Famous Car Friday

Another famous T.V. show, Route 66,  followed two men traveling the United States in a Corvette roadster. Route 66 consisted of many adventures between Tod Stiles and his friend, Buz Murdock, who left the show during the third season and was then replaced with a Vietnam veteran named Lincoln Case. The show lasted 116 episodes, each of which had a different setting, cast, and story. Not only was the show well known for its notable guest stars like Lon Chaney, Jr. and Boris Karloff, but also the cars. The pilot started off with a 1960 Corvette which changed to a 1961 Corvette later in the season. Many people ask about “the red Corvette”, however with every episode in black-and-white, viewers did not know that the car was actually Jewel Blue. This mistake came from the picture on the official board game, which pictured Tod and Buz in a red-colored model. Each season featured a new Corvette, each with a different color to photograph well in the black-and-white film. Every vehicle driven by the character’s in each episode were different variations of Chevrolets.  This unforgettable show will always be remembered for its characters, cultural impact, and of course, the cars.

Famous Car Friday

With four seasons, Highway Patrol consisted of chasing criminals, shootouts, train derailments, and of course a 1955 Buick Century sedan. Dan Mathews played the head of the police force Broderick Crawford. It is assumed that the show was set in California as this patrol car was exclusively used by California Highway Patrol. These two door sedans were built for CHP and never for sale to the public. The action scenes from the show were often filmed on dirt roads, not only to save money but also because Crawford’s driver’s license was suspended for drunk driving. However, each show ended with Crawford making a safety announcement followed by, “This is Broderick Crawford saying see you next week.”

Famous Car Friday

Another well-known car from a T.V. series is the GMC van from the A-Team. This 1982 van was part of the custom-van trend comeback.  The van is known for its black/metallic gray body and red stripe. But looks weren’t the only thing that made the A-Team van famous, it was also complete with fender flares, a roof spoiler, a mini printing press, a gun storage locker and custom wheels and tires. The A-Team gang that worked as soldiers of fortune went through many stunts, battles, and jumps with there van that was said to be put back together by B.A. Barachus.