I am going on a car rally in September and I have been asked to perform some magic in the evening at the after dinner event. I am looking for some suggestions for effects with a car or automobile theme.
I have in mind :-
a) Professor's Nightmare - stretching fan belts.
b) Cups 'n' balls with minature car loads
c) Torn and restored parking ticket.
Any other ideas will be well appreciated.
Thanks
Clive

You could do a huge Ferrari appearance.

Do Kornwinder's car.

Larry
I am not familiar with Kornwinder's car. Could you enlighten me please.
Thanks
Clive

Morlas car, more of a close up trick though?

The linking rings as piston rings.
Any book test using an Auto Club driving guide.
Square Circle done as a garage, with the load consisting of car parts.

Sorry, I spelled it wrong, it's Koornwinder.

The effect is that a card is freely selected (it really is), returned to the deck, the deck is shuffled (it can be legitimately shuffled, even by the spectator), the magician removes some cards from the deck and places them in a row, he then places a little wooden car on the surface next to the cards and shows how the car rolls along, he asks the spectator to roll the car and when she does that the card stops dead in its tracks at a particular card which the magician then reveals is the selected card.

If you want further info, you can contact Dick Koornwinder at dkmagic@planet.nl

Larry D.

Here's a suggestion on Cups and Balls at a car rally...

Make sure your cups are sparkling!

Car people like shiny metal things.

This is the only time I'd ever agree to make my cups shine. Other than a car show, it's a nice dull patina.

Robert Bloor

Soft Soap with shop rags
Oil dipstick (needle) thru balloon

Run Rabbit, Run, with a car going from your garage to the shop, then disappears, to be found at the impound lot. It may take some doing, but you have until Sept. and once you modify one of the many RRR's available, you will have something unique.

Stoplight tricks
Something for a sobriety test, pom-pom?

Chinese sticks: pull a rope to exit parking garage and the other door opens

Snake Can of oil
Paper Tear to mechanics hat
Torn and Restored map, ticket
Dye Tube-red silk stop, green silk go, finish with red/green mouth load, I use this for kids safety shows

20th Century Silk merging in-between two trucks
Miser's Dream toll booth
Float a car
Shrinking driving gloves
Dave Grist Big Balloon Car
3-D Sponge Rabbits in the road-beep beep there goes the Ether Bunny

Passé can of oil and air filter
6 Ticket repeat
Square - parts box, Circle - oil can
Stratospheres - stop light bulbs
Cut/Restore tow rope

I hope you can use one or two.

Thanks guys
So much information already I have started to research some of the ideas. The Linking Rings have come out of the bottom drawer, just got to find some time to practice.
Keep the ideas coming
Thanks again.
Clive

Hi Clive alive, are you the same Clive that won the Home Counties close up championship last year???

A good, simple, effective trick for your car rally:

Try the Traffic Light trick from Practical Magic.

Vaillant
I am the same Clive that won the Home Counties Close up Championship, that's my small claim to fame.
I shall look up the traffic light trick.

Hi Clive Alive I remember when you won that competition you were on the front page of a local newspaper.

Hi CliveAlive

I saw your routine at the Home Counties and it was outstanding. I have some ideas on the Car Rally: you could use the linking rings and make an Audi Symbol.

My god, I think you're right.

I hate Stratospheres. I hate the trick with a purple passion. In fact, I hate it with a purple passion, lined with black satin. HOWEVER, if you have a set of Stratospheres, it is perfect for a routine about traffic lights.

There is a routine about a colorblind police officer in Once Upon a Time that would also be good for this. It centers around the monkey bar.

You don't actually need to change the props much when you do things like "soft soap," etc. For example, one of the dirty handkerchiefs almost always looks like it has oil on it, so you start with that one. Then you can say something like, "Or when you have those other embarrassing stains you might like to keep your wife from finding" and show the lipstick stained one.

Re: the linking rings as piston rings -- "My grandfather used to take part in rallies like this right after the first war. He couldn't afford a regular car, so he built his own. It had an unusual engine. It had 8 inch cylinders. The parts were really hard to find. I still have the last set of piston rings..." and there you are into the patter for the linking rings. You can talk about the horrible gas mileage, etc.

And for the professor's nightmare, dye a set of ropes black, and they will pass for those fan belts.

The Koornwinder was a Ken Brooke card discovery effect. Most recently performed by Juan Tamariz on National Television.

Stevens Magic has the car available.

http://www.stevensmagic.com/shopping/shopexd.asp?id=1231

This can also be used with the Invisible Card Control, an other Ken Brooke effect.

http://www.stevensmagic.com/shopping/shopexd.asp?id=1205

The original Kar was made of wood, but I think the clear Plexi adds to the mystery!

The clear Plexi is a rip off of Dick's.

Frankly, I would NOT try to make up a batch of new tricks or try new stuff JUST TO BE CAR-LIKE.

Do your regular stuff, things that play well. Things you are 100% sure of.

Hi Clivealive,

For your car rally you could use the effect Car'd as it uses toy cars in the effect. Check it out.

I agree with Mr. Biro. Unless you are in a trade booth and have to keep the sponsors name out front, why would you want to keep mentioning cars? Maybe one trick that references cars, but if you keep doing it your material will look like a string of visual puns. Puns get old fast for most folks.