TV Cars

A look into the world of television where cars have been an important part of the ratings appeal as the human stars.

Story by Reuben Bonner
Cars have been stars of TV shows from pretty much as soon as the box entered our living rooms. The right vehicle with the right person behind the wheel can define the personality of a show, send ratings sky high and even thrust the particular car into the annals of cult television status. A car can be the reason for watching "that" show.

Since the 50s when television was black and white, through to the glory days of the 1980s where cars reigned supreme, people idolised not only characters but the chariots they rode in. The glorification of cars in movies is as strong as it ever was, but in television; the heady days are gone, with the onslaught of reality television and intellectual drama. Still, television history has unleashed some absolute beauties on our screens.
Ones that I'll never forget. In the 60s show The Munsters, we were introduced to The Koach. A Hot Rod based on a lengthened 1923 Model T chassis with custom body and a massive Ford Cobra engine with Jahns high dome pistons and an Isky Cam, (fuelled through ten carburettors with drainpipe sized gold plated intake pipes). Not a bad ride for a family of ghouls and vampires, and enough to scare the bejesus out of the Munsters' neighbours.

How could anyone forget Knight Rider? The worst possible punishment you could receive as a child was to be sent to bed before the show's starting credits where KITT, the talking Pontiac Firebird Trans-Am with the red flashing bonnet scanner, roamed empty highways at sundown. With the narrator's gravelly voice croaking "Knight Rider: a shadowy flight into the world of a dangerous man who does not exist. Michael Knight, a young loner on a crusade to champion the cause of the innocent, the helpless, the powerless, in a world of criminals who operate above the law."

My tantrums could be heard for miles around if I was made to miss that show, and David "The Hoff" Hasselhoff's poster held a special spot on the bedroom wall. Right next to my model KITT, complete with flick-stick (inserted in the roof to propel the car at high speeds across the kitchen lino).

While KITT personified the futuristic technologies that many 80s television shows tried to capture, the first spectacular car that many people of my generation really, really wished as their own was an orange 1969 Dodge Charger - The General Lee. Its windows were always down because its doors were welded shut. With a Confederate battle flag painted on the roof, the words General Lee over each door, and the number 01 on both sides, its drivers were the illegal moonshine transporting cousins Bo and Luke Duke (permanently on probation). The show was the Dukes of Hazard and it ran from 1979-85, going through an estimated 229 General Lees, due to the number trashed by stunt drivers jumping rivers, ditches, and whatever else in the town called Hazard, there was to be jumped.

By 1981 The General Lee had received 35,000 fan letters, which was more than any of the human cast members.

The ultra-macho moustache of Tom Selleck, who played Hawaiian private investigator and ex-Navy seal Thomas Magnum in the cult classic Magnum P I, was one of the significant factors of the shows' success. So too were Selleck's stubbies shorts, his hairy chest, and the brown helicopter his buddy T.C often picked him up in. But Magnum's red Ferrari 308 GTS, the black tire marks it left, and the gravel it spat out as he moved to his next target, were iconic and synonymous with "cool". Magnum was cool. He didn't own the Ferrari, nor the luxury Oahu coastal property where he lived, but girls loved him, and guys wanted to be like him.

While (mainly) boys of all ages lusted after KITT, The General Lee, Magnum's Ferrari, and the customised GMC G15 van of The A-Team with its deep black coat and red trim, the significance of a car's popularity didn't always rely on a sleek finish or digital gadgets and wizardry. Fred Flintstone's vehicle was made of stone, wood and animal skin. It was powered by the feet of Fred and his long-suffering mate Barbey Rubble and skittled along at a reasonably fair clip. It wasn't always guaranteed of staying upright when carrying a Brontosaurus rib on the roof, but the vehicle was a good, reliable, get around for the A to B's of Bedrock.

Mr. Bean's apple green Mini with the black bonnet was another example of a car with character, but not a huge amount of speed or beauty. But it certainly was no slouch when it came to running a strange, yet recurring, unidentified three wheeled car off the road.

One of the earliest shows, synonymous with vintage automobile style was the 60s series The Avengers (and its follow on The New Avengers). Based around the dashing and mysterious John Steed, viewers saw danger, beautiful girls, and a bunch of classic cars. Steed himself drove several vintage Rolls Royces along with a handful of Bentleys - including the classy green 1926 four and a half litre. While there was no set hero car, for the various heroines throughout the show, a stunning white 1964 Lotus Elan S2 driven by the sultry Emma Peel was enough to keep your attention, and as the seasons progressed, so too did the actresses and cars. Lotus Europas, later model Elans and an AC428 convertible were among the myriad of chic offerings the show boasted.

And then there was Minder with Arfur Daley and Tel'. Arfur always drove spivvy looking XJ6 Jaguars while Tel' had a 3.0 litre V6 Capri.

There are many more. A concept car called the Lincoln Futura - AKA the Batmobile. Starsky and Hutch's red and white Ford Gran Torino that questioned the laws of physics. The Ford Mustang II Cobra that carted around the beautiful and enchanting Charlie's Angels. The list goes on.

Cars made shows. Combined with beautiful girls, heroes with moustaches and hi-tech gadgets, they made television historic. It's such a shame the formula has changed, thank god for re-runs.

And if you want to know more, read "TV Cars, star cars from the world of television" by Giles Chapman, published by Haynes Publishing. Our copy from Techbooks - www.techbooks.co.nz

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