HOME | DD

GoodCaptainClack In reply to David31 [2013-09-25 06:08:47 +0000 UTC]

They have good reason to be; they have a chance to actually save the Forest by proving the Solarcoaster's worth over the Sneer-mobile. Of course, in real life, I doubt it would be anywhere as close as it ended up being between the two vehicles! On a side note, I wonder whatever happened to the Evergreen test track? Probably dismantled and torn down...Maybe it's the racing fan in me, but there's a part of me that it thinks it would have been cool to have it show up again in a later episode...because building a racetrack just for the sole purpose of holding a quick test session and then promptly tearing it down, to me, would be a HUGE waste (but I could totally buy Cyril doing that).

Also, it might be just me, but in my honest opinion...in real life, I don't think the Solarcoaster would actually have a lot of marketability. It's not because I think people would be against buying an eco-friendly vehicle, it's more...the design. While I do admit the Solarcoaster is a pretty cool cartoon car, in real life a car that looked like this would probably be the subject of a lot of ridicule from the average person (car enthusiasts especially would probably consider it one of the ugliest cars ever made). I don't know, I just can't imagine the average person (human, furry, or whatever) wanting to buy a car that looked this unusual looking. Were the show closer to real life, the Solarcoaster would probably flop every bit as badly as Homer Simpson's own personal car he made for his half-brother's automotive company ("The Homer"!).  Then again, in real life, solar-powered cars haven't really caught on as I don't think there's any company producing them for the general public...and of course, I AM aware this is a cartoon

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

David31 In reply to GoodCaptainClack [2013-09-25 13:40:47 +0000 UTC]

Once again you had to bring in a Simpsons reference into a Raccoons discussion, ENOUGH!

Yes this is a cartoon, but I don't know, Bert's car could have very well competed against the Sinclair C5 if those cars did ever become popular, which they didn't. The Sinclair C5 was a small electric car that anybody could drive without a license, but needless to say it didn't take off too well.

I know why they were pleased though and yes I guess the track could have very well be used again off screen, since it would be a waste to build it and do nothing with it, but again this was due to the writers etc.

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

GoodCaptainClack In reply to David31 [2013-09-25 17:13:19 +0000 UTC]

Sorry, I just thought that was a good example of what could potentially happen when you try to introduce a radically new and highly unusual-looking car to the market. Maybe I should have used a real-life example...in the late 1960s there was a microcar built in the UK called the Peel Trident which looked almost exactly like a Jetsons spaceship on wheels (you've probably heard of this car before). Shocker: it didn't sell very well at all, almost certainly due to its bizarre design. The Solarcoaster would probably be best used as a test or exhibition vehicle rather than a car intended for the general public to purchase unless they planned on radically redesigning it. Then again, who really knows? Maybe in the Raccoons world, the Solarcoaster was a massive success and became the hottest-selling car on the planet, completely revolutionizing the automotive world to the point to where in the present day in the Raccoons world, everyone who owns a car drives a solar-powered car At the very least, that would be amusing to imagine!

But then again, I don't think the Sneer-mobile would be a hugely marketable vehicle either; partially due to its' incredibly low fuel mileage and its' pollutant nature, and partially due to its' design. Like I said, it looks very much like a Pro Stock drag racer (Pro Stock being one of the four main classes of drag racing). Maybe Cyril Sneer should have considered building race cars instead of cars intended for the general public?

Of course, since outside of clip shows there were VERY few continuity nods on the show But the race track could have been a good source of income and a great tourist attraction for the Forest if it managed to actually be successful and attract a major race or something. Of course, more than a few of the Forest's citizens would probably be opposed to the track holding a major race due to environmental issues, noise concerns, and the possibility of it making the Forest become a tourist trap...PARTICULARLY Ralph I could easily see Ralph protesting against the race track holding a major series race...

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

David31 In reply to GoodCaptainClack [2013-09-25 18:04:15 +0000 UTC]

Apparently the car did sell well for years afterwards, or at least the design was, according to the closing narration to that episode, we just hardly see any solar coasters out on the road at all, during the rest of the series. No I've never heard of the Peel Trident at all until you told me.

Cyril should probably consider re-modelling his car for drag racing, that might work out a LOT better.

I guess Ralph would be OK with smaller races, but not huge organised races like NASCAR or F1.

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

GoodCaptainClack In reply to David31 [2013-09-25 23:08:08 +0000 UTC]

Yeah, it's a cartoon so of course the Solarcoaster can be successful in the Raccoons world. I also forgot to mention, but in real life, as far as I know, solar-powered cars can't go all that fast, so Solarcoasters would probably be causing all sorts of traffic jams were they real The Peel Trident is on virtually every single "worst cars ever" list you'll come across. It's got to be the strangest looking car I've ever seen. It really DOES look like it escaped from the Jetsons cartoon, complete with the bubble dome and everything. (Funny story along the lines of that, my Mom had a friend in high school who owned another notoriously bad car, the AMC Gremlin. She said riding in it felt like she was riding in "George Jetson's spacemobile" )

I actually doubt Formula 1 would come to the Evergreen race track; they already have a successful venue in Montreal they race at (where they've raced at every year since 1978, save for 2009) and there'd be no reason for them to move the location of the Canadian Grand Prix to a track out in the middle of nowhere. NASCAR might be possible (they do have a Canadian division, which at the time the Raccoons was on the air had recently formed as a separate racing series called CASCAR), and the Indy Car series would probably be possible as well. I don't know why, but I can imagine Mr. Knox purchasing the track and managing to get the Indy Car series to add a race date to their schedule at the Evergreen track, much to Ralph's chagrin...You know what, I think you just gave me an idea for one of my future Raccoons stories Would be hilarious to see Ralph's horrified reaction to a large number of tourists from all over North America and around the world swarming the Forest!

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

David31 In reply to GoodCaptainClack [2013-09-25 23:41:58 +0000 UTC]

I had a feeling all this would inspire you to do a story like that. I thought though that Ralph didn't mind a bit of motor racing, I guess he doesn't, it's just the crowds he doesn't like, goodness knows how he'll cope with this one.

I guess anyone would feel uncomfortable riding around in the Jetson-mobile all day. I once rode in Mike Jupp (creator of The Dreamstone)'s Nimrod car and let's just say that it's an OK ride, but not recommended for people over six feet tall like myself.

👍: 0 ⏩: 0