Five cars (and one household appliance) that missed out on iconic
roles.
In some films, the cars can become bigger stars than the actors that drive
them. The DeLorean DMC-12 from Back to the Future is iconic in
its own right, but did you know the films could have turned out with
completely different motor stars?
With the help of
Bristol Street Motors, we've uncovered that iconic movie cars of the past weren’t always the
original plan and have reimagined what the movie posters would have looked
like if their alternatives were used.
Goldfinger (1964)
Aston Martin DB5 v Blower Bentley
007 could have easily been driving a 1931 Blower Bentley instead of the
now-iconic Aston Martin DB5 in Goldfinger. Bristol Street Motors found that in the novels, Bond was something of a
car nut and counted his treasured Blower Bentley as his own personal
hobby.
As revealed by Top Gear’s '50 Years of Bond Cars' special, author Ian
Fleming received a letter from a fan one day encouraging the author to "have
the decency to fix him up with a decent bit of machinery," as the Blower
Bentley was dated and over 20 years old.
Fleming gave Bond an Aston Martin DB3 for the Goldfinger novel, which
updated to the classic DB5 when the movie was released five years
later.
Batman (1966)
Lincoln Futura v Cadillac Series 62
It was by pure chance that The Lincoln Futura made it into the Batman film,
looking extremely futuristic back in 1966. It was originally planned that
the Batmobile was to be a 1959 Cadillac, but 20th Century Fox announced they
needed something faster for Batman to drive. Hollywood car designer George
Barris was hired, but with just three short weeks until filming started, he
bought the Futura and adorned it with Batman-esque features and tail fins,
and the rest is history.
The Love Bug (1968)
Volkswagen Beetle v Volvo P1800
The Volkswagen Beetle, known as Herbie, found fame in
The Love Bug but was close to never making it to the big
screen at all. The movie producers had no specific car in mind to star in the film, and so
held a casting call. Car manufacturers could show their cars to Disney
executives and crew who would be working on the movie. There were Toyotos, a
TVR and the Volvo P1800, all in for a chance at playing Herbie.
During the audition, the Volkswagen Beetle was the only car to elicit an
emotional reaction from the crew, with many of them reaching out to pet it.
VW was offered the chance to feature their Beetle in the film as a result of
this.
The Italian Job (1969)
Mini Cooper v Fiat 500
The Italian Job is known as one of the most iconic movies
ever made. The movie was considered totally original upon its release.
However, what people don’t know about is how close the Mini Coopers were to
being replaced with Fiat 500s. The two cars have a close rivalry now due to
their similar size and target audience, and back in 1969 it was
similar.
According to Michael Deeley, the British Motor Cooperation sold the
production three Mini Coopers at cost price but they had to buy an
additional 30 for action scenes. Alternatively, Fiat boss Gianni Agnelli
offered an unlimited supply of top-of-the-range Fiat 500s for free. He also
offered Deeley a Ferrari and $50,000 towards the picture. Upon
consideration, Deeley couldn’t make sense of British Crooks driving
Italian-produced cars in Italy, so decided to stick with Mini Coopers.
Magnum PI (1980)
Ferrari 308 GTS v Porsche 928
Originally, the 6 foot 4 actor Tom Selleck, who played the character of
Thomas Sullivan Magnum III, was supposed to be driving a Porsche 928.
Unfortunately, Porsche refused to allow their car to be specially altered
for the tall actor, and producers were forced to look for alternatives. Step
forward Ferrari with their 308 GTS – they were happy to modify their car to
house Selleck, and the car became an icon.
Back to the Future (1985)
Delorean DMC 12 v A Refrigerator
A firm favourite from our childhoods, fans will be surprised to know that
the famous scene of Doc and Marty’s time-travelling Delorean disappearing in
a line of smoke and fire almost never happened. Bristol Street discovered
that in the first two drafts of the movie, a lead-lined refrigerator took
the role of the time machine. However, when mobility became an issue,
co-author Bob Zemeckis dared to ask, "Wouldn’t it make more sense to build
the time machine into a car?"
1989’s THE WOMAN IN BLACK and the Spookiest Adaptations of Gothic Literaturehttps://t.co/D0DywaJxrg pic.twitter.com/2zQfUcNAUE— The Movie Waffler (@themoviewaffler) August 14, 2020