Every once and a while, a non-speaking movie role wins over the audience and becomes a legend. We’re talking about movie stars that are more machine than man: Hollywood cars.
These cars were cool, thrill-seeking, and a few were deadly—but where did they end up? Keep reading to learn what became of some of Tinseltown’s most famous vehicles after the cameras stopped rolling.
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The Jeep from Jurassic Park
Who could forget the off-roading adventure that was Jurassic Park? It’s hard to imagine staring up at a leaf-eating Brachiosaurus from any other vehicle than a topless Jeep Wrangler YJ Sahara. Stephen Spielberg’s 1993 sci-fi classic remains popular across generations, so it’s no surprise that fans are wondering where the Jurassic Park Jeeps are these days.
Universal Studios owns the Jurassic Park Jeeps; some occasionally make appearances at car shows. A few have even returned to appear in the Jurassic World franchise. You can look at Unit 10 and Unit 12 by visiting Universal Studio’s Islands of Adventure theme park in Orlando, Florida.
Benjamin Braddock’s Alfa Romeo in The Graduate
It was amusing to watch Dustin Hoffman’s character Ben have a series of existential crises while zipping around town in his red Alpha Romeo, but whatever happened to this adorable European convertible from 1967’s The Graduate?
Hint: It’s no longer parked outside Mrs. Robinson’s McMansion. Three 1966 Alfa Romeo 1600 Spider Duettos were used for filming. At the time, the two-seater roadster was a new addition to the Italian automaker’s lineup, and its appearance in The Graduate was prime product placement—although it didn’t do much to boost sales.
Afterward, one of the Spiders got a black and orange paint job and became an SCAA race car. As for the other two, one was restored by a private owner, while the other was sadly destroyed.
1970 Dodge Charger R/T from The Fast and the Furious
2001 saw the release of The Fast and the Furious, a film that spawned even more sequels than Jurassic Park. Of all the ridiculously tough cars included in the films, the 1970 Dodge Charger R/T belonging to Dom Toretto (played by Vin Diesel) was the one to be reckoned with. So, where is it today?
It took four Chargers to make The Fast and the Furious, but the one that appears in close-up shots (as opposed to stunt and prop Chargers) is a 1969 Charger customized to look like the 1970 version. One of the stunt Chargers now belongs to a museum in Indiana, and the other two are privately owned, but you can check out Dom’s custom Charger on display at the Volo Auto Museum in Volo, Illinois.
The souped-up Ford of Thunder Road
If you love car movies, you can thank 1958’s Thunder Road because it’s one of the first. The film stars Hollywood icon Robert Mitchum as Lucas Doolin, a moonshine transporter on the run from federal agents and a malicious gangster. And run he did, in a Ford Custom Coupe complete with a triple-carburated V8 and a button that sprayed oil from the back to trip up his enemies Mario Kart style.
One of two Ford Mitchum drives in the movie is a unique ‘51 Custom with a mashup of parts from 1949 and 1950. It’s said that Mitchum loved the car so much that he kept it, and his son James (who also appears in the movie) sold it to a private buyer circa 2000 for around $100,000.
Killer Christine
Few cars are as famous or moody as Christine, a 1958 red Plymouth Fury with a taste for murder. Christine is a Stephen King classic, published in 1983 and launched into horror film greatness by director John Carpenter that same year. Wondering where this devil doll is now?
There were 24 Christines of varying models and model years because some had to be filmed close-up and others had to be destroyed (we won’t spoil the end, but you get where this is going). Reports from MotorTrend and Wired inform that three Christines (including one restored stunt car) are in the capable hands of superfans—but only one is a true ‘58 Fury.
The Fury was won in a raffle by Scott Edminster, but he ended up selling it. The car was then auctioned twice before settling at New York’s Rochester Auto Museum.
Doc Brown’s DeLorean
One of the most iconic movie cars is none other than the AMC DeLorean from the Back to the Future franchise. Like the other cars on this list, several different DeLoreans were used throughout the series. Here are some of their fates:
- A Car: This was the main DeLorean used in the first movie for the driving scenes. After filming, it was left outdoors on the Universal Studios’ backlot for many years and deteriorated badly. Eventually, a full restoration was undertaken, and the vehicle is now on display at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles.
- B Car: This DeLorean was used for the hover conversion scenes in the sequels. After filming, it was also left on the backlot and subsequently restored. It’s now on display at the Universal Studios theme park in Florida.
- C Car: Known as the process car, this one was cut apart to film interior scenes. After filming, it was scrapped due to severe damage.
- The Oxnard Car: This DeLorean was used in “Back to the Future Part III” for the 1955 scenes. It was later sold to a private collector.
- Train DeLorean: This version, built for the final scenes in the third movie where the DeLorean is destroyed by a train, was also scrapped after filming.
Several replicas and promotional DeLoreans also exist, some owned by Universal Studios, some by private collectors, and others by museums. They occasionally appear at events and conventions, perpetuating the cultural icon that the DeLorean became due to the “Back to the Future” series.
This article originally appeared on MyCarMakesNoise.
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