# Best and worst "car casting" you've seen in in TV and film **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 8, 2021, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-car-casting-youve-seen-in-in-tv-and-film/943873 "2021-06-08T21:18:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![swampspruce](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampspruce/32/261_2.png) [@swampspruce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampspruce)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2021, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-car-casting-youve-seen-in-in-tv-and-film/943873/101 "2021-06-09T22:21:27Z")
**Good** : Patrick Swayze’s Riviera in Roadhouse. Big enough trunk to haul spares and big enough motor to haul them. [![](http://www.bluntgraffix.com/buick-riviera/buick-riviera-hollywood/65_Riv_Roadhouse2.jpg) ](http://www.bluntgraffix.com/buick-riviera/buick-riviera-hollywood/65_Riv_Roadhouse2.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2021, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-car-casting-youve-seen-in-in-tv-and-film/943873/102 "2021-06-09T22:41:53Z")
> [@Lamoral](#): > > > [@Bullitt](#): > > > > **Good** : Starsky’s 1974 Ford Gran Torino Sport 2-door > > The guy who played Starsky actually HATED the Torino. He thought it was ugly; it was underpowered and handled very poorly (if you watch old episodes of the show you can see the absurd amount of body roll and poor cornering.) The actor, Paul Michael Glaser, absolutely loathed the car, and he deliberately drove it roughly in an attempt to deliberately damage it. To this day, he still hates that car. It may have been iconic of the show, but it is really NOT a car guy’s kind of car, it is the kind of thing a clueless show writer would have picked to try to look cool. Oh how funny! To a young teenager like I was when watching the shows, it _looked_ cool. 🕶 ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2021, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-car-casting-youve-seen-in-in-tv-and-film/943873/103 "2021-06-09T22:47:30Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > Oh how funny! To a young teenager like I was when watching the shows, it _looked_ cool. If I’m correct that the Troino was actually product placement, then that means it worked. Ford _wanted_ to make you think the Torino was cool. ---
**Author:** ![echoreply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/echoreply/32/3641_2.png) [@echoreply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/echoreply)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2021, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-car-casting-youve-seen-in-in-tv-and-film/943873/104 "2021-06-09T22:49:04Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#): > > I didn’t watch much _CSI: Miami_ , but from what I recall they had the crime scene investigators driving Hummer H2s. In show explanation was they were donated to the department by somebody for some reason. Another case of product placement distracting from the story. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2021, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-car-casting-youve-seen-in-in-tv-and-film/943873/105 "2021-06-09T23:25:29Z")
I was going to post something about the Griswold family’s station wagon in National Lampoon’s Vacation movie, but when I Googled it, I learned that it was modified especially for that movie! It started out as a 1979 Ford LTD Country Squire wagon, and then received wood paneling, an atrocious green paint job, and an extra set of headlights. “This is a damn fine automobile if you want my honest opinion … You think you hate it now, but wait until you drive it.” > **[The Hideous Station Wagon from National Lampoon's Vacation Could Be Yours...](https://www.themanual.com/auto/the-hideous-station-wagon-from-national-lampoons-vacation-could-be-yours-sort-of/)** > > The breathtakingly heinous "Dad-mobile" is everything a family road-trip vehicle should be. ---
**Author:** ![motu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/motu/32/259_2.png) [@motu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/motu)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2021, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-car-casting-youve-seen-in-in-tv-and-film/943873/106 "2021-06-09T23:40:28Z")
Which was purchased by Wilmer “Fez” Valderrama for $500 when heard the show was ending. It is/was undriveable but he has kept it in “broadcast” condition. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2021, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-car-casting-youve-seen-in-in-tv-and-film/943873/107 "2021-06-09T23:41:15Z")
I knew the car was customized for the movie. What I didn’t know was that Eugene Levy played the car salesman. ---
**Author:** ![txtumbleweed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/278dde/32.png) [@txtumbleweed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/txtumbleweed)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2021, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-car-casting-youve-seen-in-in-tv-and-film/943873/108 "2021-06-10T00:03:42Z")
A couple of my favorites: Bandit’s Trans Am, especially when equipped with the optional Sally Field. I believe people are still repainting Trans Ams to look like ol’ Bandit’s. And the Lamborghini in Cannonball Run. Back when movies still used real cars and not CGI for every car chase. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/evA3_NV7cPM/maxresdefault.jpg "THE CANNONBALL RUN (1981) Intro - Lamborghini Countach LP400S (S2)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evA3_NV7cPM) ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2021, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-car-casting-youve-seen-in-in-tv-and-film/943873/109 "2021-06-10T00:23:38Z")
How about the car chase in The French Connection? > **[At the movies: The making of The French Connection chase - Hagerty Media](https://www.hagerty.com/media/archived/the-making-of-the-french-connection-chase/)** > > “A crude poem to the city.” > The chase begins when **Popeye Doyle** commandeers a 1971 Pontiac LeMans. [![](https://i.imgur.com/YFMfoJE.jpg) ](https://i.imgur.com/YFMfoJE.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2021, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-car-casting-youve-seen-in-in-tv-and-film/943873/110 "2021-06-10T00:52:40Z")
Speaking of Gran Torinos: [https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Big\_Lebowski\_Torino\_Impound-550px.jpg](https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Big_Lebowski_Torino_Impound-550px.jpg) It’s essentially just The Dude in car form. > [@silenus](#): > > Do we ever know what cars the characters on _The Big Bang Theory_ drove? Penny drove a red 1985 Chevy Cabriolet Convertible, and later Leonard buys her a 1998 Ford Contour. In the pilot episode, Leonard is driving a silver Volvo 240, but in subsequent episodes he is portrayed at different times driving a Prius, a Chevy Aveo, a Ford Focus, a Nissan Altima, and a Saab 9-5, though some of these are probably rental cars. Howard rides a Vespa scooter, and eventually drives a 2012 Mini Cooper Countryman S. I think Raj drove a BMW. ---
**Author:** ![swampspruce](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampspruce/32/261_2.png) [@swampspruce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampspruce)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2021, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-car-casting-youve-seen-in-in-tv-and-film/943873/111 "2021-06-10T00:55:32Z")
I would have trouble imagining any other car in Repo Man other than the 64 Chevelle. [![](https://pics.imcdb.org/4691/RepoMan85.jpg) ](https://pics.imcdb.org/4691/RepoMan85.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2021, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-car-casting-youve-seen-in-in-tv-and-film/943873/112 "2021-06-10T01:37:36Z")
The 427 Cobra and the Ferrari Daytona of _The Gumball Rally_ (1976). Beautiful cars! > **["The Gumball Rally" 427 Cobra CSX3243](https://colinsclassicauto.com/inventory/1967-shelby-427-cobra-csx3243-the-gumball-rally-cobra/)** > > Perhaps the most famous 427 Cobra in movie history, CSX3243 is the real star of the 1976 movie "The Gumball Rally." Seeing this car in the movie, right from the opening scene where it thundered out... . > **[Raul Julia's Ferrari Daytona Spyder from The Gumball Rally...](https://hollywoodmoviecostumesandprops.blogspot.com/2009/07/raul-julias-ferrari-daytona-spyder-from.html?m=1)** > > The Gumball Rally was one of the earliest cross-country themed race movies. In the 1976 comedy, Raul Julia , drove this 1972 Ferrari as 'Fr... ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2021, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-car-casting-youve-seen-in-in-tv-and-film/943873/113 "2021-06-10T04:14:08Z")
Mmm, that early morning NYC scene with the cars ripping down the empty streets as the cop remarks “It’s gonna be a nice day” is one of the greatest car scenes ever of any and all time. Whoever did the sound on that Ferrari needs to have won some sort of award. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2021, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-car-casting-youve-seen-in-in-tv-and-film/943873/114 "2021-06-10T04:59:14Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > Best: I’m gonna disagree on this one. I’m not great at identifying American cars from the '50s, but even I recognize a '59 Cadillac Eldorado when I see one. That year and model was the pinnacle of the chrome-and-tailfins era. Having a vintage ambulance was a nice touch for the movie; but the idea that a few schlubs who are just starting out, and trying to save every penny they can, would stumble onto an all-time classic like that just doesn’t work for me. Seriously, how are people posting pictures? It won’t even let me quote a picture someone else has already posted. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2021, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-car-casting-youve-seen-in-in-tv-and-film/943873/115 "2021-06-10T05:00:24Z")
Are you posting the url on a separate line? ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2021, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-car-casting-youve-seen-in-in-tv-and-film/943873/116 "2021-06-10T06:01:24Z")
More _Gumball Rally_: the girls in the Porsche 911 targa saying, “If you can catch me, you can have me.” > **[Porsche 911 E Targa in "The Gumball Rally"](https://www.imcdb.org/v013371.html)** ---
**Author:** ![TCMF-2L](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tcmf-2l/32/16553_2.png) [@TCMF-2L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TCMF-2L)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2021, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-car-casting-youve-seen-in-in-tv-and-film/943873/117 "2021-06-10T12:24:21Z")
I feel this point needs taking even further. The Minis in the original **Italian Job** were absolutely perfect. Indeed the underfunded producers were offered pretty much unlimited free Italian cars but still chose to buy the Minis themselves. Why? As you note the theme of the movie is basically the British versus the Italians. They had to be British cars. But why Minis specifically? The star **Michael Caine** was still very much in his ‘working class hero’ mode when the film was made so Minis (one of the cheapest production cars on the UK market) suited that. But Caine was already a big star. The Mini was a car for all classes and the Beatles (for example) all had Minis at some point. It was part of the whole ‘London in the Swinging Sixties’ scene. Since the movie is largely about a car chase iconic British sports cars such as a Jaguar E Type (one does appear in the film) or Astons, Jensons, Lotuses could have been used but they would be elitist. The movie is essentially a comedy and the Mini has always had a ‘cheeky’ personality. But the Mini also has the actual sporting credentials to justify it as a great getaway car. Again, as you note, the Minis were ideal for tight spaces including sewers. But beyond that and in real life the Mini won the Monte Carlo Rallye three times against competition that included Porsche, BMW, Mercedes, Lancia, Ford, Saab and many others. I cannot think of any car better suited to the 1969 Italian Job than the Mini. The remake with an American star driving a German revival of the Mini could have been any car though. TCMF-2L ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2021, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-car-casting-youve-seen-in-in-tv-and-film/943873/118 "2021-06-10T14:20:03Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > The 427 Cobra and the Ferrari Daytona of _The Gumball Rally_ (1976). Evidently they used two authentic Cobras (CSX3243 & CSX3255) and a replica. > **[Shelby Cobra 427 in "The Gumball Rally"](http://imcdb.org/vehicle_13363-Shelby-Cobra-427-CSX3255-1966.html)** ---
**Author:** ![Hakushon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hakushon/32/5503_2.png) [@Hakushon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hakushon)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2021, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-car-casting-youve-seen-in-in-tv-and-film/943873/119 "2021-06-11T06:28:44Z")
Cousin Itt (a weird little creature) and the Messerschmidt KR200 (a weird little car): [![](http://www.addamsfamily.com/addams/messerschmitt1.jpg) ](http://www.addamsfamily.com/addams/messerschmitt1.jpg) [![](http://www.addamsfamily.com/addams/messerschmitt2.jpg) ](http://www.addamsfamily.com/addams/messerschmitt2.jpg) I think Itt was also shown driving an Isetta (which also works well with the character). ---
**Author:** ![Hakushon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hakushon/32/5503_2.png) [@Hakushon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hakushon)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2021, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-car-casting-youve-seen-in-in-tv-and-film/943873/120 "2021-06-11T06:53:05Z")
Bad: Jayne Mansfield in _The Girl Can’t Help It_ (which constantly emphasized her curves) driving a 1957 Lincoln Premiere Convertible–a straight-sided car shaped like a brick (unless it was chosen for contrast?): [![](https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1DHD2VrRTnM/UZWseMY24iI/AAAAAAABv6M/EEOrU7MCuOk/s1600/Girl+Can't+Help+It+216.jpg) ](https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1DHD2VrRTnM/UZWseMY24iI/AAAAAAABv6M/EEOrU7MCuOk/s1600/Girl+Can't+Help+It+216.jpg) Diana Dors’ Delahaye 175S would’ve been a better choice, curves-wise: [https://1u4we0207ruc34o1s412c2ca-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Screen-Shot-2017-06-28-at-4.48.54-PM.png](https://1u4we0207ruc34o1s412c2ca-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Screen-Shot-2017-06-28-at-4.48.54-PM.png) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-car-casting-youve-seen-in-in-tv-and-film/943873.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-car-casting-youve-seen-in-in-tv-and-film/943873.md?page=7)