    I wonder what the RESERVE PRICE on an item like this is?

    It would be kewler with a real Chim Chim to go with it.

    On a lighter note, anyone ever seen the Dexter's Lab episode with the speed racer parody? Now that was funny.

  24. Razor! by MicroBerto · · Score: 3

    "Using patented 5-razor technology, the Mach 5 is able to shave your face with 3 easy strokes! And now with ultra-small razors, it actually fits in your mustache area, unlike its bulky predecessor, the mach 3!"

    Mike Roberto (roberto@soul.apk.net) -GAIM: MicroBerto

    --
    Berto
  25. Goddammit, Hemos! by gwalla · · Score: 2

    I submitted a story two whole friggin' months ago about this project, and it didn't get accepted. Now, only when it's been put up on eBay does Slashdot run anything on it. Grrr!

    I would've thought that the very existence of a working replica of the Mach 5 would be "News for Nerds", if not stuff that matters. The eBay sale was already planned when I submitted the story too!

    Grumble grumble mutter mutter


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    Zardoz has spoken!
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    Oper on the Nightstar
    1. Re:Goddammit, Hemos! by Booker · · Score: 3

      I would've thought that the very existence of a working replica of the Mach 5 would be "News for Nerds"...

      You mean sort of like this article here?

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