Mid Week Match-Up: TV Show Cars
It used to be that you could tell what TV show you were watching by watching the cars. ’64 Chevelle in the driveway = Bewitched, ’67 Pontiac Wagon = My 3 Sons, ’74 Firebird = Rockford Files, ’67 GTO = I Dream of Jeannie. Then there were the Private Eyes: Mannix = Dodge Dart GT Convertible in the early episodes when his brake lines were always getting cut, Cannon = all the cubes he could get under the hood along with the biggest door in the industry in his 460 powered, 2 door Lincoln. Don’t forget Robert Urich, he got cool cars in both his shows, a ’57 T-bird in Vegas and a ’66 Mustang Fastback in Spenser for Hire. Hell, even the cowboys of Bonanza’s reliably drove Chevys! Then of course came the BMWs. Avery Brooks’s all white BMW in Spenser, Bruce Willis’ BMW in Moonlighting. Magnum’s Ferrari…et cetera. But the crown of all TV show cars has to go to Colombo’s 403 Peugeot.
This week, you’re charged with coming up with the signature car for a new TV series. Feel free to invent the series and/or the hero’s car. After all, Seinfeld immortalized Saab with the horrendous BO episode.
I think that a reboot of Columbo is long overdue in the current revivalist mood in tinsel town, and what better car for the 21st century version of Peter Falk to drive than this 1973 Citroën SM
currently bidding on ebay for $4,450 reserve-not-met with 3 days to go, located in Sunnyvale, TX. Lt. Frank Columbo will be played by Robert Downey Jr. who will mumble a lot and treat the SM like his baby.
What is your show and car? Comments below.
If there was a new I Dream of Jeanie, NASA is out of the astronaut business, so Tony would have to be a SEAL (so that he could still have found her bottle on the beach, during a mission). Pontiac's gone too, so no updated GTO. Closest he could do to stay loyal to the old ways would be a Chevy SS, which just ain't enough. So, figure she granted him a wish, so he tells everyone he inherited the Marina Blue '67 Corvette 427, 435 HP, 4spd that he drives everyday. Of course, its slightly lowered and reshod to keep it a little more contemporary and appealing to the new audience.
No to be picky but wasn't Seinfield's BO episode centered around an E34 5 series?
I remember this standing out because when I saw the episode, I thought 'when did he change to a BMW?'
I'm sure we have a Seinfeld expert here who can set me straight
Instant replay shows you're right. Guess I confused it with the mechanic (Brad Garret) stealing his Saab convertible .
BigE – yes, you are correct, the BO was in Jerry's E34 5-series from the fourth season that he abandons at the end of the episode. A Saab shows up at least once in the final season when he tries to buy a 900.
Pretty sure in the "Running on Empty" episode, Kramer is test driving a Saab convertible also.
Can't forget Kramer's mid-70s Caprice in the "A$$-MAN" episode…
– Average Bear
I loved The Fall Guy as a kid.
Maybe a new version with a modified Ford Raptor (and a Heather Thomas look alike)?
Truck
Oh yeah, and a Hardcastle and Mccormick remake would be awesome as well
Yes that Coyote X could fly. Any idea what kind of engine is in the Coyote? In some scenes it sounds like a
Porsche 6 cylinder in others like this clip it sounds like a kazoo or something… Any ideas?
youtube.com/watch?v=Li4ac1WyLII
They say 914 engine but I find that hard to believe.
How about a Maxwell Smart/Inspector Gadget/Herbie/Knight Rider type show featuring a Prius that self drives and connects to inappropriate surveillance video and displays it on it's screen.
How about:
Peter Griffin as the dad
Tony Stewart as the nose-picking son
the car is a _________________ (and you guys add to this thread)
Starksy & Hutch spin-off: Huggy Bear, now a successful business man, drives a Donk on weekends back in the hood.
It's the DailyTurismo Show!
Vince and the guys drive off across the country to:
– pick a worthy non-California Craigslist (Wichita! Mee-AM-ee!)
– find the best deals on the coolest vintage cars
– schlep them back to SoCal on a squeaky old carrier
– fix 'em up a bit, nothing crazy
– back on the carrier, drive 'em to NorCal
– create great CL listings
– … profit!
Starring:
– Vince in the Boss, of course
– CFlo in the E34 M5
– Hunsbloger and Kaibeezy in the Buick wagons, a 60-something and an LT1 Roadmaster
– PhiLOL driving the car carrier
Ok, but in the second season I get to alternate between a Porsche powered Corvair and a Chebby powered Mercedes Wagon 🙂 In an homage to Mikey Teutel, I promise to wear shorts year round.
I was thinking Brian Dennehey stars as Frank Cannon in a Cannon remake, but I'm having a heck of a time coming up with a modern replacement for Frank's Lincoln. Maybe an Escalade?
The rerun channel on my system shows Cannon and I watched it the other day. I was struck by how easy it was to identify all the different cars in the backgrounds back in the 70's vs. today where they all look the same more or less…
In the seventies, as a teenager, when my family would go on vacation we would leave several hours before the sun came up. My Dad and I would play a game of identifying oncoming vehicles from the headlights, that being all you could see in the dark, from up to a mile away. We hit a LOT more than we missed. As time marched into the eighties and all cars started to look alike, we were lucky to guess manufacturer…
Heh. 17 comments in, and it's all reminiscing. No love at all for the SM.