Get Yer Motor Runnin'...
Some Hot (and not-so-hot) Wheels of Some Hot Eyes
Okay, so some of these aren't exactly "hot wheels," but they have become rather intrinsically linked with their drivers.
It's weird. You would assume private eyes would drive bland, inconspicuous cars that blend into the background, and for most of them, that is indeed the case. But a few of them, particularly on television, seem to have strange ideas about what inconspicuous means.
And some were so jaw-droppingly cool they received perhaps the highest accolade of the cool car world: they were made into model car kits.
- Fitzroy Maclean Angel's London Cab
It's big, black Austin London Cab, one of the few still running on the streets of London. He calls it "Armstrong."
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- Joe Mannix's Convertibles
"In the first year of the show, when he worked for Intertech, Mannix, Joe drove a George Barris-customized (silver-and-dark-gray) convertible Oldsmobile Toranado. AMT or MPC made a model of it, in fact (this is true! I had one- ed. ) When he quit Intertech, he went downhill and drove various (dark green) Dodge Challengers and Darts and Barracudas for the rest of the series," says noted car nut John Boyle. Maybe so, but they were still pretty cool cars, and they each had something really special for back then: car phones."
- Travis McGee's Miss Agnes
The most preposterous of P.I. vehicles is thisbastardized 1936 Rolls Royce, converted into a pickup truck, of all things, painted an ungodly blue, and named after McGee's fourth grade teacher who apparently had hair the same colour.
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- Hardcastle and McCormick's Coyote
Built from Manta Montage, on a base chassis is from a VW and the engine from a VW-Porsche 914, made this light-weight car very, very fast indeed. There was a second version of the Coyote, used in the secondd anfd third seasons, which was based on a DeLorean.
- Kinsey Millhone's VW
A battered Volkswagen Bug that'ss been around the block a few times, but somehow the spunky little thing just keeps on chuggin'. Sorta like Kinsey.
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- Harry O's Austin-Healey Sprite
Seldom seen (because it was rarely running) beat-up old Austin-Healey Sprite was as much a part of this most contrary of shows as the girls he didn't get, the cases he didn't solve, and the answers he never found. The car frequently wouldn't even start, and when it did it had a nasty habit of breaking down at inopportune times.
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- Jim Rockford's Pontiac Firebid
Originally a gold-coloured 1974 (although it wasfrequently updated) Pontiac Firebird, license number 853OKG. Jimbo's chief investigative tool, it seemed, regularly crashed, trashed and involved in high speed chases. some shows, it deserved bigger billing than the "guest stars."
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- Dan Tanna's 1957 T-Bird
Not only was this annoyingly-smug Vegas P.I. surrounded by beautiful women, but he got to tool around in this cherry classic automobile. Pretty soon, half the TV eyes were tailing suspects in mint condition collector's cars..
"Hey, isn't that the same spiffy, immaculate candy apple red 1957 T-Bird's been on our tail for eight blocks, already?"
"Relax, it's probably another one."
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- Thomas Magnum's Ferrari
Well, actually, it's Robin Masters' Ferrari. And it's bright red. Just the thing for tooling around Hawaii, incognito.
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- Shell Scott's 1941 Caddy Convertible
Just in case people didn't notice him already, it's painted a painfully bright canary yellow.
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- Stephanie Plum's 1953 Buick
Well, actually Stephanie's Uncle Sandor's 1953 Buick. Her mother made her use this obnoxious, bloated, conspicuous behemoth. Suffice it to say it's never Stephanie's first choice.
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- Hank Brackett and Johnny Reach's Stutz Bearcat
From the short-lived CBC series, Bearcats! Came with optional, fender-mounted Gatling guns. No CD player, though. Like Lou Reed says, "Man, those were different times."
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- J.J. Starbuck's Limo
JJ's flashy limo comes equipped with steer horns on the hood and a horn that plays "The Eyes of Texas." The perfect vehicle for melting into the crowd.
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- Ray's Stingray
Ray's classic black 1965 Corvette Stingray, which co-starred with Nick Mancuso in NBC's short-lived Stingray. Arguably the coolest car of all 80's television (sorry "KITT"...)
- The Charlie's Anglels Van
Okay, this van never appeared on the TV show, although it did regularly tour car shows. Rvidently, Revell (the car model guys) commissioned Rod Powell of Salinas, California, to retool a Chevy van to their specifications, which included hidden compartments for guns and handcuffs , a mini-wine cellar and lots and lots of plush pink upholstery. Once completed, the van toured car shows across the U.S. and Canada, for years, and Revell sold a ton of model kits.
- Honey West's Shelby Cobra 289
This 1965 "Wimbledon White" Cobra was used in several episodes of the TV show, and boasted a mobile phone (take that, Mannix!) John C. Frederickson, author of Honey West (2009), considers the car "the best-remembered iconic representation" of the show "next to Bruce the ocelot."
Preliminary list compiled by Kevin Burton Smith, with a really, really big and heart-felt shout-out to John Boyle. Anyone who has info, photos or illustrations of any of these cars (or of the possible models or toys they inspired) are urged to contact Kevin.
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