THE CARS THAT ALMOST WEREN’T STARS

We take a look at three cars that almost weren’t the star of the show…

myth busters

by Abbie Blundell |
Published on

1 - The Delorean Had Stardom In The Bag

Some classics have become such major movies stars that it’s now impossible to imagine anything else in their place. However, in several cases, they weren’t the first choices. Initially there was no DeLorean in the first two drafts of 1985’s Back to the Future – a refrigerator was the time machine instead. However a car was picked because of a fridge’s lack of mobility, with a DMC-12 getting the nod because of its shiny stainless steel finish and John DeLorean’s trial then being headline news.

2 - Herbie Was Always Set To Be A Beetle

The Herbie films helped cement the Volkswagen Beetle’s immortality. However, a car needed to be cast before production commenced so Walt Disney Studios reviewed several imports from Toyota, VW, Volvo and even TVR. Volvo’s P1800 seems to have come close, but a Beetle was the only vehicle that got an emotional response from those present, some even petting it. Thus Herbie was German instead of Swedish.

3 - Magnum Always Drove A Ferrari

Tom Selleck’s luxuriant moustache, Hawaiian shirts and Ferrari 308 GTS were a match made in heaven in Magnum, P.I. However, right up until the last minute, a Porsche 928 was the intention for the investigator. However, because Selleck was so tall – at 6ft 4in – he would have needed the car modified to fit him comfortably, and Porsche refused to do so. But Ferrari was happy to tweak its 308 GTS, so it got the gig instead.

Thanks to Bristol Street Motors for these images:[ bristolstreet.co.uk/news/ alternative-pop-culture-car- history ](http:// bristolstreet.co.uk/news/ alternative-pop-culture-car-history)

TOM WOULDN’T FIT A 928. IMAGE: BRISTOL STREET MOTORS.
TOM WOULDN’T FIT A 928. IMAGE: BRISTOL STREET MOTORS.
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