metal jacks (making "Aero Jack" a bit of a misnomer). Unlike the original series, this can only be used to make the car jump. This function actually appears in the original manga replacing the original Auto Jacks. Button B, : Inflates the tires like balloons, giving them better traction (similar to monster truck tires), as well as allowing the Mach 5 to float on water. Button C, : Instead of saws, this button activates laser "blades" to cut through obstacles. Button D, : Closes the cockpit in a bulletproof protective dome, like the original series. Button E, : Completely different from the original series, this shoots out a rope and grappling hook to snag objects, either to keep the Mach 5 from falling into dangerous situations, or to hoist itself out of them. Button F, : Functionally identical to Frogger Mode, but causes a M.A.S.K.-like physical transformation in the car, the wheels folding in and maneuverability fins sprouting. Button G, : Again, identical to the Gizmo Rocket, but with a new name. The New Adventures of Speed Racer The steering wheel of the Mach Five in this series had eight unmarked rectangular buttons, arranged in two columns of four on either side of the steering wheel's center. The car appeared to have the same functions as the Mach Five in the original series, but the buttons Speed pressed to activate them seemed more or less random, with the same button activating different abilities (or different buttons activating the same ability) in different episodes. The "real" Mach Five In 2000, a prototype Mach Five with actual cutting blades was produced as a concept car. 100 production models were planned to be made in 2002 as a street legal vehicle. Built on a 2001 Chevrolet Corvette Chassis, the body was to be extensively modified to look like the Mach Five. It was to have 345 horsepower, and cost between $75,000 and $125,000 each. The Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, California has a mid-engine prototype of the Mach Five in its collection. Portrayal in film The Mach Five appears in the live-action film adaptation Speed Racer, directed by the Wachowski siblings, produced by Joel Silver, and released by Warner Bros. Pictures. The Mach Five is an actual vehicle and used in the major race of the film. Instead of being driven on pavement, it was hung from a crane and had its