# Identify old car: In Ferris Bueller's Day Off, what was the other (1920s) car in Cameron's garage? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 15, 2018, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-old-car-in-ferris-buellers-day-off-what-was-the-other-1920s-car-in-camerons-garage/826188 "2018-12-15T18:19:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2018, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-old-car-in-ferris-buellers-day-off-what-was-the-other-1920s-car-in-camerons-garage/826188/1 "2018-12-15T18:19:21Z")
In Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Ferris and the gang went for a joy ride in Cameron’s dad’s Ferrari. But what about the car not taken? What was the other old (1920s, looks like) car in Cameron’s dad’s garage? You can find a shot of it [here](https://hookedonhouses.net/2009/05/31/on-the-market-the-house-from-ferris-buellers-day-off/). ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2018, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-old-car-in-ferris-buellers-day-off-what-was-the-other-1920s-car-in-camerons-garage/826188/2 "2018-12-15T18:26:34Z")
Do you mean the red one in this picture? [https://hookedonhouses.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/Camerons-House-from-Ferris-Bueller-in-Highland-Park-IL-10.jpg](https://hookedonhouses.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/Camerons-House-from-Ferris-Bueller-in-Highland-Park-IL-10.jpg) I’m thinking it’s an MG T type. [MG T-type - Wikipedia](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/MG_T-type) ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2018, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-old-car-in-ferris-buellers-day-off-what-was-the-other-1920s-car-in-camerons-garage/826188/3 "2018-12-15T18:28:37Z")
No, not the red one. That’s not from the movie. The green one. You can see it at the 3:00 mark in [this YouTube video](https://youtu.be/U8raTRJRmcA). ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2018, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-old-car-in-ferris-buellers-day-off-what-was-the-other-1920s-car-in-camerons-garage/826188/4 "2018-12-15T18:34:01Z")
Green or maybe black. I can’t quite tell. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2018, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-old-car-in-ferris-buellers-day-off-what-was-the-other-1920s-car-in-camerons-garage/826188/5 "2018-12-15T18:37:05Z")
Looks like they’re both MG-Ts, probably [about 1952](https://goo.gl/images/GeJ14N), not 1920s. ---
**Author:** ![Rocketeer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocketeer/32/4437_2.png) [@Rocketeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rocketeer)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2018, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-old-car-in-ferris-buellers-day-off-what-was-the-other-1920s-car-in-camerons-garage/826188/6 "2018-12-15T18:37:14Z")
The green one looks like an MG-TD to me. ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2018, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-old-car-in-ferris-buellers-day-off-what-was-the-other-1920s-car-in-camerons-garage/826188/7 "2018-12-15T18:38:36Z")
Ah, sorry. I skipped over the pic ([https://hookedonhouses.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/Cameron-Frye-red-Ferrari-in-garage.jpg](https://hookedonhouses.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/Cameron-Frye-red-Ferrari-in-garage.jpg)) It looks like a right hand drive, so I’m still guessing “something British”, but that’s all I got. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2018, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-old-car-in-ferris-buellers-day-off-what-was-the-other-1920s-car-in-camerons-garage/826188/8 "2018-12-15T18:39:25Z")
> [@Rocketeer](#): > > The green one looks like an MG-TD to me. [Aye](https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&biw=1272&bih=943&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=RkoVXL-lAqO50PEPobGCoA8&q=MG-TD&oq=MG-TD&gs_l=img.3...0.0..4446...0.0..0.0.0.......1......gws-wiz-img.UVNlmLV2qZQ). ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2018, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-old-car-in-ferris-buellers-day-off-what-was-the-other-1920s-car-in-camerons-garage/826188/9 "2018-12-15T18:39:57Z")
> [@commasense](#): > > Looks like they’re both MG-Ts, probably [about 1952](https://goo.gl/images/GeJ14N), not 1920s. Your eyes are better than mine 🙂 ---
**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:** [December 15, 2018, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-old-car-in-ferris-buellers-day-off-what-was-the-other-1920s-car-in-camerons-garage/826188/10 "2018-12-15T18:42:36Z")
The [Internet Movie Car Database](http://www.imcdb.org/) says it’s [a MG J2 from between '32 & '34](http://www.imcdb.org/vehicle_46804-MG-J2-1932.html). Listed as a '32 because they take the lowest year when the exact year can’t be determined. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2018, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-old-car-in-ferris-buellers-day-off-what-was-the-other-1920s-car-in-camerons-garage/826188/11 "2018-12-15T18:44:04Z")
Internet Movie Car Database identifies it as a [1932 MG J2](https://www.google.com/search?q=%22mg+j2%22&num=100&client=safari&rls=en&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=S32IDtQQPc0rrM%253A%252CGGm3yv9r9a6kZM%252C_&usg=AI4_-kQAe-QuDWjsfPAIX1jF-KNw7Bexsw&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiTlKG_vqLfAhVBMHwKHVNtA3gQ9QEwAnoECAMQCA#imgrc=S32IDtQQPc0rrM:). ETA: And… Ninja’d! . ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2018, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-old-car-in-ferris-buellers-day-off-what-was-the-other-1920s-car-in-camerons-garage/826188/12 "2018-12-15T18:47:19Z")
Correction, thanks to [imcbd.org](http://imcdb.org/vehicle_2864-Ferrari-250-GT-Spyder-California-Replica-1961.html). It’s a [1930s MG J2](https://goo.gl/images/6KJr87). I hadn’t noticed the part of the body sticking out in front of and below the radiator. The Internet Movie Cars Database is always the best place to go with questions like this. I should have gone there first. ETA: Ninja’ed twice! ---
**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:** [December 15, 2018, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-old-car-in-ferris-buellers-day-off-what-was-the-other-1920s-car-in-camerons-garage/826188/13 "2018-12-15T18:47:50Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > ETA: And… Ninja’d! I’m [a minor contributor](http://www.imcdb.org/movies.php?contrib=Skywatcher68) there. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2018, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-old-car-in-ferris-buellers-day-off-what-was-the-other-1920s-car-in-camerons-garage/826188/14 "2018-12-15T18:59:11Z")
Thanks, y’all. I had read a recent online article which described it as a “Model T type car,” and I knew that was way off, but I couldn’t figure out what it actually was. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2018, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-old-car-in-ferris-buellers-day-off-what-was-the-other-1920s-car-in-camerons-garage/826188/15 "2018-12-15T21:06:10Z")
MG built, essentially, the same design for over 20 years? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2018, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-old-car-in-ferris-buellers-day-off-what-was-the-other-1920s-car-in-camerons-garage/826188/16 "2018-12-15T21:43:48Z")
> [@Ike\_Witt](#): > > MG built, essentially, the same design for over 20 years? Why not? They built the MGB for 18 years. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2018, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-old-car-in-ferris-buellers-day-off-what-was-the-other-1920s-car-in-camerons-garage/826188/17 "2018-12-15T21:46:10Z")
So did Ferris and his friends take the less valuable car? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2018, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-old-car-in-ferris-buellers-day-off-what-was-the-other-1920s-car-in-camerons-garage/826188/18 "2018-12-15T22:00:48Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > So did Ferris and his friends take the less valuable car? Hardly. You can get a concourse-winning 1933 MG J2 right now for under $68,000. In 2008 a 1961 Ferrari 250 GT Spyder sold for $11 million. ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2018, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-old-car-in-ferris-buellers-day-off-what-was-the-other-1920s-car-in-camerons-garage/826188/19 "2018-12-17T15:51:15Z")
If they’d taken off the speedometer cable and hooked it to an electric drill going backwards, would the odometer have gone backwards? I assume the cable is connected to the front wheel not the back?