Villain Character from the Movie "Cars 2"

[Two-Stroke]

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:

 

[Two-Stroke]

"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.

 

[jamesslcx]

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.

 

[Two-Stroke]

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.

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.

 

[jmurray01]

"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.

Wow, that car is beautiful...

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

 

[jamesslcx]

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.

 

[Two-Stroke]

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.

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.

 

[JDgreen]

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.

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.

 

[RobertBrown]

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.

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

 

[jamesslcx]

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: