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"Cars 2" is a spy-spoof -- a comedy set in a universe populated by cars -- a group of angry, frustrated lemon cars is vying for world domination. A team of spy cars, lead by a James Bond-like car (not an Aston Martin, interestingly), must stop these evil lemons.

A good spy comedy needs an outrageous villain. One of the best I've seen is the movie's "Professor Zundapp" (wikia page - contains spoilers). He's a weapons designer who creates a death ray to kill race cars as they compete.

Here's the real car -- a Zundapp Janus 750 - that the character is based on:



I remember seeing one of these rare cars many years ago. Notice that it has a door in the front and one in the back, with the back seat facing back. The thing I find irresistible is that it's powered by a single-cylinder, two-stroke engine with only a 250cc displacement.

Back about 1964 or 1965, one of my uncles had a Zundapp motorcycle, pretty sure it was a 250cc and I know it was a two stroke. I never really understood the purpose of installing tiny motorcycle engines in cars back when gas was so cheap, however. Thanks for sharing the info.

Here's a video of "Professor Zundapp". I think the artists did a great job on his face.

Here's a photo of a Zundapp Janus 750 with the doors open. Am I the only one who finds this a very interesting car -- not practical but interesting -- and a great choice on which to model a movie villain?

I have a friend who owns one of the BMW Isetta "bubble cars" like the 2 tone blue one in the background of the Zundapp. Front door opens like a hatch, same as the Z. No I don't think they picked a good choice, the Zundapp is too cute, looks like something Minnie Mouse would drive if she came to life....:laughing::laughing:

JDgreen said:

I have a friend who owns one of the BMW Isetta "bubble cars" like the 2 tone blue one in the background of the Zundapp. Front door opens like a hatch, same as the Z. No I don't think they picked a good choice, the Zundapp is too cute, looks like something Minnie Mouse would drive if she came to life....:laughing::laughing:

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I remember those "bubble cars" very well -- they actually were not rare back in the 1960s when I was a full-tilt car nut.

Have you seen the movie? Professor Zundapp is a really funny character. He's kind of silly spoof of a typical mad, evil scientist.

Two-Stroke said:

I remember those "bubble cars" very well -- they actually were not rare back in the 1960s when I was a full-tilt car nut.

Have you seen the movie? Professor Zundapp is a really funny character. He's kind of silly spoof of a typical mad, evil scientist.

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Have to wait until it comes out on HBO or Showtime, we never go to a movie house anymore.

That thing takes the 'coming/going' look that people supposedly hated so much about the Studebakers in the late 40's/early 50's........to a new extreme! Kinda like the 2CV that had 3 wheels, and a door in the front.....

Neat car! Another toy that'd be cute in the movie, is a Crosley. I saw 2 for sale once, and it was so cool! The tiny dashboard reminded me of my mom's old toy kitchen set. The needles were so cheesy they were cute! About the size of a Nash Metropolitan. But way cheaper. Yo could tell it was made by an appliance company!

Does the villian gang have any Opals in it? :wink:

twall said:

That thing takes the 'coming/going' look that people supposedly hated so much about the Studebakers in the late 40's/early 50's........to a new extreme! Kinda like the 2CV that had 3 wheels, and a door in the front.....

Neat car! Another toy that'd be cute in the movie, is a Crosley. I saw 2 for sale once, and it was so cool! The tiny dashboard reminded me of my mom's old toy kitchen set. The needles were so cheesy they were cute! About the size of a Nash Metropolitan. But way cheaper. Yo could tell it was made by an appliance company!

Does the villian gang have any Opals in it? :wink:

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I have been subscribing to "Hemmings Classic Car" since it first began publishing. I always enjoy the features they have about older cars like Hudson, Nash, Crosley, Henry J, Packard, etc. What I like most about older cars is they all look different, not the "I'm a jellybean too" todays cars have.

twall said:

...
Does the villian gang have any Opals in it? :wink:

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No but the gang has Gremlins, Pacers, "Hugos" (meant to refer to Yugo), and "Trunkovs" (referring, I think, to a two-stroke car made in East Germany -- the name began with a "T" -- can anybody remember it?)

The Gremlins and Pacers speak with American "mob-guy" accents while the other two sound like Eastern Europe.

With just a little digging I found the name of the East German lemon car: Trabant.

Time Magazine named it one of the 50 Worst Cars of All Time. :laughing:

You can read all about it in this Wikipedia article. Here's a photo:

"Cars 2" was the first Pixar movie to receive largely negative reviews. That annoyed me since I loved it. But I understand why it wasn't well reviewed: (a) It's a comedy and critics generally rate comedies lower, all else being equal; (b) It's set in the car culture so it really helps to be a "car nut" in order to appreciate the humor.

This New York Times article discusses the negative reviews, director John Lasseter's reactions, and why the movie is much better than the reviews would indicate.

Note that "Cars 2" has been a huge success at the box office. :wink:

Has anyone else seen the movie? I'd say it's a must-see if you're into cars, particularly vintage.

I still haven't seen that movie Two-Stroke but you have my curiosity piqued, as for the Trabant I always wanted one of those cars! I don't think they are bad at all , any car that is still used for taxi service to this day can't be all bad.

jamesslcx said:

I still haven't seen that movie Two-Stroke but you have my curiosity piqued, as for the Trabant I always wanted one of those cars! I don't think they are bad at all , any car that is still used for taxi service to this day can't be all bad.

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I didn't know that they are still in use as taxis. They are famously bad cars. :laughing:

In terms of collecting, I'd be more excited about getting a Zundapp Janus -- but that's a very rare car.

Interestingly... in the movie, Dr. Zundapp is one of the leaders of the evil lemon cars. Almost all of the lemons are dumb thugs while Zundapp himself is a criminal mastermind.

Two-Stroke said:

"Cars 2" is a spy-spoof -- a comedy set in a universe populated by cars -- a group of angry, frustrated lemon cars is vying for world domination. A team of spy cars, lead by a James Bond-like car (not an Aston Martin, interestingly), must stop these evil lemons.

A good spy comedy needs an outrageous villain. One of the best I've seen is the movie's "Professor Zundapp" (wikia page - contains spoilers). He's a weapons designer who creates a death ray to kill race cars as they compete.

Here's the real car -- a Zundapp Janus 750 - that the character is based on:

I remember seeing one of these rare cars many years ago. Notice that it has a door in the front and one in the back, with the back seat facing back. The thing I find irresistible is that it's powered by a single-cylinder, two-stroke engine with only a 250cc displacement.

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Wow, that car is beautiful...

... If you didn't have the gift of sight! :laughing:

That Zundapp Janus 750 is the coolest car I've never heard of before! I do think it is a beauty, by the way I would love to have a Trabant so what if it breaks they are so simple to fix ...if you can get parts that is.

jamesslcx said:

That Zundapp Janus 750 is the coolest car I've never heard of before! I do think it is a beauty, by the way I would love to have a Trabant so what if it breaks they are so simple to fix ...if you can get parts that is.

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I'd like to have a Trabant as well. I'll bet you could maintain one if you would be willing to order parts from Germany. They are such interesting cars (in the same way that "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes" is an interesting movie) that there probably is a group of devotees in Germany.

jamesslcx said:

I still haven't seen that movie Two-Stroke but you have my curiosity piqued, as for the Trabant I always wanted one of those cars! I don't think they are bad at all , any car that is still used for taxi service to this day can't be all bad.

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Why not get a Crown Vic...parts are cheap and will be available for the next 30 years, they are built like a tank but ride a lot better than a cheapo Trabant.

JDgreen said:

Why not get a Crown Vic...parts are cheap and will be available for the next 30 years, they are built like a tank but ride a lot better than a cheapo Trabant.

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and I'm pretty sure you won't find "Trabant" parts at autozone

Don't get me wrong I like cars like Crown Vics, I think the 4.6 is a great motor but I enjoy having something a little different than everyone else. Nothing wrong with going with the flow but I like to break away from the pack every now and then.:biggrin: