Restomods At The Movies: Top 10 Badass Modded Cars In TV And Film

It’s something we can all relate to: that moment, probably when you were a kid, that a car in a movie or TV show made you go “wow.” The silver screen and its smaller brother are responsible for igniting the passions of millions and millions of petrolheads everywhere. Whatever era you grew up in, cars are an extremely important part of American and European media, being used as a status symbol, a character analog, and much much more. In this list, we’re going to go through 10 of the finest modded cars in film and TV history, plus some honorable mentions.

#10: Dazed And Confused’s ’70 Pontiac GTO Judge

Dazed and Confused packs a double punch of nostalgia these days. Those who grew up in the 70s will recognize elements of their own adolescence, while those viewers born in the 80s, 90s, and 00s will likely remember watching the movie and wishing they’d been born a few decades earlier. The undisputed automotive star of the show is the 1970 Pontiac GTO Judge. Driven by Kevin Pickford, the car functions as something of a vehicular analog to Pickford: plain cool. The GTOs used in the movie were not actually Judges, as you can tell from the vinyl tops. When the car was purchased, it was colored green and yellow, and had pretty bad roof damage from someone walking on it at a football game. The builder wasn’t a professional mechanic, and so decided to add a vinyl top.

New doors, hoods, decklids, and exhaust tips were fitted over the coming years, before the car was chosen to star in Dazed and Confused. A second GTO then had to be acquired for use as a stunt double, and had to be done up to look exactly like the first. This time, however, there weren’t years to work with, just 28 days. This goal was just about accomplished, with the car being delivered with hours to spare. While the main car had an automatic transmission, the stunt double had a four-speed manual, which gave the film’s actors some trouble. To resolve this, the car was mounted on a trailer and towed around to film some scenes. The fate of the car is unknown, but the stunt double found its way into Hemmings in August ’97 following a full restoration, and was instantly snapped up.

#9: Phantasm’s 1971 Barracuda

Phantasm is something of a cult classic in the world of horror movies. Released in 1979, the film’s bizarre, surreal tone is still creepy even today, and has probably traumatized more than a few viewers. Providing some respite from the horror was the presence of this beautiful Barracuda. The car’s purchase came about due to envy on the part of director Don Coscarelli. When he was in high school in the early 70s, a classmate owned a brand new Barracuda, and when he was making a Hollywood movie, he decided to finally get his hands on one. The film was made on a low budget, so the car was in a bit of a rough shape when it came to the set. It was sent to a body shop for modification, with Coscarelli wanting the car to have an evil appearance fitting to its starring role in a horror movie.

The car was painted black all over, with the mirrors also featuring gray and blue pinstripes. Cragar rims were installed as well as large tires, which necessitated flared quarter panels. A black tinted sunroof was installed, allowing the hero to loom out of the car’s top and fire a shotgun at an alien dwarf zombie (if that just sounds like a string of adjectives, you need to watch the film). Contrary to what the hood said, the car was not a 440 6-barrel, but a 340 built by Ed Pink. The car found its way into the ownership of real estate broker James Baker, who bought it from the movie’s art director David Gavin Brown for $2500. The custom sunroof went bye-bye one morning while James was on his way to work. It had not been latched down, and flew off “about 30 feet in the air,” and was then run over by a 16-wheeler. James then rang Brown and asked if they’d made any extras, offering to pay $300 for any they could find, and lo and behold, one was found. Later, James swapped the car for a custom van, which he admits may have been a stupid move, given the car’s probable worth today.

#8: The Fast and the Furious’ 1970 Dodge Charger R/T

Love it or loath it, the Fast and Furious franchise are the foremost car movies of this generation, where the cars are the real stars. They are the centerpiece of every single one of the films’ mad antics, and this particular car is an absolute stunner. Driven by Vin Diesel’s character, Dominic Toretto, the car has a dark past. It was built by Dominic and his father, but his father died driving the vehicle, leaving Dominic with a long-lasting fear of the car. This fear is finally overcome after his friend Jesse is killed, with Dominic using it to chase down Lance and Johnny Tran. In the film, the car is seen as being able to pop a wheelie thanks to its 900 horsepower supercharged engine, but how powerful is it really?

Well, firstly, the car may not actually be a 1970 Charger. According to some sources, it is a 1968 Charger that has been dressed up with ’70 parts. One thing that is certain is that the car’s huge blower is a fake, and is made of chrome plated plastic. Also, that wheelie was not achieved with huge horsepower, but with a hydraulic ram that was fitted to the car. Finally, the 426 Hemi that can be seen being fitted to the car…was not actually fitted, and was in fact, borrowed from a boat. Instead, a 383 four-barrel was used in the car’s race sequences. Some modifications were made to the car however, including centerline wheels, a stainless steel grille, and a roll cage. Sadly, the original car was destroyed in the movie, but would be replicated in the later installments.

#7: This Iconic Chevy 150 From Not One, But Two Movies!

American Graffiti is a film produced during that golden era where George Lucas actually cared about films, rather than just producing sequels and bathing in money. The film, released with the tagline “where were you in ’62?” follows a group of teenage hot rodders in the late summer of 1962. It’s a beautifully shot movie that nails not only the coming-of-age genre perfectly, but also the look and feel of that particular time in America. With a cameo from voice of a generation, Wolfman Jack, it’s as close as many of us can get to experiencing a time we missed. Anyway, I’ve eulogized enough about this film, so let’s get on to the car.

This modded 1955 Chevy 150 is driven by the arrogant racer Bob Falfa, played by Harrison Ford, but this wasn’t its first appearance on the big screen. It had already debuted in the countercultural road movie Two-Lane Blacktop, where it was owned by a pair of racers known only as The Driver and The Mechanic. The film’s producer, Gary Kurtz, had spent time racing with Richard Ruth, who had built a ’55 Chevy hot rod. This inspired two of the cars that would go on to be used in Two-Lane Blacktop, while the third would be more customized, designated for usage in stunts. Two 454 engines and one 427 were shipped to the studio, and Ruth set about creating the cars. The two main cars featured a Weiand Tunnel ram and twin-barrel Holleys, while the stunt car featured a four-barrel set up, a full roll cage, and independent left and right braking, so it could skid with ease. After the film wrapped, the 454 car was sold, and the two 427s remained with the studio. Not long after that, the cars were retrieved for American Graffiti, and, after being painted black (and a third car being built as a “burn” car), found their way back into the movies.

#6: Furious 7’s 1970 Barracuda

And we’re back to the Barracuda. Furious 7 is a daft movie, involving pursuit by an ex-special forces assassin and a whole heap of cars. The one we’re most interested in is a 1970 Hemi ‘cuda, driven by Dominic Toretto and Letty Ortiz. Unlike most other cars in the series, this one survives unharmed. If you’re wondering why, there’s a simple explanation: this wasn’t the studio’s car. Instead, it’s a show car, borrowed from an LA collection called Autopia. It’s also a heavily modded beaut.

The engine is a monster, a Hemi built by Arruzza with aluminum heads and twin four-barrel carbs. On the front, there’s an aluminum plate with serpentine system. Inside, the leather seats are taken from a Dodge Viper, while the custom white gauges are inscribed with the originals’ design and font. The engine is hooked up to a Tremec six-speed manual that is controlled with a pistol grip shifter. The suspension has been upgraded with work that would make lesser men weep with frustration. The leaf springs have been replaced with a Jaguar center section, with a fabricated linkage. Large rear tires give it a dragster stance, and the wheel wells have been recontoured. If this car had been destroyed, heads would have rolled: it’s a pure work of art.

#5: Smokey and the Bandit’s Trans Am

Smokey and the Bandit is a ridiculous movie. Burt Reynolds bootlegging Coors from Texas to Georgia? Sure, okay. While the premise is silly, the film is superb, and has gone down in history as a quintessential road movie. The starring car in question is a black Pontiac Firebird Trans Am, with the film introducing the car to its audience in superb style, and giving an extra 25,000 sales to Pontiac.

Several Trans Ams were delivered, with most being totalled during filming. For different scenes, a variety of modifications had to be made. For scenes requiring burnouts, a 455 four-speed Trans Am was used, while most of the cars were automatic. The largest modification came into play during the iconic bridge jump. The bridge only had a short run up, with the stock engine being too slow to make the jump. To solve this problem, the team sourced a small-block Chevy engine from a local NASCAR team, which was rapid enough to allow the jump to be made. A cool car from a movie that’s doubtlessly inspired many road trips, this movie helped make Firebirds cool.

#4: American Graffiti’s 1932 Ford Coupe

Hey, you know when I said I was done talking about American Graffiti? I lied. Anyway, I’ve got a good reason for coming back to it, and that is that it’s chock full of amazing cars. We already talked about the Chevy 150, and now it’s time to focus on a more classic-looking rod from the movie. John Milner, played by Paul Le Mat, is the town’s racing king, and good lord does he have the car to match it.

This Deuce was bought by Gary Kurtz for $1300, but it didn’t just roll off the forecourt and onto the screen. The top had already been chopped by three inches, but it was painted in primer with red fenders, and would need a lot of work done to it. The car was taken to Bob Hamilton’s shop in Ignacio, California, where it was fitted with motorcycle fenders up front and bobbed rear fenders, as hot rodders had done to circumvent vehicle laws. The headlight stanchions were remade in aluminum, a dropped I-Beam axle was fitted, and the shell was sectioned. It was given a lick of Canary Yellow paint by Orlandi’s Body Shop in San Rafael, before having work done on its 327 small-block Chevy by Johnny Franklin’s Muffler Shop, Santa Rosa. There, the crew fitted a Man-A-Fre intake manifold, four twin-barrel carbs, new heads, and sprint-style exhausts. It eventually wound up in the hands of American Graffiti fan Rick Figari, who had the car restored and still takes it to shows to this day.

#3: Bullitt’s 1968 Ford Mustang

Few car films can match the fame of Bullitt. It was an amazing combination of a cool protagonist and equally cool car. The King of Cool, Steve McQueen, portrayed hardbitten cop Lieutenant Frank Bullitt, who was tasked with protecting Johnny Ross, a mob defector put under witness protection. Inevitably, things go bad, and McQueen has to do what he did best: save the day. Around halfway through the film, the car in question, a 1968 Ford Mustang fastback, takes part in one of the most famous car chases in history, pursuing a 1968 Dodge Charger R/T through the streets of San Francisco. I’ll include the chase below, because even if you’ve seen it before, it will still take your breath away.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VX4zDjlhbbU

The cars (two were used in the filming) were delivered to Warner Bros. by Ford, and modified by Max Balchowsky. In order to survive the chase’s jumps down San Franciscan hills, the cars were fitted with heavy duty springs and shocks. A stronger anti-roll bar was installed, and engine modifications including ported heads and carb upgrades increased the horsepower produced by the 390 V8s. The customization didn’t end there, with the exterior also being heavily modified. The cars had their fog lights, grille badge, Mustang lettering and GT badges removed. Finally, the stock wheels were changed to American Racing Torq Thrusts. One of the cars was crushed, and there was a longstanding mystery as to the location of the other. It was eventually discovered in a Mexican junkyard in March of last year. As the star of the most famous chase in cinema history, this list would not be complete without it.

#2: The General Lee

If the Bullitt Mustang was the most famous film car of its era, it was a 1969 Dodge Charger that was by far the most famous TV car. Driven by the Duke Boys, the car performed in countless jumps, stunts, and chases in their battles with Boss Hogg. The show ate through Chargers like a fat kid eats cake — anywhere from 255 to 325 General Lees were used in the show’s run. At one point, the producers were running so short on Chargers that they ended up using AMC Ambassadors, relying on clever camera work to prevent the audience noticing. Just 17 of the cars survive in various states of repair.

The cars were heavily modified by the studio: famously, the doors were welded shut, but it went deeper than that. In order for the cars to make their signature handbrake turns, the cars had their tires overinflated and handbrakes rigged. The cars that had to do the jumps had their bodies heavily reinforced, and were also fitted with NASCAR-esque fuel cells to prevent leaks. Sometimes, some more temporary modifications were required. To make its longest jumps, like the 82-footer seen in the title sequence, hundreds of pounds of cement were placed in the trunk to level out its weight distribution.

#1: Gone In 60 Seconds’ ’67 Eleanor Mustang

Nicolas “Horseface” Cage has a habit for wrecking the legacies of excellent movies. In 2000, he starred in the abortive remake of the excellent 1974 film, Gone in 60 Seconds, which turned an awesome car movie into a toothgrindingly tiresome exercise in boredom. Between this and what he did in the Wicker Man remake, I’m frankly amazed he gets work, but I digress. Let’s talk about the good one. The film that has a 40 minute car chase that is breathtakingly done. It’s also wonderfully simple: 48 cars have got to be stolen in five days. Go. The car we want to focus on is the famous “Eleanor” Mustang. There are four Mustangs in the movie that meet the requirements of the codename Eleanor, but only two were actually used in filming, while license plates and tires were swapped for the other models.

Both of the cars were 1971 Sportsback Mustangs, but met with very different fates. One was designed specifically for stunts, while the other was kept intact and used for external shots. Ironically, only the stunt Eleanor survives today. It took the director, H.B. Halicki, several years to find the funds to make the film. So the Mustangs didn’t appear outdated, they were fitted with 1973 grilles. To save money even further, the cars were painted in a generic “school bus” yellow, rather than, as most assume, Ford Medium Yellow Gold.

So the Stunt Eleanor wouldn’t just crumple like a tin can after all its rough treatment, extensive reinforcement was carried out, with a roll cage fitted and the transmission chained in. The stunt car had the Deluxe interior, but swapped seats with the other Eleanor, which had the standard interior. Other modifications include heavy duty harnesses, deadbolt door locks, new hood pins, an electrical kill switch, individually locking rear brakes, and a fish plated undercarriage made from thick steel. This car isn’t the most flashy model on this list, nor is it the fastest. It isn’t even the best looking, but I’m a big fan of it for one simple reason: the film was low budget, and yet it managed to create a phenomenal car movie. This car is that movie in a microcosm. It’s cheap and bolted together, but it works amazingly, and there’s not a single person who’s watched the movie and not wanted their very own Eleanor.

Honorable Mentions

I want to talk about two other models from American Graffiti. I can practically hear you rolling your eyes, but there really are a huge amount of amazing cars in this film. Two others that I need to tack on here are the ’58 Chevy Impala and the ’51 Mercury.

The Impala, as driven by Terry The Toad, is a beautiful piece of Americana. However, when it was bought by a 17-year-old kid for $285 after the movie wrapped, the car wasn’t in amazing shape. It had a 348 four-barrel, as seen in the movie, but that lasted as long as the drive home, where it expired in a cloud of smoke. The kid and his brother replaced it with a 283 twin-barrel, and it rode again. Most of the original parts were removed, but were also tagged and bagged, so it could be fairly easily restored to American Graffiti-spec. It was auctioned in 2015, and its new owner, Ray Evernham, did just that, exhibiting the car at the 2016 SEMA show.

Now, onto the Mercury. This is a beautiful car. It was spotted at a stock car track’s spectator’s lot, bought, and taken immediately to Orlandi’s shop. Despite its beauty, the preparations were slapdash. The rear window wasn’t cut when the body was, just slid down and stuck in place. The wing windows and side quarter glass were removed. Its grille bar was made from an old bumper. Despite this somewhat hamfisted work, the car looks gorgeous. I’ll leave you with this video on an awesome replica built by Glenn Shimmin.