Buying one of the F-Bomb Camaros certified to have appeared in The Fast & Furious 4 might be da-bomb. But when you find out today's Nice Price or Crack Pipe car is not the 1,500-hp twin turbo version, you might just drop an f-bomb of your own.
Wesley Morris, film critic for the Boston Globe, recently declared the Fast & Furious franchise to be "the most progressive force in Hollywood," due to the films' nonchalant attitude toward multiculturalism. That's all well and good, but I doubt very many of us watch these movies for their progressive political take. And neither is the acting a draw. Instead it's the cars, and today we have one that is certified to have had a supporting role in FF4.
The F-Bomb Camaro was originally built by Hot Rod magazine - because that's what they do - based on a 1973 F-body. That Hot Rod F-Bomb was recreated as Vin Diesel's ride for Fast & Furious 4, right down to the 1,500-hp twin turbo 406-cid V8. Not everything in the movies is what it seems on the screen, and just as actors have stand-ins and stunt doubles, so do many of the cars used, saving major talent for the close ups. To that end, Universal Pictures had 6 F-Bomb lookalikes constructed for the movie, although five of those were powered by less potent 300-bhp SBC crate motors. Out of those six, only three are said to survive today.
This is one of those three.
The differences between '72 and '73 Camaros are minor, incorporating different bumpers and a few other changes. Those differences that could be called out have been pretty much removed on this car. Regardless, the seller says it is registered as a 1972 not the '73 of the original F-Bomb. Along with those model year identifiers has gone a whole lot of the factory Camaro. The interior has been gutted- the flat vinyl Chevy buckets replaced with racing buckets that are Chicago pizza-worthy deep dished and sporting slots for five-point harnesses. There's a full cage and aluminum panels cover the doors and the hole where the back seat used to separate you from the trunk. Even the dash has been replaced with alloy, into which water, oil and RPM gauges have been set. Right in front of those is a Grant GT three spoke wheel, indicating that perhaps PeP Boys was the only store open when they needed to source that - or perhaps the Studio gets a bulk discount from Grant.
Under the hood is the aforementioned 350 crate motor. It has a Holly 4bbl sitting atop an Edelbrock manifold and the whole thing looks kind of lost in the engine bay as the inner fenders have been removed opening up where the sun don't normally shine. Behind the 300 horses is a 4-speed manual actuated through a T-handle with a red button on its side - the function of which is beyond me. Perhaps it's just part of the props.
Outside, the F-Bomb is painted a military green with black Mickey Thompson (R.I.P.) rims and a buffet table of a spoiler off the back. A drag chute sits proud of that by a good half foot, and potentially could be deployed to cover the windshield of annoying tailgaters. The F-Bomb ‘nose art' on the front fenders replicates that of the original Hot Rod car and means picking up grandma in it will require some explaining.
This car is certified by Universal Pictures to have appeared in the FF4 movie, it's not a homage or replica. That being said, it's one of the lessor cars from that Oscar overlooked film not sporting the big gun under its hood. Based on those factors, what do you think of this seller's ‘sale price' on the Camaro of $29,888? Is that a fair price for someone to pay to have this F-Bomb star in their driveway? Or, is that too much for a stunt double?
You decide!
Allamericanautomartonline or go here if the ad disappears. H/T to 2ndGearSuperhero for the hookup!
Help me out with NPOCP. Click here to send a me a tip, and remember to include your commenter handle.
BTW If you can't see the poll, hit up the handy helpers at help@gawker.com and let ‘em know.