Theme Tuesdays: My Ten Poster Cars

As you might have guessed growing up I was into cars. By the time I arrived my dad’s car modifying days were largely over, but he did pass on the torch all the same.

In addition to bringing home model cars fairly regularly, he took me to the Canadian International Auto Show every year. I also somehow always seemed to have a pretty decent cache of toy grade remote control cars kicking around in various states of disrepair.

Television wise if there were wheels, or robots, involved I was into it and when it came to decorating my room car posters were it.

Seeing a Jaguar XJ220 at Cars and Coffee last week reminded me of those posters, even though the powerful Jag never graced my walls. I’ve had the idea to do this Theme Tuesday for a bit but the big cat was all the push I needed.

The Lamborghini Countach: This is obviously most people’s poster car, and had to be the first on this list. The fact that I still have the poster makes it double deserving of lead off honors.
In addition to the poster above I also had a Tyco Ultra Cliffhangers slot car set, and a die-cast Countach that I also still have.In high school as part of auto shop I actually got to help convert a Fiero into a Countach replica (that I’ve posted about before) only further affirming my life long appreciation for the car despite its failings.

The Lamborghini Diablo:
The successor of the Countach, the Diablo, was a natural car to throw up on the wall. If I am to be specific it was the “SV” edition I was particularly hung up on.

The SV was prominently featured in the original Need For Speed Hot Pursuit and I played that game quite a bit.I’ve seen a few over the Diablos over the years, but the one above seems to be the only one I can quickly bring up photos of.

The Defender: So this is a bit of a lie, because I don’t think I actually had a poster of this car, but it does stand out in my mind as one of my favorite ‘poster era’ vehicles.
If the car above looks a bit odd, but also familiar, allow me to help out. It is the hero car from a short-lived series called “Viper”. At the flip of a switch a standard Viper R/T (another car I had a die-cast of) became the Defender.

After the transformation the car was capable of all your standard TV show nonsense hero cars are capable of.

Admittedly the car now looks ridiculous, but I’d still take pictures of one if it showed up to a cruise in. However I don’t really think many, or any, replicas exist.

Other notable car stars I like(d): The General Lee (obviously), The Ecto-1, and The Party Wagon from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Someone actually did make the latter real as well.

The Dodge Viper GTS Coupe: Naturally since I liked the star car above, I had some appreciation for the standard Viper. To this day my favorite viper body style is the second generation GTS coupe.
The GTS is another one of several cars on this list I built a model of, and though I’m usually not a huge fan of stripes I find them very becoming on this car. Especially because the OEM paint is so vibrant.  I’d say it’s one of the best looking vehicles Dodge has ever built. Shame about that rear arch gap though.

Porsche 935: I’m a pretty big Transformers fan, mostly of Generation 1, and of that generation my favorite character (next to Optimus Prime of course) is Jazz. Jazz was modeled after a Porsche 935, specifically a Martini liveried version, so naturally I had one on my wall based solely on that and not racing pedigree of any sort. 
I’m actually in the market for G1 Jazz transformer parts if any of you have one kicking around.
The one I picked up a few years ago is a little worse for wear.

The Porsche 959 at the time I had no real idea what made the 959 so special, I just knew it looked different from every other Porsche.
It was only as an enthusiast that I came to learn it was a Group B Rally car and later one of the fastest street legal production cars.
Engineered Automotive comes through with poster car dreams again showcasing one at a Cars and Coffee event last year.

The Callaway Speedster
I’ve mentioned a few times in this post the significance model cars played on my journey as a car enthusiast and this car is another example. Shortly after building a Callaway Speedster model I found the poster and my school’s book fair.
Looking at the specs now (450 horsepower twin turbo) the car does seem a little tame engine wise, but visually it was unique which is why I liked it. (Interestingly enough I have grown to somewhat dislike the C4 in recent years, blame Corvette roll pans).While the lower roof line and rear windshield glass look great sitting still it does seem a little impractical for the average sized human. Something about cruising around with your face exposed, but chest protected, is a little…. unsettling.

The Shelby Cobra: Side pipes! When I was a kid I thought side pipes were the coolest thing ever. In video games they shot flames and in person they sound glorious.

I wish I knew where my Cobra poster went as it would be a nice addition to the ones I did manage to hold on to, but the fact I kept any posters from the 80s and mid 90s is a miracle.I’ve seen a number of Cobras over the years, both real and replica, but I’ve yet to get a ride in one. But what’s life without a few goals? Hopefully I can swing a ride sometime before I stop blogging.

Cobras also prove that maybe I am a stripe fan after all, or at least a die hard white stripes on blue fan.

The Ferrari Testarosa As I got older and gained a bit of autonomy my parents would let me hang out at the arcade while they shopped. I plunked an unreasonable number of quarters into Super Off Road, Cruisin’ USA, Lucky and Wild and Outrun.

A rich street racer with a blonde in the passenger seat? Who wouldn’t want to live out that fantasy?
Today I actually find the Testarosa to be fairly dated looking (stock) but that doesn’t keep me from holding on to the poster above.
Ron Kimball, the photographer who shot the photo above, still shoots today so I wonder if he would be interested in recreating the poster with the car above? I know I’d buy one.

The Ferrari F40: Did you honestly think this list would end with any other car? The F40 was THE poster car of my generation. Reliability, cost, comfort be damned I, along with many others, will always love this car.

This car above was the first F40 I saw in person after years of build up and aside from the wheels it is a dead ringer for the car below.
I always assumed I’d never see one on the road but mr_trig changed that last year, with his modified black example.

So there you have it, that’s my ten poster cars, what’s are yours?