Don’t you just hate it when you drive into work and discover that some thoughtless jerk has parked in your parking space?
Well, look at what the folks who work at Goodyear Tire & Rubber in Akron, OH had to endure yesterday morning when they arrived at work. First some boob with a big rig blocks the main entrance to Goodyear’s corporate headquarters …
Photo by Chuck Nilson
… Then some idiot left these cars parked right in the middle on the sidewalk!
Photo by Chuck Nilson
Okay. Enough with the imitation ire. The pretend outrage … Yep, these vehicles really are what they appear to be, people. Full-sized replicas of Lightning McQueen and Sally the 2002 Porsche, the “stars” of that upcoming Disney / Pixar release, “Cars.”
Photo by Chuck Nilson
These vehicles (and the big rig that transports them) were parked right outside of Goodyear corporate headquarters yesterday morning because Lightning & Sally were beginning “Cars Road Trip ’06.” Which is a nationwide promotional tour for this forthcoming motion picture that is being sponsored by State Farm Insurance.
Photo by Chuck Nilson
Speaking of State Farm … In addition to underwriting the cost of “Road Trip ’06,” this insurance giant is also sponsoring the “Countdown to Cars” contest. Which will giving away free brand-new Ford Mustangs to 25 lucky people who sign up for this sweepstakes before June 19th. To officially enter the “Countdown to Cars” contest, please click on this link.
Photo by Chuck Nilson
Anyway … Getting back to the “Cars” stars who were parked in front of Goodyear Headquarters yesterday …
These full-scale versions of Lightning McQueen & Sally were actually created by Customs by Eddie Paul, the El Segundo-based company that – for over 30 years now – has been building famous film & TV cars like the General Lee from the original “Dukes of Hazzard” TV show as well as the racers featured in “The Fast and the Furious” & “xXx.”
The “eyes” on the windshield were a vinyl applique, while Sally’s “mouth” was formed out of a piece of molded bodywork. Pretty neat, huh?
Photo by Chuck Nilson
As to Goodyear’s ties to this particular motion picture … Well, if you look at Lightning McQueen’s tires, you’ll see that they use the Goodyear brand name as a stepping-off point for an inside joke that pays tribute to Buzz Lightyear, the star of Pixar’s first animated feature, “Toy Story.”
More to the point, Goodyear will be using several characters from “Cars” as part of a sales promotional effort later this summer. You can see some of the “Calling All Cars Tire Sale” banners & signage in the photo directly above.
Photo by Chuck Nilson
By 11 a.m., it was finally time to pack up. Roll Lightning & Sally back into their big rig (FYI: The truck that these two travel around in is actually modeled after the character, Mack [As in “Mack Truck”] from “Cars”) so that they then head out to the next city on their nationwide tour.
Speaking of which, here’s a copy of the ” Cars Road Trip ’06” intinerary:
April 17 Akron, OH
April 18 Washington DC
April 19 Baltimore, MD
April 20 Philadelphia, PA
April 21 Allentown, PA
April 22 Hartford, CT
April 23 Boston, MA
April 24 Toronto, CN
April 26 Detroit, MI
April 27 Chicago, IL
April 28-29 Minneapolis, MN
May 1 Denver, CO
May 2 Salt Lake City, UT
May 4 DuPont, WA
May 5 Seattle, WA
May 6 Portland, OR
May 7 San Francisco, CA
May 8 Bakersfield, CA
May 10-12 Los Angeles, CA
May 15 Houston, TX
May 17-18 Atlanta, GA
May 20-21 Orlando, FL
May 22-23 Jacksonville, FL
May 24-28 Charlotte, NC
“Cars” World Premiere / NASCAR Coca Cola 600
May 30 Charlottesville, VA
May 31 Parsippany, NJ
June 1-6 New York, NY
June 11-18 Los Angeles, CA
June 19 Phoenix, AZ
June 21 San Antonio, TX
June 22 Dallas, TX
June 23-24 Tulsa, OK
June 26 St. Louis, MO
June 27 Erlanger, KY
June 28 Cincinnati, OH
June 29 Lexington, KY
June 30 Columbus, OH
July 5 Battle Creek, MI
July 6 Oakbrook, IL
July 7 Bloomington, IL
July 8-11 Chicago, IL
Here’s hoping that the “Cars Road Trip ’06” (Which is being managed by the Becker Group) rolls through a city or town near you very soon. So that you too can get a chance to get up-close and personal with these amazing looking automotive celebrities.
Special thanks to loyal JHM reader Chuck Nilson for sharing these photos with us today.
Your thoughts?