For my first QOTD following Matt Hardigree's torch passing I'm turning to an evergreen subject: movie cars. Not just movie cars, but all the over-the-top techie stuff that made them so. Which is the most ridiculous movie (and TV)-car gadget?
That is, all the features that both helped sell the heroics, and that, let's face it, often did more to move the plot along than the heroes' wooden acting. How did TV's Batman unlock the doors to the Penguin's van that was transporting stolen gold bullion? The all-purpose Bat Ray, which could do everything but recreate the Hope Diamond out of a Cup O'Noodles. What about KITT's Anamorphic Equalizer (that annoying scanner thing in the nose), which could see in all visual wavelengths but couldn't figure out that KITT could drive around barricades instead of always smashing right through them? Those aren't the worse offenders either. Now off to Google with ye!
(QOTD is your chance to answer the day's most pressing automotive questions and experience the opinions of the insightful insiders, practicing pundits and gleeful gearheads that make up the Jalopnik commentariat. If you've got a suggestion for a good "Question Of the Day" send an email to tips at jalopnik dot com.)