• The Roadster Factory Recovery Fund - Friends, as you may have heard, The Roadster Factory, a respected British Car Parts business in PA, suffered a total loss in a fire on Christmas Day. Read about it, discuss or ask questions >> HERE. The Triumph Register of America is sponsoring a fund raiser to help TRF get back on their feet. If you can help, vist >> their GoFundMe page.
  • Hey there Guest!
    If you enjoy BCF and find our forum a useful resource, if you appreciate not having ads pop up all over the place and you want to ensure we can stay online - Please consider supporting with an "optional" low-cost annual subscription.
    **Upgrade Now**
    (PS: Subscribers don't see this UGLY banner)
Tips
Tips

British Cars in Movies... Take 2

Share this page

Sherlock

Sherlock

Yoda
Country flag
Offline
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...
 
Geo Hahn

Geo Hahn

Yoda
Country flag
Offline
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.
 
S

sammyb

Luke Skywalker
Offline
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.)
 
Basil

Basil

Administrator
Staff member
Boss
Offline
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
 
waltesefalcon

waltesefalcon

Yoda
Silver
Country flag
Offline
"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.
 
S

sammyb

Luke Skywalker
Offline
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.
 
Bruce Bowker

Bruce Bowker

Obi Wan
Offline
[ QUOTE ]
The college kids certainly would be baffled on what a TD is.

[/ QUOTE ]

I think it is a Touch Down.

Bruce
 
waltesefalcon

waltesefalcon

Yoda
Silver
Country flag
Offline
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.
 
S

sammyb

Luke Skywalker
Offline
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.
 
waltesefalcon

waltesefalcon

Yoda
Silver
Country flag
Offline
Darn! Now I'll never be hip.
 
Similar threads
Thread starter Title Forum Replies Date
Mickey Richaud Lesser Known British Cars Other British Cars 1
AngliaGT British Cars! Spotted 0
R Spitfire New to this group. Not to British cars. Triumph 2
Hamish Racing 1963 original racing film British cars doing their thing Racing 0
AngliaGT Two British Cars Spotted 0
bcliff For Sale 1970 MGB Roadster and other British cars for sale MG Classifieds 0
AngliaGT TWO British Cars Spotted 0
T Which Morgan cars have British designed and built engines? Other British Cars 7
DornTRoriginal Off Topic Refrigerators and British Cars Triumph 1
3798j Auction Record for British Cars Other British Cars 2
Tom74TR6 Off Topic British Cars and Coffee in North Salem NY Nov 1st MG 0
Tom74TR6 Off Topic British Cars and Coffee in North Salem NY Nov 1st Triumph 9
Tom74TR6 British Cars and Coffee in North Salem NY Nov 1st Jaguar 0
Tom74TR6 British Cars and Coffee in North Salem NY Nov 1st Austin Healey 0
Gearhead_Garage Storage Tip for British Cars Austin Healey 10
Zitch Off Topic Will there be a market for these old British Cars in 15-20 years? Triumph 18
jackq Numerous other British cars. Other British Cars 4
K The National Character of British Cars Other British Cars 0
S Off Topic Other than British cars Triumph 3
S Off Topic Reason 193 why I love little british cars [especially TRs] Triumph 8
dougie BBC's - Golden Age of British Sports Cars Austin Healey 2
drambuie Car lifts for our British Sports cars.. Austin Healey 12
TR_Jim History of the British Sports cars Triumph 0
HealeyRick Golden Age of British Sports Cars Spridgets 7
HealeyRick Golden Age of British Sports Cars Austin Healey 6
S Other British Cars TVR 2
nissanite vintage British Car movie with cars from the 50's Racing 8
C British Racing Partnership's 1.5L Grand Prix cars Racing 3
BugeyeNJ58 British and Italian Cars..Anyone owned an Alfa? Spridgets 20
R Great British cars has free shipping on some wheel Triumph 0
tahoe healey Woodland all British cars Austin Healey 6
C A nice day for British cars here Spridgets 1
M are the British cars the same as American Spridgets 7
Sherlock A Sunbeam, but yet other British cars... Other British Cars 14
BugEyeBear British Cars Featured on My Classic Car Other British Cars 0
BugEyeBear British Cars Featured on My Classic Car Austin Healey 0
BugEyeBear British Cars Featured on My Classic Car Sunbeam (Rootes) 1
BugEyeBear British Cars Featured on My Classic Car Lotus 0
BugEyeBear British Cars Featured on My Classic Car Spridgets 5
BenQ WHAT MAKES BRITISH CARS SO SPECIAL - PART TWO... Other British Cars 23
BenQ WHAT IS IT THAT MAKES BRITISH CARS SO SPECIAL? Other British Cars 53
gsalt57tr3 There need to be more old british cars on the road Triumph 25
PAUL161 Factory Built British Cars, With BIG Engines! MG 7
P Who sells parts for the "other" British cars? Other British Cars 8
R British Cars Day @ Cars & Coffee, Irvine, Ca MG 4
R British Car Day @ Cars & Coffee, Irvine Ca Triumph 0
G Oklahoma City dealer in classic British cars Spridgets 1
BritishCarMan British 4 door cars Other British Cars 44
tahoe healey British cars Austin Healey 1
G Why I hate Little British Cars..... Triumph 12

Similar threads

Top