Cool cars have long been a part of blockbuster movies and cinematic history. Chrysler makes have starred in some of the most memorable, sometimes a vehicle can be imprinted upon the cultural retina to make it an instant classic all on its own, remembered more than the movie in which it appeared.
Chrysler, now FCA North America, cars have been prominently featured in dozens of great movies, but some are more memorable than others, either taking center stage as a main part of the story or playing a supporting role in a remarkable way. These five Chryslers are all icons and reached legendary status in the movies where they starred.
Christine, (1958 Plymouth Fury)
Stephen King's novel was turned into a film by director John Carpenter for release in December 1983. The vehicle King chose for his story was the '58 Plymouth Fury, a car with a limited production of only 5,303, making it a difficult car to find for filming. The producers put out a call to buy 21 of them, but they were only able to get their hands on 16, along with some Plymouth Belvederes and Plymouth Savoys, which had similar body types. Each car had to be painted cherry red to match King's and Carpenter's vision since the Fury only came in one color, buckskin beige.
The Cannonball Run, (Dodge Tradesman Ambulance)
The fourth film paired mega-star Burt Reynolds with his pal, director Hal Needham. This road race film featured a whole range of crazy and exotic vehicles. In order to win the race, though, Reynolds, Dom Deluise, and Farrah Fawcett choose a vehicle that is practical, one that the police would expect to be going 85 mph—an ambulance transporting a patient. The Tradesman was part of the Dodge B series that went into production in 1971, and these vehicles contained every size engine Plymouth offered from a six-cylinder to a V8.
The Blues Brothers, (1974 Dodge Monaco)
John Landis' outrageous musical starred Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi, and a Dodge C-body platform vehicle that had been manufactured from 1965 to 1978 before going out of production until a brief stint in the 1990s. The C-body was Chrysler's full-body chassis with a 124" wheelbase and elongated hood to house the manufacturer's big block engines. But it's the 1974 version of the Monaco that is the most memorable, because of the film and its starring role in one of the funniest car chases in recent film history. As for sales, it faltered mainly because it had poor gas mileage and the OPEC oil embargo in 1973, as gas prices increased to levels no one had ever seen before. Universal, however, still ended up using 12 of these vehicles for production of the film.
Vanishing Point, (1970 Dodge Challenger R/T 440 Magnum)
One of the all-time great car chase movies, Barry Newman plays Kowalski, a car deliveryman determined to win a bet that he can deliver a white 1970 Challenger from Denver to San Francisco in 15 hours. The car is the star here, after being prominently displayed in the center of the film's poster. The Challenger had an identical unibody platform as the Barracuda with a two-inch longer wheelbase for additional room in the back seat. The car was sold in two versions, a hardtop and a convertible, with various engine sizes available under the hood.
The Fast and the Furious, (1970 Dodge Charger)
The Charger driven by Vin Diesel in the very first film of the billion-dollar Universal franchise is one of the all-time classic muscle cars. Only 9,370 rolled off the production line in 1970 and came with a 440 Magnum V8 engine, dual exhaust and four barrel carburetor. In the film, the car has undergone some serious modifications including a nitrous oxide system, centerline wheels and a supercharger kit. In fact, the '70 wasn't the only Charger that Diesel's character drives in the series either, getting behind the wheel of five other iterations, as well.
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6-11-21