Wheeling and Dealing at the Classic Car Dealership
By Lucian
Big things are afoot at the HTG Classic Car Dealership. There has been a major increase in inventory and the lot’s owners have been wheeling and dealing behind the scenes to bring vehicles to interested buyers. In the past the lot was lucky to have four cars in stock. Now, a whopping 18 are on display! As always vehicles from the Classic Car Dealership add 1 million dollars in production budget to every movie you produce and each has a genre (revealed after purchase) that it adds 2 million dollars to.
Currently in stock (disclaimer: any of these vehicles may have already been purchased) are a wide assortment starting with the Plymouth Belvedere GTX from Tommy Boy which retails for 19 million. It is one of several vehicles on the lot from movies that feature the late Chris Farley. Also available is a 1969 Pontiac Bonneville from Black Sheep the movie David Spade described as basically the same movie as Tommy Boy. A word of warning however, this car is something of a fixer upper so don’t expect to be racing it the day you take it off the lot. Its price reflects its condition as you can own it for just 17 million dollars. The only cheaper vehicle on the lot is another Chris Farley related one the school bus from Billy Madison. This one has been on the lot longer than any others currently in stock and at 16 million its passenger room to price ration is excellent.
Moving on we find the 1971 Ford LTD Sedan from The French Connection. Used in the film of the same year that starred Gene Hackman it’s priced at 19 million dollars and is one of the cars on the lot that definitively won’t give a boost to the comedy genre. More pricey but also more stylish is the Ferrari Cabriolet from Dirty Rotten Scoundrels a 1988 black comedy that starred Michael Caine and Steve Martin. I have fond memories of this film and the 20 million dollar car would look great in any garage.
Finding vehicles that boost the expensive science fiction genre is not always easy and the 1981 Chevy Impala from A Scanner Darkly might due just that. It is also priced at 20 million. It’s hard to speculate what genre the 1976 Oldsmobile Delta 88 from 8 Mile or the 1983 Volvo 240 from A Mighty Wind might boost but one or both could help out with musicals. Both are priced at 17 million.
If you need to haul freight on your movie sets you could always pick up the International Harvester Metro Van from Teen Wolf but the lot makes it clear the teenage werewolf is not included. Still for 19 million you get plenty of cargo space.
The 1972 Chevy Monte Carlo from Ace Ventura: Pet Detective is as old as I am and it looks it. If you are looking for speed or style look elsewhere but if you are looking for a 18 million dollar car that could provide a boost to your comedies this is a fine choice. More stylish is the 1976 Rolls Royce Corniche from 10 which comes to us from the 1979 film starring Dudley Moore, Julie Andrews and Bo Derek. IMDB lists the film’s genres as romance and comedy so it’s likely to boost one of those two genres. Another prestigious vehicle is the 1985 Jaguar XJ12H Series III from A Fish Called Wanda. I test drove this car and while I didn’t have Jamie Lee Curtis with me to make the ride more pleasant I still felt the car handled great. Cruising into Club Siberia riding in this baby will certainly turn heads.
The most expensive car on the lot comes in at 21 Million and it’s Travis’ Checker Marathon from Taxi Driver. It’s a little surprising that a car with little glamour to recommend it is priced so high but the cache of Taxi Driver as an influential movie gives this car a huge bonus in prestige value. At 19 million the AM General Postal Van-Ice Cream Van Conversion from Borat isn’t much to look at and isn’t likely to win any races but it comes stocked with plenty of Rocky Road . The Duke’s 1977 Cadillac Fleetwood from Escape from New York can also be yours for 19 million great for getting out of New York if you failed to save the cheerleader.
Rounding out the selection are two cars priced at 18 million dollars a 1982 Honda Civic from Employee of the Month, which proves that you don’t have to be a memorable movie to get a car at the dealership, and the 1983 Ford LTD Country Squire Station Wagon from Vacation. Take Chevy Chase’s car and visit Chevy Chase , Maryland or anywhere else on a vacation.
Very astute viewers may notice the lot has a new car featured in its opening photograph. It’s the 1951 Studebaker Commander from The Muppet Movie. If you look closely you can even see Fozzie Bear and Kermit the Frog as passengers inside. This car was purchased by yours truly in a special deal after an initial E-bay bid of 17.5 million dollars turned out to be bogus. The bidder claimed his account had been hacked and is not facing fraud charges. The car now resides in my garage at 104 Dean Drive.
So drop by the Classic Car Dealership and peruse the selection. You may never have as many cars as DCE but there are some great vehicles just waiting to be purchased.
