I love Speedracer, and while looking for places to buy Speed Racer tshirts I found a lot of great info about the Mach V, too!

If you’re watching the new Speed Racer cartoon on Nickelodeon you have probably realized that the Mach 5 (the original Speed Racer ride) is no more, having been destroyed in the second episode and replaced with the Mach 6. The Mach 5 of the new generation featured several “special powers” not seen on Speed Racer’s rides before, such as the holographic dashboard display and the ejector seat. So, what is the history of the Mach 5 anyway?

The Mach 5 first appeared in the Japanese manga in the 1960’s and looked a lot like the Mach 5 in the new live-action movie looks. It’s a white car that looks a lot like a Chaparral 2C- which is an actual racecar designed by Jim Hall- with tail fins and a large red “M” on the hood. The car is named the Mach 5 (in the American versions of the show), but that’s not really accurate, as the Mach 5 isn’t really capable of supersonic speeds. In Japan, the word “go” means “5”- so it’s a pun, and in Japan, the car is simply known as the Mach. On the show, Speed Racer races in a class of cars designed for maximum speed and minimum weight.

In all of its different reworked designs, the Mach 5 features a lettered set of buttons on the steering wheel (and one on the center console). Each button corresponds to a different secret feature of the car. Speed deploys these features as needed, as the races he’s in aren’t exactly contested under normal rules, nor are the other racers above blatant cheating through the use of such devices. Translated from the original Japanese comic book, they include:

1. Auto Jack- A series of 4 jacks that can be rapidly deployed. Ostensibly, these jacks are so that the car can be repaired quickly but in practical use, Speed usually ends up using them to jump over obstacles in his way.
2. Belt Tires- A special tire grip is activated, allowing Speed to keep control on icy or uneven terrain. When this power is activated, 5,000 extra horsepower are also evenly distributed amongst the 4 tires; the power is drawn from secret auxiliary engines.
3. Cutter- Two huge rotary saw blades pop out of the front of the Mach 5, enabling obstacles such as trees to be cleared out of the way with ease.
4. Defensor- Seals the driver in a waterproof, bulletproof cockpit. The driver inside is basically invulnerable once the Defensor is deployed.
5. Evening Eye (or Illuminating Eye) a special illumination system allowing the Mach 5’s driver to see much further down the road than normal. This system can also interface with the goggles on Speed Racer’s helmet to give infrared vision assistance.
6. Frogger Mode- essentially submarine mode, this allows the Mach 5 to serve as a submarine, complete with periscope, for 30 minutes- that’s when the air runs out.
7. Gizmo Rocket- activates a small homing rocket, controlled by a joystick on the center console. This rocket can be used to carry messages, take aerial video, or for self defense.
8. Button H is located on the center console and activates the Gizmo Rocket’s homing device, sending it to a pre-programmed location automatically.
There was a short-lived remake of Speed Racer on Nickelodeon in 2002 called Speed Racer X. In that series, the names and functionality of several of the secret powers were changed- for example, the jacks were replaced with compressed air and rockets, the tires were replaced with special tires that allowed the Mach 5 to float, the cutter blades were replaced with lasers, and the night vision feature was replaced with a grappling hook that allowed Speed to get out of tough situations. The car also made a full transformation into a submarine during Frogger mode, and the Gizmo Rocket was redesigned to look more like a peacock than its original dove configuration.

In the live action movie, several other changes were also made. Frogger mode was abandoned altogether along with Evening Eye mode. Jump Jacks and the bulletproof cockpit were retained as features and also figure prominently in the plot. The car also has had tire shields added, and Speed has the ability to control them via a remote in the center console. Other added features included instant-inflate spare tires, in case an original tire gets shredded, and crampons that emerge from the tire treads when things get too icy or slick.

While the Mach 5 in the movie IS an actual physical car, sadly, no one drove it. It was suspended from a crane and moved using hydraulics to get the necessary shots for the movie, then inserted into the digital footage using green screen technology. In the year 2000, a special prototype Mach 5 was build- it featured functional concealed cutter blades! As you can imagine, this car was not street legal, so in 2002, 100 street-legal versions of the Mach 5 were produced, built on a heavily modified Corvette chassis. If you want to drive one of these 345 horsepower beasts, first you’ve got to find one. Then, you’ve got to shell out from $75,000 to $125,000 to afford it!

That’s all for now. If you’re looking for Speed Racer hats, stop by the store and pick some up!