Lights, Camera, Action! :
Vintage VWs on the Silver Screen.October 30th 2017
1. Dancing and music may have been banned from the small town in 1984’s Footloose, but there is no shortage of cool, classic cars including Chevy Malibus, GMC C-1500s, Jeep Wagoneers and Pontiac Grand Villes. Ren, a newcomer, drives a yellow 1972 Beetle and even uses it as a platform for dancing.
2. During a scene in the first Back to the Future, a 1975 Bus rolls through the streets with a man standing through the sun roof yielding a machine gun. You can also spot a 1971 Campmobile underneath the marquee of an old movie theater.
3. Time Magazine named, Jason “Furious” Styles, a character all fathers should be like. Styles, played by Laurence Fishburne in the 1991 hit, Boyz N The Hood, drives a 1971 Beetle which he also lets his son borrow. What other dad just lets their kid borrow a classic car?!
4. Game on! If you look close enough, you will find a 1973 Bus parked in Wayne and Garth’s driveway. There is also a hidden 1974 Beetle parked behind donut shop owner, Stan Mitika, in 1992’s Wayne’s World. You will also see a VW Beetle at the top of the famous Spindle Sculpture which until 2008 was a beautiful art installment in Berwyn, IL.
5. You’d be a lot cooler if you recognized the senior who got to drive a 1965 Beetle in the 1993 classic Dazed and Confused. This film had such a great lineup of classic cars, including Chevy C-10’s, Camaros, Chevelles, Ford Mavericks, Pontiac Firebirds and even a 1973 Thing parked at a burger hop.
6. It would be shocking to not find a classic VW on the set of the 1999 comedy, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me. There is a beautiful green 1967 Beetle driving along the psychedelic streets of London.
Other Appearances:
The opening credits to Stephen King’s The Shining features a yellow 1973 Beetle driving along a winding road.
In the unintentional comedy Gremlins, you will see a snow covered 1967 Beetle.
When Connor MacLeod engages in an epic swordfight with Iman Fasil in 1986’s Highlander, there is a silver 1973 Beetle parked right behind them.
In the 1986 drama, River’s Edge, a man murders his girlfriend and brings his friends to see her body in a custom Baja Bug.
On a more positive note, Molly Ringwald’s character in Pretty in Pink drives a pink-ish 1959 Karmann Ghia.
Everyone knows all the cool kids own VWs, which is why a 1966 Beetle was strategically placed in front of the comic book store in the 1987 classic, The Lost Boys.
You can find a sleek, black 1956 Beetle Deluxe on the streets in Tin Men, a 1987 comedic drama featuring Danny DeVito and Richard Dreyfuss.
Evelyn Couch slams into the back of a 1973 Super Beetle three times after two girls steal her parking spot in 1991’s Fried Green Tomatoes.
New girl in town, Casey Roberts, drives a yellow 1974 Super Beetle in the 1995 film, Mad Love.
You might have your eyes closed for most of this movie, but if you’re not scared you can find a red 1967 Beetle on the street in 1996’s Scream.
Happy Gilmore probably has one of the most interesting scenes for a VW. He definitely wasn’t in his Happy place when he got hit by a 1976 Beetle on the golf course.
In the classic 1998 film, The Big Lebowski, the Dude does not abide when he sees someone following him in a 1971 Beetle.
Author:
By Sarah Dixon.
JBugs Content Writer.
JBugs Content Writer.