Today, we celebrate the time Speed Racer Driver Volkswagen GTI won after the Mach 5 was sabotaged. On July 21, 1996, Speed and the rest of the Racer family were distraught after discovering the car. Mach 5 There will be a fee for a big race.
But thanks to a stranger who generously gave the key to a red VW GTI, Speed Racer won anyway. At least that’s the way Volkswagen talked about it in an advertisement that aired 26 years ago, to this day.
We didn’t actually see the Speed Rider on the podium, although we did see Speed waving the checkered flag under the “End” sign. But even after all this time, the real question remains unanswered: who exactly sabotaged Mach 5?
It could be any villain from Speed Racer series, Snake Oiler or Captain Terror. Maybe even Racer X or Bird Bird! I mean, the pet monkey the Racer family is famous for is very naughty. In the end it might just be an accident. Or maybe it’s not. Maybe it was a ploy devised by a large multinational corporation, like Rival Motors or above, Volkswagen.
Look, it’s probably safe to assume the bearded stranger saved the day know Who is Speed Racer? Meaning, he knows what Speed is going to do to win the race and what kind of damage it will do. VW GTI. It’s not easy to hand over the keys to a brand new car and just say “Here, Speed”.
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It’s all too suspicious given the context. And that’s not even considering that the VW praise from Speed and Pops ends up sounding a bit contrived. If I’m being fair, sure, the red 1996 Volkswagen GTI in the ad is fantastic; it’s a two-door; it has fog lights and five-spoke silver wheels; it’s a red hatchback with red “GTI” lettering in the grill! It really is amazing. Maybe not roomy, but that’s a plus. Because two-door GTIs will always be the best GTIs.
The ad was the first time Speed Racer ever endorsed a car, or product at all, according to the the The New York Times. It’s part of Volkswagen’s “Desired Driver” campaign. But more importantly, it’s a good endorsement because of how important Speed will be for any car that doesn’t hit Mach 5. Given how great the third-generation GTI is, I’ll suspend your skepticism. Even so, I still want to know who sabotaged Mach 5.
