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It's one of those movie cars that arguably outshone the movie stars. Here are some things you don't know about the car.

There are just a handful of car movies where the car outshines the star. True spectacles that hammer home the importance of a proper vehicle casting. Bullitt got it right with the Ford Mustang GT390 and the Audi S8 defined Ronin. But it is the white Dodge challenger from Vanishing Point that may outclass them all.

Its gleaming paintwork gets captured perfectly throughout the film. As the iconic muscle car hammers across America. The story may be something of a curious mess, but the Dodge Challenger looks superb.

Elevated to near superhuman levels of performance, the four-wheeled wonder thunders on until the last few frames. Beyond that, it launches itself into cult status. An icon and a star. Wrapped up in movie myth and hearsay, here are 10 things most people didn't know about the white Dodge Challenger from Vanishing Point.

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There have been many symbolic comments relating to the Challenger in Vanishing Point. Some have seen it as a white horse ridden into battle by a lone knight. Others believe that it depicts hope in a bleak world, or it's death making its way across the vast sprawl of America.

The simple truth is that the car was white because it looked good. Having a white vehicle against the bleak desert landscapes shot well, and stood out. There was no intended mystic or hidden significance. It was a practical choice. One that fueled a hundred internet stories.

Five cars were rented from Chrysler at a cost of a dollar a day. An agreement that had long stood with the studio and the manufacturer. Of the cars delivered, not all were Alpine White. This wasn't an issue. As they were quickly hand-painted white so that they could be used.

Look hard and the true color of the cars can be made out by eagle-eyed viewers. Beneath the Alpine White, green can be spotted in certain dents and scrapes. This has become easier to spot with the later DVD and digital versions. And makes for a very fun game.

Not one car was fitted with the iconic 7.0-liter 426 Hemi engine. With 425hp it could launch the classic to 60mph in 5 seconds, before blasting through the quarter mile in 13.5 seconds. The majority of engines used weren't as potent but still delivered high performance.

Opting for the 7.2-liter 440 with 375hp, the film crew still had lots of power to play with. Four of the cars had this setup, whilst a fifth was fitted with a 6.2-liter unit. Still able to hit 60mph in 6 seconds, the 7.2-liter cars would perform incredibly well getting amazing footage.

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Filming was hard on the Challenger. It was required to perform a number of stunts, tackle brought terrain and simply survive. Five cars were used to ensure that the film could be made without delays. Each suffered damage and required ongoing maintenance to last.

A 6.2-liter V8 engined vehicle with an automatic transmission was favored for stunts. The automatic box allowed stunt drivers to focus on the task at hand, rather than swapping cogs. All cars proved to be tougher than expected. Impressing all that managed to drive them.

Fueled by amphetamines, the Challenger's driver Kowalski enters the town of Cisco. Having outwitted the Police at every turn his time is now up. Waiting to ambush the hero are two bulldozers. It is an inevitable fate for both the human star and the Alpine White hero.

Not slowing down, the Dodge Challenger slams straight into the roadblock. An enormous explosion follows, and the tale is over. In reality, a 1967 running shell loaded with explosives was towed behind the stunt Challenger. It's this car that gets blown up, not the Challenger.

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Filming any car chase movie comes with risks. Back in the seventies, these were obviously much higher. A number of mishaps and accidents occurred whilst filing Vanishing Point. This meant that the cars picked up a fair amount of damage before the end of filming.

The rough terrain, high horsepower, and intense schedule meant that the cars were hammered. None of them survived the ordeal. They all picked up substantial damage and were then destroyed by the studio. A very sad end to a set of incredible iconic movie vehicles.

The supplied cars came brimming with horsepower. A number of the film crew believed that the cars were too powerful. Often overpowering the standard road tires. Some sequences were intentionally shot at lower speeds for safety and then sped up on the screen.

Very few modifications were made to the stock cars prior to filming. The stock suspension and transmissions all proved durable. Even when pushed through their paces for stunt shots, the mechanical components held up. Something many a modern car can't brag about.

The premise of the film was simple. A car delivery driver wanted to make good on a bet. A bet that stated that it was possible to get from Colorado to San Francisco in forty hours. It was 1971 and that meant two-lane blacktops sticking to a prescribed speed limit of 55mph.

In the movie, the hero fails. But this didn't stop people from actually trying. In some circles, the story of Kowalski making the run actually gained traction. Those not familiar with the film buy into the myth. These days taking the Interstate is a better bet. It takes about 19 hours.

The film crew's concerns regarding the Challenger's speed were well-founded. It would often outperform the camera rig, and as such the spare Challengers were called upon to act as makeshift film cars. This enabled high-speed action shots to be filmed with ease.

The Challenger came into its own during the famed grudge match with the Jaguar E-Type. More than capable of showing the plucky Brit a clean pair of heals, the sequence was actually filmed at a more sedate 50mph. This allowed for greater detail to be taken on the move.

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The original Vanishing Point movie gained mixed reviews. A number of critics picked it apart for having a weak storyline. Whilst others weren't impressed with the main characters' use of narcotics. The driving sequences made it a cult classic. With the car becoming the star.

In the late nineties, a remake was spawned. The premise remains the same, but the story is tweaked to get the viewer into the hero's plight. Nowhere near as compelling as the original, the remake fell flat on its face. It is best avoided and proves that the original is best.

Having cut his teeth on the UK street racing scene in the late 90's and early 00's RJ faded from the limelight only to return 20 years later. An avid motoring enthusiast RJ especially enjoys JDM and Italian cars, and is an experienced multi-industry writer.