TV cars star in new book for Xmas
UK and US motors from fun times past
General Lee
Hairstyles and cars date most TV programmes. But while old-fashioned hairstyles cause amusement, cars evoke feelings of nostalgia, memories of days gone by. Who can watch old editions of Z-Cars without wanting to be behind the wheel of a Ford Zephyr? Don't we all covet that red Jaguar MkII of Inspector Morse? And isn't the Dodge Charger of the Dukes of Hazzard just the machine for a crazy weekend?
If you're having trouble recalling which cars featured in which TV programmes, Giles Chapman can help. Inspired by the Mk3 Ford Cortina in the Life on Mars TV series set in 1973, he has collected all the famous cars from TV and featured them in this new book.
TV Cars is packed with facts, anecdotes and photographs of the cars and their star drivers from the nation’s favourite cop shows, dramas, sit-coms, sci-fi classics and documentaries. There's a brief biography of each car, detailing its history, why it was chosen for the series and modifications made for filming.
Do you remember the Ford Consul, Ford Granada and Jaguar S-type used on The Sweeney? Only Fools and Horses had an infamous Reliant Regal, of course, plus a less well-known Ford Capri. Adam Adamant Lives! featured a Mini Cooper, while Jason King went much more up-market with a Bentley Continental.
From America, The A-Team was always smoking the tyres of either a GMC van or a Corvette. In The Dukes of Hazzard there was the famous white-striped Dodge Charger and the Knight Rider series used an all-back Pontiac Firebird.
However, can you remember the exact make and model of car that Basil Fawlty gave a “damn good thrashing” in an episode of Fawlty Towers? Answer below.
With the added bonus of 25 more television car moments you might like to replay at the back of the book, TV Cars is just the thing to sit in a Christmas stocking alongside some DVDs of classic television programmes. Then all you need is the appropriate hairstyle.
Author Giles Chapman has been a motoring journalist for 20 years. He is former editor of Classic & Sports Car and Your Classic magazines and author of seven books. Currently he works as an award-winning writer for national newspapers and magazines, and is consulted widely on car culture, design and heritage. He lives in Sevenoaks, Kent.
Details
- TV Cars: Stars from the world of television
- By Giles Chapman
- Haynes Publishing
- Publication date: Thursday 19 October 2006
- Hardback, RRP: £7.99, ISBN: 1 84425 392 9
Image courtesy Warner Bros
I remember a TV show (mid/late 80's I think) called 'McCormack' or something similar, I seem to remember it being an alternative 'Night Rider' type of show. I would love to know if anyone remembers it (was it just a couple of pilot shows?)and what car it was that the lead character cruised around in? The car was red and similar to an Ultima - (I think it was a yank show tho)??? No one I've ever asked has even the faintest idea what I'm on about... apparently the 80's just left most bitter and twisted, with very little recollection of what was on TV at the time.
Basil's mota was an Austin 1100E estate.
www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/93661.htm
This was the inspiration for me to eventually go buy an Ultima. See my cars...
Hope this helps
Scuff
www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/93661.htm
This was the inspiration for me to eventually go buy an Ultima. See my cars...
Hope this helps
Scuff
Thanks for that - headscratching now complete..
Thought there was something a bit different about that mota...mmmm nice, and what a pleasant bit of inspiration!
Agreed..'awesome', a nice way to fill the garage that one.
www.nostalgiacentral.com/tv/cops/hardcastle.htm
It was a VW Beetle based kit version called a Coyote. The original series 1 Coyote was a kit car,. It had a Volkswagen chasis with a Volkswagen engine on a modified Montage kit body. The show changed to a bigger Coyote in season 2 because Brian Keith (Judge Hardcastle) had a hard time getting into the car from season 1. The second car was Delorean with a modified kit car body on the chasis.
Oh and here's the intro - www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIMAfwJSfKw
for the Hardcastle and McWotsisname thing. A Coyote apparently.
Rob
Oh and here's the intro - www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIMAfwJSfKw
Quality..thats the one!.. hehe
You're right FourWheelDrift. It was a Montage it was produced by UVA and was available in the UK. This then became the M6GTR and is loosely based around the Lola T70. Had forgotten the Montage name in the mists of time. Thanks for reminding me. Great series though. I think I remember it as a great series. Maybe it was just the car???
S
It was this Russian supercar with a steering wheel that flipped from one side of the car to the other, the idea being that if you came up with the goods, however unlikely, they would invest in it.
The car was restored by an enthusiast as the Mirov 2 and given a Renault GTA V6 turbo engine. Looks pretty spectacular.
It was a VW Beetle based kit version called a Coyote. The original series 1 Coyote was a kit car,. It had a Volkswagen chasis with a Volkswagen engine on a modified Montage kit body. The show changed to a bigger Coyote in season 2 because Brian Keith (Judge Hardcastle) had a hard time getting into the car from season 1. The second car was Delorean with a modified kit car body on the chasis.
Oh and here's the intro - www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIMAfwJSfKw
Right, this is sad but the opening title sequence shows the rev counter from a Ferrari, the next shot shows open the chrome gaiter and some additional dials running off vertically up the centre console. So not the Coyote's interior me thinks. I think it's a 308 but remember that car as having the two additional dials (oil pressure and temp?) horizontal to the front of the gearstick? Could it be a 365? Or do i just need to go to a dark room and sit quietly for a while?
I also love the way cars in eighties shows were so obviously trashed but would then appear perfect in the next shot. The early part of this sequence shows the rear wheel shoved back and upward into the arch after a jump. No doubt a fully Zymol'd concours winner in the next shot!
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff