Chevelles (and A-cars) on Screen

Chevelles (and other A-bodies) in Movies and TV -- 80s Era Movies

This was a time in which we went through the Reagan/Bush years, inflation, stagflation, and during this transition, there was a significant change, like MTV, video arcades, and of course, the war on drugs. By this time, the RWD A-car became the G-car in 1982. The RWD Malibu lasted until 1983, but the El Camino stayed in production until 1988. One thing that sprouted from the 1980s for the classic A-car was the resto craze, and companies like Ausley's contributed to the resto efforts of classic A-cars. 1980s muscle was fueled with small-cubed V8s and V6s, like the Grand National, Monte Carlo SS, and 442, along with the IROC-Zs. Only GM and Ford were the major players, since Chrysler went FWD throughout the 1980s.

11/12/99 update: this page was growing in size to 30,000 bytes, and I had no choice to split the page into two sections. This page covers movies between 1980-84, and click on the link below to see the second half.

Cruising (1980)

There is a brief scene when Al Pacino walks past a 1969 Buick Skylark hardtop.

He Knows You're Alone (1980)

During the scene with the girls and a college professor, the professor and his wife are leaving the scene, and a 1975-77 Buick Century station wagon is seen in the background. In a later scene, in front of an appliance store, the serial killer is standing in front of a 1977 Grand Prix (when looking at the reflection in the TV screen). During the nighttime traffic scene, when a detective follows a Ford Fairmont station wagon (he drives a Ford Fairmont), a 1968-72 Vista Cruiser station wagon is seen, when the Fairmont stalls at a traffic intersection.

My Bodyguard (1980)

Several A-bodies are seen, which include a 1969/70 Grand Prix and 1975-77 Regal, where Chris Makepeace rides his bicycle during the opening credits. Later, in front of the high school, a 1973 Cutlass S Colonnade coupe is seen in traffic. When Chris Makepeace enters a diner, after squirting ketchup and mustard on a rival gang, he flees the diner, and a 1973-77 Vista Cruiser shows up. In the next scene, after the young kid gives Matt Dillion the finger, a traffic scene is shown, and a 1974 Chevelle coupe is seen in traffic, along with a 1975-77 Regal. During the scene where Linderman (Adam Baldwin, of Independence Day fame) walks on a sidewalk, a 1971/72 Chevelle hardtop is seen, parked on the side of the street. A1976 Cadillac Fleetwood limousine follows the kid, and during the sidewalk scenes, Adam Baldwin walks past a 1973/74 Pontiac LeMans.

Trivial note: this film marks the debut of actors Adam Baldwin and Joan Cusack, as well as Matt Dillon's second film role. He previously starred as a juvenile delinquent in Over the Edge, his feature film debut Joan Cusack's father (Richard Cusack) appears as the school principal. Watch for a scene where George Wendt (Cheers) appears as a janitor.

The Ninth Configuration (1980)

A 68-69 Chevelle 300 Deluxe with USAF markings was shown at the end of the movie. (Submitted by Chvelle@aol.com; re-edited)

Used Cars (1980)

There are several Chevrolets and muscle-era Chevelles (includes a 1970 and a red 1968 hardtop) seen in this movie, and a 1968 Chevelle 4-door hardtop is seen in Rudy Russo's used car lot. There is a scene, in which a stripper in a baby blue dress (Penthouse Pet Cheryl Rixon) is posing on a 1973 Oldsmobile Delta 88 convertible, and a 1969 Chevelle hardtop is seen (Her dress flies off, in which it is stuck on the Olds hood ornament {she is topless!!!!!!}, and this is when a commercial is filmed!!!). There are some other muscle-era A-cars seen, and this includes a 1972 Oldsmobile Cutlass 4-door and a 1970 Cutlass seen in the final scene (the finale with the fleet of 250 clunkers!).

9 to 5 (1980)

Jane Fonda's car is a blue and white 1969 Buick Skylark hardtop. The Buick is a total beater.

Superman II (1980)

During the East Houston siege, a jeep is fired upon, and crashes into a used car lot (watch for the jeep where it crashes through a Coppertone billboard!). A 1966 Pontiac Tempest 2-door pillared coupe is is seen in the used car lot.

Trivial note: the billboard had a "Flash'em a Coppertone Tan" ad banner from the early 1980s. A couple of years back, the slogan stated: Beautiful Tan. Beautiful Skin. In both ads, a babe in a Corvette Yellow bikini is depicted.

Smokey and the Bandit II (1980)

A 1977 LeMans sedan is seen briefly in one scene, when Junior and Carrie are at a motel.

The Hunter (1980)

There is a scene with the LAPD, where a 1968 Cutlass hardtop coupe is parked on a street corner, where a gangsta pimp (Teddy Wilson, well known as Sweet Daddy from Good Times, and Plug in Cleopatra Jones) is taken into custody. A 1968 Chevelle 2-door hardtop is seen, parked on the street, when Steve McQueen drives a rented 1979 Monte Carlo down a street in a Chicago ghetto. He parks the Monte Carlo in front of a 1971/72 Grand Prix. When the foot pursuit sequence takes place, a traffic jam is seen in front of the Taco Loco (a popular Mexican restaruant in the Chicago area), a 1970-72 Buick Skylark hardtop (gold with a white top) is seen in traffic. During the scene where he commandeers a Chevrolet C30 wrecker, he wrecks a 1972 Buick Skylark 2-door hardtop (blue with a white top), and the LH fender ends up on the pavement.

Trivial note: Steve McQueen's final film. LeVar Burton (ST: TNG) is an electronics genius, who is a fugitive, and later ends up as Steve McQueen's houseguest. Watch for the scene where he repairs his TV set!

The Hollywood Knights (1980)

A 1965 El Camino is seen, as well as other GM vehicles. (Submitted by Mike Harris)

The Exterminator (1980)

A 1969 Chevelle hardtop is used by a rival gang, and is wrecked and destroyed.

S.O.B. (1981)

There is a scene where Richard Mulligan (Empty Nest) goes into a frenzy, and steals a Clenet roadster. He drives out of the movie studio, and a 1972 Chevelle 4-door is seen, and swerves to the right. A 1975 or 1976 Plymouth Fury sedan is seen as a taxicab, and crashes into a billboard. During the freeway scene, a 1968 Camaro flips over, which is a sad sight for classic F-car owners (shades of Christine).

Note: William Holden's final film. Rosanna Arquette has a small part as a beach bimbo, wearing a shirt with the word "Weed" printed on the front, and has brunette hair. S.O.B. is an acronym for the vulgar phrase "Son of a B***h, or in the adult entertainment industry (e.g. strip clubs), Sexually Oriented Business.

Smokey Bites the Dust (1981)

There is a scene in which a 1968 Pontiac Tempest flips over, and the frontal section of the roof is crunched.

Note: Several scenes that featured the chase scene with the 1957 Chevrolet 4-door (along with a red 1969 Vette) is lifted from the movie Thunder and Lightning (1977).

Wolfen (1981)

Albert Finney sees three Native Americans leaving a bar, and a 1964 Chevelle 2-door hardtop is seen, parked in front of the bar. The Chevelle is a beater, with a missing grille and front bumper. One of the Native Americans walks over the car.

Trivial note: Edward James Olmos appears nude during the beach scene. His privates are blacked out during the beach scene. Watch for an early appearance of Gregory Hines (with an old school Afro!) and Reginald Vel Johnson (Family Matters, Crocodile Dundee, and the 10-10-321 commercials) as a morgue attendant.

An Officer and a Gentleman (1982)

There is a scene in a parking lot, and one of the parked cars seen is a bronze 1965 El Camino.

Note: This is one of three movies that John Travolta turned down the lead. Both American Gigolo, Days of Heaven, and this film had Richard Gere as the male lead.

48 HRS. (1982)

A 1971 Chevelle 4-door hardtop sedan appears in a traffic scene, where Nick Nolte and Eddie Murphy are seen in the Cadillac. This is where they follow Luther (he drives Eddie Murphy's Porsche 356 Speedster). During the scene in front of the parking garage, a 1971/72 Grand Prix and a 1972 Chevelle hardtop are seen in traffic.

Trivial note: Eddie Murphy's big screen debut.

Vigilante (1982)

A 1970 Chevelle hardtop (with a black SS rubber pad on the rear bumper) is used by a street gang, and there is a scene in the film where one of the gang-bangers (a young African American male) is seen rammin' a Datsun 280ZX, where he is sandwiched. Robert Forster commandeers the Chevelle, only that the LH fender is bashed during the pursuit scene.

Trivial note: first pairing of Robert Forster and Fred "The Hammer" Willamson in a film together. The scene where 2 cops are killed in a squad car might have influenced Quentin Tarantino, where a scene in Reservoir Dogs (1992) depicted a similar sequence, only that Harvey Keitel fires 2 handguns (similar to John Woo flicks).

Christine (1983)

The scene in which the red 1958 Plymouth Fury wrecks a gas station, a 1971/72 Chevelle is seen on a hoist. A 1967 Camaro is wrecked, and both cars are incinerated.

Blue Thunder (1983)

There is a scene in which Candy Clark (in a 1971 Vega) tries to outrun a cop car, and in the scene after the cop car has its rear section blasted by the chopper's M61A1 20mm cannon (and crashes into a car that is towed, a 1971 Chevelle hardtop is one of the vehicles used in the scene.

Note: Warren Oates' final film.

Lone Wolf McQuade (1983)

There is a scene in which the boyfriend of Chuck Norris' daughter (a U.S. Army officer) pulls up in a bronze 1972 Pontiac LeMans hardtop. In a later scene, the villain (played by David Carradine) kills the boyfriend, and pushes the LeMans over the side of a cliff (he uses a 1978 Dodge Aspen 4-door sedan). Luckily, Chuck Norris' daughter ends up in the hospital with only a few bumps and bruises.

Note: Watch for an early appearance of Robert Beltran (well known as Chakotay on Star Trek: Voyager) as a Texas DPS trooper!. He speaks with a Texas accent, and when he later shows up in Mexico, he drives a 1974 Monte Carlo.

The Outsiders (1983)

There is a scene outside the Dairy Queen in this movie, in which a brown 1964 El Camino is briefly seen. (originally posted on Dan Carr's El Camino Page) The El Camino is seen in the background, where Ponyboy (C. Thomas Howell), Johnny (Ralph Macchio), and Matt Dillon are in a Thunderbird ragtop, deciding whether the two boys should turn themselves into the cops, after murdering a rival gang member.

Note: this film featured various actors and actresses that would star in future Brat Pack films, and watch for an early apperaance of Patrick Swayze. Matt Dillion's portrayal of Dallas is typical of a teen rebel, like the late Tupac Shakur in Juice. Ralph Macchio is dark-complexioned in this film, like he had a tan on the beaches of Miami.

Scarface (1983)

There is a scene in which Tony Montana, Manny, and Angel Fernandez are in a 1968 Chevrolet Impala ragtop, and there is a scene in which a 1971 Cutlass passes by. The scene at the motel, in which Angel is tortured with a chainsaw (a la Texas Chainsaw Massacre), a common practice with Colombian drug dealers, had Manny parked on the street (he is ??? with some beach babe), and a 1972 Skylark is seen, parked behind the Impala.

Noted trivia: Most of the dialogue, like the quote "Say hello to my little friend!", "Balls and my word", and "Don't f*** with me!" were sampled by DJ Ready Red of the Geto Boys. Several of the Geto Boys rap songs (e.g. Scarface) had samples and dialogue from this film. This film is an icon with hip-hop culture, and the movie title is currently the moniker of Houston-area rapper Mr. Scarface (a.k.a. Brad Jordan). Even Michelle Pfeiffer was an icon toward minority youths and young adults, in which she starred in Dangerous Minds, and appeared in Coolio's "Gangsta's Paradise" music video. Some minority youths often associate her with the Catwoman from Batman Returns. The violent finale was featured in New Jack City (1991), when Wesley Snipes and his entourage are loungin'.

Comedian/actor Chris Tucker imitated a couple of quotes from this movie in Friday and Money Talks. He imitates Al Pacino's Cuban accent in both movies.

Nightmares (1983)

In the third segment of the movie (a la Twilight Zone: The Movie), which is like a scene from Duel , Lance Henriksen (Millenium {the TV series}, the military academy commandant in Damien: Omen II, as well as the psycho biker in Stone Cold, and Bishop in Aliens and Alien 3) is a priest, and he drives a 1972 Chevelle 4-door sedan. A 1977/78 Chevrolet K20 pickup (with tinted windows) tries to run him off the road. Note that there are two Chevelles used, in which one of them is an 1972, with 1971 parking lamp bezels, and the car that is used (and totaled) is another 1972 with the 1972-style bezels. Both cars have the 10-slotted hubcaps (with the words "Chevrolet Motor Division" in the center) unique to 1971/72 Chevelles, Camaros, and Novas.

Here's how is goes: the priest's car loses its rear bumper (which can't occur on a 1970-72 Chevelle that is rearended), which was unbolted from the body. Also, the car had the LF hubcap missing after a flat tire, yet in subsequent scenes, the hubcap is back in place.

Silkwood (1983)

There are a couple of Chevelles seen, which include a 1971/72 4-door sedan (at Karen Silkwood's home, where everything in the house is removed), and a 1970-72 Nomad station wagon (seen at the reactor fuel plant). Kurt Russell's car is a red 1972 LeMans hardtop, which is seen a few times.

Repo Man (1984)

A 1964 Chevelle Malibu 4-door sedan is the "star" car, which is hauling an E.T. and nuclear device in the trunk. The concluding scenes had the Chevelle glowin', in which the car lifts off. The Chevelle glides through downtown L.A., and into hyperspace (a la Star Wars).

The Terminator (1984)

The scene where Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton, of Dante's Peak fame) and Kyle Reese are running down an alley, after the scene in Tech Noir, Reese fires at a fuel tank of a 1972 Cutlass Supreme 4-door sedan, in which the car detonates. The detonation does not deter the Terminator from hoppin' onto the hood of a 1978 Ford LTD that Reese hotwires in an earlier scene. When he sideswipes the LTD onto a 1978 Nova 2-door (a picture car that is later used to destroy the front entrance of the police precinct where Sarah and Reese are held), this is where a cop calls in a hit and run, but killed, after the Terminator bangs the cop's skull onto the rear door of a 1978 Dodge Monaco. Another Cutlass (a 1970) is briefly seen at the motel, and this scene takes place where Sarah and Reese flee in a 1973-80 Chevrolet C10 pickup. He rams the truck into the Cutlass, and backs up. A 1975 Malibu Classic is seen briefly, where Reese goes shopping, after leaving the motel.

When Reese (Michael Biehn) first hotwires the LTD, he suffers a nightmare, in which he is in combat, and there is a scene in which he hops into a 1976 or 1977 Pontiac LeMans sedan, which is a combat vehicle that tries to outrun a pilotless aircraft. The LeMans does not survive, and this is when Reese has a nightmare in which he is incinerated in the car, after it crashes.

Note: the stunt pickup that rolls over does not have a motor, and has a 2WD drivetrain.

Beverly Hills Cop (1984)

A 1972 Cutlass Supreme Holiday coupe is seen, parked on the street, where the Detroit P.D. set up a roadblock. A couple of Novas (X-bodies) are seen, which include a 1977 or 1978 Buick Apollo Landau coupe, a 1973/74 Nova on jackstands, and a white 1968-72 coupe is rearended by the semi with the stolen cigarettes. This does not include the picture Nova, a crappy blue 1970 coupe, with dented body panels.

Trivial fact: Sylvester Stallone was originally casted as the lead character of Axel Foley, but dropped out of the project. Some of his ideas that were going to be used in the movie were later used in Stallone's cop flick Cobra (1986). Coincidentally, Eddie Murphy co-starred with Brigitte Nielsen (who was Stallone's wife at the time) in Beverly Hills Cop II. The character of Inspector Todd (Gilbert R. Hill), who opens the scene with lines containing the "F" word, was in actual fact, a real Detroit P.D. officer, and a current member of the Detroit City Council.

*Listed in WhoWhere

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