# Car in ST:TOS Bread and Circuses? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 16, 2007, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-in-st-tos-bread-and-circuses/430190 "2007-12-16T13:49:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DirkGntly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d9b06d/32.png) [@DirkGntly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DirkGntly)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2007, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-in-st-tos-bread-and-circuses/430190/1 "2007-12-16T13:49:51Z")
Ok, here’s some serious trivia, and I’m having a heck of a time trying to Google it… There is a scene in TOS: Bread and Circuses, where the Enterprise is monitoring a television broadcast. On the screen, briefly, can be seen a portion of a car with a dome top. This car looks very much like one of Ed Roth’s creations. Can anyone confirm if this is true, or if it is some Detroit prototype borrowed for the episode? ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2007, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-in-st-tos-bread-and-circuses/430190/2 "2007-12-16T13:58:57Z")
That prototype appeared in \*Bewitched \* and \*Batman \* as well, and it was [not designed by Ed Roth](http://www.harpiesbizarre.com/supercar.htm): > [@](#): > > The car is actually a prototype created by auto designer Gene Winfield. The Reactor featured a radar screen, flip-top roof, retractable fins, and a 425-horsepower engine. The hydraulic liquid-on-air suspension allowed the driver to adjust the ground clearance from 4 to 9 1/2 inches. The $20,000 price tag would buy several of Larry Tate’s screaming yellow Stingrays in the 1960s. The lime green metallic paint with darker green shading around the edges made the car stand out as well. > > This custom car featured an aluminum body, so it’s no wonder that Darrin was so particular about Sam driving it — one little fender bender and it would crumble like a soda can squeezed in a fist. The engine was based on the Chevy Corvair. ---
**Author:** ![DirkGntly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d9b06d/32.png) [@DirkGntly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DirkGntly)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2007, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-in-st-tos-bread-and-circuses/430190/3 "2007-12-16T14:10:41Z")
Cool. I just knew someone would have this answer…now HOW you knew the answer is the fascinating thing… ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2007, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-in-st-tos-bread-and-circuses/430190/4 "2007-12-16T14:18:20Z")
[QUOTE=Fear Itself] That prototype appeared in \*Bewitched \* and \*Batman \* as well, and it was [not designed by Ed Roth](http://www.harpiesbizarre.com/supercar.htm): [/QUOTE] Would have expected **Tuckerfan** to answer _that_ one. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2007, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-in-st-tos-bread-and-circuses/430190/5 "2007-12-16T14:59:39Z")
[QUOTE=Bosda Di’Chi of Tricor] Would have expected **Tuckerfan** to answer _that_ one. 🆒 [/QUOTE] Actually, I’d never heard of Gene Winfield until now. Googling has turned up some nifty [photos of the Reactor](http://public.fotki.com/Rikster/11_car_photos/beautiful_custom_cars/gene_winfield/the_reactor/), [and an interview where he talks about building the cars for _Bladerunner_ and how they were all destroyed :mad:](http://media.bladezone.com/contents/film/interviews/gene-winfield/). ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Rhosis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@Sir\_Rhosis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Rhosis)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2007, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-in-st-tos-bread-and-circuses/430190/6 "2007-12-16T21:47:22Z")
Captain Kirk often cruised the Academy in it picking up young female cadets. [![](http://www.c-we.com/piranha/reactor2.jpg) ](http://www.c-we.com/piranha/reactor2.jpg) Sir Rhosis ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2007, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-in-st-tos-bread-and-circuses/430190/7 "2007-12-16T22:49:28Z")
It must have been an Imperial. ---
**Author:** ![Rocketeer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocketeer/32/4437_2.png) [@Rocketeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rocketeer)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2007, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-in-st-tos-bread-and-circuses/430190/8 "2007-12-16T23:05:37Z")
As I recall, the Reactor had a Corvair engine, so the 425 horsepower figure is just “creative exaggeration”. 100-150 would be more like it. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2007, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-in-st-tos-bread-and-circuses/430190/9 "2007-12-17T00:07:50Z")
[QUOTE=Rocketeer] As I recall, the Reactor had a Corvair engine, so the 425 horsepower figure is just “creative exaggeration”. 100-150 would be more like it. [/QUOTE] Not necessarily. You _can_ hop them up. Getting 425 HP out of it seems to be a bit of a stretch, IMHO, but 200 or so should be possible. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2007, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-in-st-tos-bread-and-circuses/430190/10 "2007-12-17T00:43:56Z")
[QUOTE=Tuckerfan] Not necessarily. You _can_ hop them up. Getting 425 HP out of it seems to be a bit of a stretch, IMHO, but 200 or so should be possible. [/QUOTE] !80 HP in factory [Corsa trim](http://www.corvaircorsa.com/turbo.html) 400 would probably be a bit of a stretch. ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2007, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-in-st-tos-bread-and-circuses/430190/11 "2007-12-17T00:48:55Z")
[QUOTE=DirkGntly] now HOW you knew the answer is the fascinating thing… [/QUOTE] I just googled “bread and circuses star trek car” and found **Fear Itself’s** link as the 9th result. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2007, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-in-st-tos-bread-and-circuses/430190/12 "2007-12-17T02:11:13Z")
[QUOTE=Pushkin] I just googled “bread and circuses star trek car” and found **Fear Itself’s** link as the 9th result. [/QUOTE] Try an image search with those terms. ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2007, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-in-st-tos-bread-and-circuses/430190/13 "2007-12-17T11:17:34Z")
[QUOTE=Fear Itself] Try an image search with those terms [/QUOTE] Damn, I was expecting some sort of horrendous Gorn porn or some Slash involving Spock, Kirk and the back seat of the Jupiter 8.