As Thar goes the Neighbourhood…
“With a purposeful grimace and a terrible sound
He pulls the spitting high tension wires down
Helpless people on a subway train
Scream for God as He looks in on them
He picks up a bus and he throws it back down
As he wades through the buildings toward the center of town
Oh no, they say, he's got to go
Go go Godzilla, yeah
Oh no, there goes Tokyo”
Suppose I’m showing my age, Eh? Since upon
reading the first time about Godzilla racing in Japan, I immediately thought of
Ye Classic Rockers BOC. Better known as Blue Oyster Cult and their Hit song
Godzilla…
VIDEO:
Godzilla – Blue Oyster Cult
Tend to recall
I’ve got a Summer Jam sticker on a notebook from the early 1980’s that featured
Joan Jett and the Heartbreakers, and Blue Oyster Cult amongst others…
Arse-sumedly Y’all know about the Haas F1 Team
running a special “One-off” Godzilla themed livery racecar at Suzuka this year.
As the Haas VF-26 featured Godzilla blasting His Atomic breath on the car’s
engine cover.
As folklore claims the mutant Godzilla creature
spawned from radioactive waters of Tokyo, albeit far prior to Fukushima…
the American team, now known as TGR Haas F1
Team. Ran the livery in conjunction with Toho co. Ltd, the Japanese
entertainment company responsible for producing the Godzilla Franchise.
Reportedly Haas will reveal another Godzilla
livery at this fall’s United States Grand Prix. Which just happens to coincide
with the release of Godzilla Minus Zero. Celebrating the movie franchise’s 75th
anniversary, with 38 films having been made.
Had forgotten that this year marks the 50th
anniversary of the Japanese Grand Prix, which is worth celebrating itself.
Especially since it was the 1976 F1 World Championship decider, albeit at Fuji
in October…
50
years since James Hunt won F1 title in Japan
Whilst movie tribute F1 livery themes aren’t
new, they also are fairly rare. With Red Bull Racing having run a Star Wars
theme in 2005. As tend to still recall Storm Troopers storming thee
Principality, ergo Monaco.
While Alpine ran a Dead Pool Wolverine livery
in 2024, in conjunction with the movie’s release. As its star Ryan Reynolds and
actors Rob McElhenny, Michael B. Jordan and others thru Maximum Efforts
Investments, Redbird Capital Partners and Otro Capital currently own a 24%
stake, having paid $218 million in 2023.
Although now negotiating to sell to the highest
bidder, making thoust Pied Piper Chris Horner squirm, with Flavio Briatore
admitting that Mercedes itself and not Herr Wolff, Ahem toto! Is also an
interested buyer…
Yet I’m just hoping that Haas’s race went
better than Jaguar’s Wayback’ in Bloody 2004! Since Y’all remember that glitzy
Oceans 12 reveal, Eh?
Yuhs know when Jaguar ran its R5 with diamond
encrusted noses for Mark Webber and Christian Klien. Each chassis carrying a
$250,000 diamond on its noseconde!
Yet on the opening lap, Klien collided with
another racecar, before striking the barriers at Lowes corner twice. Yep, Yuhs
guessed it, the diamond was nowhere to be found!
As it done “Klien” disappeared, Yikes!
Although I’m not claiming that Christian Klien
had anything to do with its disappearance on the streets of Monte Carlo.
And you’d have to say the publicity both before
and after the race were worth the reported $250,000 price for Ford’s flagging
Formula 1 Jaguar Racing programme they sold the following year to Red Bull.
While that diamond were reputedly lost forever,
I still have a hard time believing real diamonds were used for this promotional
stunt…
Oh
no, watch out for that Alpine Godzilla!
Partial song lyrics from: Blue Oyster Cult’s Godzilla; 1977 Spectre Album.
