Continuing my look at The
Green Hornet TV series, here’s a few photos of the 1:18 scale Black
Beauty, produced by Gateway Autoart Limited.
The
model or packaging isn’t actually dated, but I would imagine it
would have appeared shortly after the poorly received 2011, Green
Hornet film was released, which, in spite of it’s shortcomings,
did lead to lots of newly created and quality Green Hornet
merchandise being released, especially for Hornet fans who enjoyed
the short-lived 1966 TV series.
The
Autoart Black Beauty is a static model set in it’s stealth mode,
with forward and rear rockets and gas guns. It also has
non-retractable brooms behind the rear wheels, which were never shown
in the series. These were suggested by Batmobile creator, George
Barris, who I’ve read liked to take some credit for the Black
Beauty build.
I
believe Autoarts original intention was to have all these gadgets
retractable, but unfortunately, they decided against it at some stage. I’d
have been happy if they’d just made the brooms removable!
Nevertheless,
it is still a fine, highly detailed and fairly accurate
representation of what we saw on screen.
Dean
Jeffries is the actual customizer behind the Black Beauty, which is
based on a 1966 Imperial Crown hardtop.
The
Chrysler Imperial was altered to give it’s heavy duty muscle car
look, with those distinctive 15” ‘Apache’ cast alloy wheels.
These were then given a custom black and alloy look.
The
body length remained the same at a touch under 19 feet, but the rear
of the roof was extended by around 14 inches. The exterior of the
door were fitted with hidden button handles, and the rear lights were
extended to run over the top of the boot, or trunk as our American
cousins call it.
The
interior was full of additional control panels and storage areas for
the Hornet Sting and the Hornet gas gun, although hardly any of these
compartments are seen on screen.
Jefferies
used designer Howard ’Buck’ Mook to do the working drawing of the
Black Beauty, who was apparently inspired by the 1955 Pacard Request
for the distinctive front grill. Jefferies also enlisted the help of
car body builder, Dick Dean, who amongst some 20 others completed the
build.
Two
Black Beauty’s were built, a filming car and a back up. Black
Beauty #1 was the hero car fitted with the gadgets, the second, #2,
was the clone car, used for publicity events. Both cars are used in
the episodes ‘Corpse of the Year’ parts 1 & 2. It’s
unclear whether the clone car turned up in other episodes, although
it apparently shared the same circuitry for the gadgetry as
the ‘hero’ car.
Both
of the original Black Beauty cars still exist. The last I heard the
#1 hero car resided at the Peteren Auto Museum in Los Angeles,
although I believe it is no longer on display. The second car is
privately owned and has been restored to it’s former glory.
The
Black Beauty was supposed to have revolving number plates, although
the only plate we ever see on screen is V 194.
The
actual original registered plate for the #1 car is SUE 206, and car #
2 is X62 994.
All
the Autoarts model car doors open revealing the interior detailing.
If you look carefully, there’s even the fold down ‘infra-green’
visor enabling Kato to see the road ahead through the green radiance
of the Beauty’s polarised headlights.
Although
not obvious in the TV series, it is mentioned in some small detail in
the first of the three Gold Key, Green Hornet comics. In Britain we
got to read it in The Green Hornet annual published by World
Distributors which reprinted the comic strip, as well as a truncated
version that appeared in issue 7 of the TV Tornado comic.
Like
the number plate, the headlights were intended to switch between
normal and green ‘polarising’ lights. Some publicity photos show
the head lights in normal mode. Aurora released their Black Beauty
kit with that headlight arrangement.
The
story goes that the headlight motor stuck and stayed that way
throughout the series.
In
the middle of the trunk (boot)lid is the scanner, the small flying video
and audio surveillance gadget, not unlike a modern drone.
The
hood ( bonnet) lifts to reveal a highly detailed
Chrysler Imperial engine.“Let’s
Roll, Kato!”
