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British Cars in Movies... Take 2

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There is an moldy post way back about British cars in movies...

Anyway, felt like staying up late last and was checking out which movie CBC was going to run in their late night slot (they do it every week on Friday night)

It was "Diner" and it didn't take long for a Triumph TR3A to appear. It was actually quite a good movie about five pals who live in Baltimore in 1959 (filmed in 1982, starring Steve Guttenberg, Daniel Stern, Mickey Rourke, Kevin Bacon, Timothy Daly and Ellen Barking, all before "discovery")

One of the guys owns a Triumph TR3, one guys owns what I think may have been a Hudson (early 1950's vintage), one guy owns a beat up 1957 Chevy 4-door, one guy owns a gorgeous looking American convertible. Great movie... And a good "vintage car sighting" movie as well...
 
That is John Lye's TR3A that Kevin Bacon drives in the film... excellent movie but the TR3A is the star I think. ISTR they rolled it over onto wrestling mats to protect the bodywork in the 'accident' scene.
 
If we tried to do a complete an exhaustive list of British cars in American movies, it would take us forever. Luckily, American directors over the years have recognized LBCs as a good way of illustrating a character's individuality, prestige, or thrill-seeking characteristics.
Or sometimes, it helps to make a character look stuck-up, although Porsche, Mercedes and Rolls-Royce work better.

Just off the top of my head, I can think of all types of movies, ranging from John Lithgow's character in World According to Garp (Morgan) to School Ties and Back to School where the stuck-up professors in each drive MG TDs.

Diner is definitely the definitive TR3 sighting, as Italian Job is the definitive Mini movie. (The remake at least has the female lead driving a BMC mini as her daily driver.)
 
One of my favorites is "52 Pickup" with Roy Scheider and Ann Margaret. Schieder drives a Series I EType identical to mine. The car gets blown to bits at the end of the movie (a stunt double I hope!)

Basil
 
"the stuck-up professors in each drive MG TDs." Hey I'm gonna be a professor, and I would kinda like an MG TD, I hope this doesn't mean I am stuck up.
 
Walter, based on what we've all seen of your good sense of humor, even riding in the back of a Rolls-Royce Phantom III with a driver at the wheel, nobody could ever rightly accuse you of being stuck-up.

So go ahead and get that TD! It would be cool to show up for class in one of those. The college kids certainly would be baffled on what a TD is.
 
[ QUOTE ]
The college kids certainly would be baffled on what a TD is.

[/ QUOTE ]

I think it is a Touch Down.

Bruce
 
Hmm now I am having second thoughts of eventually obtaining a TD. Maybe I should go with something more hip, that the young kids these days can relate to. Maybe a TR3 would be in order.
 
The only thing the young kids can relate to is a muscle car. When I drive my TR3 the whole city gets a puzzled look, but in my '69 Corvette (or my father-in-law's '65 Impala SS conv't) everyone seems to want the car.

Kids actually like the TR3, because it's red and it's their size. Looks like a toy.
 
Darn! Now I'll never be hip.
 
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