Get set for another fix of Speed

We recently told you about the second coming of KITT, of Knight Rider fame (more here), and now another wheeled TV icon is set to rise from the ashes.

We're referring to the 1960s animated series Speed Racer, which originated as a manga cartoon in Japan, where it was known as Mach GoGoGo. The series was the brainchild of Tatsuo Yoshida, who got his inspiration for the series from Hollywood.

In particular, Yoshida came up with the theme for Speed Racer after seeing Viva Las Vegas and Goldfinger -- two blockbusters that were huge in Japan at the time.

The central characters in the series were a young racing driver named Speed Racer (or Go Mifune in Japan) and Mach 5, the car he raced (known as the "Mach Go", or simply the "Mach" in the Japanese version). It was a gadget-laden device inspired by James Bond's Aston Martin DB5.

Predating modern F1 cars by several decades, the Mach 5 nevertheless had a number of buttons on the steering wheel that deployed the vehicle's myriad of gadgets.

These included everything from auto jacks (for quick repairs, or short jumps on the move), belt tyres (toggled special grip tyres for traction over rough terrain), cutters (powerful rotary saws deployed from the front of the Mach 5 to scythe down obstacles) and a deflector that sealed the cockpit into an air-tight, bullet-proof chamber.

There was also a 1960s version of infra-red night-vision, enabling the driver to see more clearly than with ordinary headlights. When used with the 'night shades' attached to Speed's helmet, his vision was enhanced with infrared light.

Perhaps also inspired by James Bond's conveyances, another button deployed mini-wings that would slide out from under the car to assist Speed in long jumps, while yet another put the car in "Frogger" mode, used when the Mach 5 was submerged. An oxygen canister supplied the cockpit with breathable air, while a periscope enabled Speed Racer to monitor the surface.

Speed Racer tragics will soon be able to get another fix of this action via a feature film that releases internationally in May. Dubbed simply Speed Racer, the film stars Emile Hirsch as Speed, while Christina Ricci is cast in the role of his girlfriend Trixie.

In the film, Speed Racer's obsession is to win The Crucible, a cross-country rally that took the life of his older brother, Rex Racer.

The proverbial goody-two-shoes, Speed is loyal to the family business, run by his parents -- played by John Goodman and Susan Sarandon -- with Pops in charge of designing Speed's Mach 5 racer.

The part of the baddie is played by Roger Allam, who's cast as the unscrupulous owner of Royalton Industries, a concern involved in fixing races to gain profit. Having been snubbed by Speed in his attempts to buy him out, Royalton seeks to ensure the erstwhile hero won't win any major races.

Needless to say, we can expect the predictable climax at The Crucible as Speed vies for glory and seeks to foil Royalton in the process.

Interestingly, the Mach 5, pictured alongside, is designed to be driven, but it will be hung from a crane during filming of the action sequences as all effects will be computer-generated.

Whatever happened to the good ol' days of stuntmen and real-life biffo?

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