CC Cinema And QOTD: Egregious Car Switcheroos – What’s The Worst One You’ve Ever Seen?

A few months ago, I briefly mentioned the movie Used Cars in a post. One of Robert Zemecki’s earlier films, with the zany traits and pacing that would characterize his later work. In the film, a young Kurt Russell plays a likable trickster in charge of a used car lot. Leaving aside that ‘likable tricksters’ don’t exist anywhere but in movies, the film revolves around Kurt’s character; who is in a fierce battle of wills against the competing used car lot across the road.

 

The film is bawdy, goofy, and lots of early ’80s fun. On top of that, it’s a fine car-centric film. Except for one egregious mistake.

I won’t spoil the movie. Let’s just say that Kurt has to create an ‘accident’ to pull off a scam. To achieve this, he removes the 1959 Edsel on display that serves as the lot’s sign.

Then, the Edsel runs around the lot in a rather fantastic chase. But instead of the 1959 one previously shown, it is now a 1958 model. Wait, what??

No matter how much one is enjoying a movie, the ‘fictional reality’ one has invested in up to that point just crumbles. Wait a minute! That’s just a different car! This is NOT real!

The topic of driving cars in the ‘park’ position has appeared at CC on and off; an annoying goof if there ever was one (Above, an ’82 Riviera in La La Land). Do directors and actors don’t know anything about driving? Are they just always chauffeured?

If seeing cars driven in the ‘park’ position is annoying, having them suddenly switch from one model to another is just bizarre and off-putting. Do they think no one will notice?

Let’s go for another switcheroo. This one from Remington Steele, the 1982 light detective drama that launched Pierce Brosnan’s career. On a Season 2 episode, Remington (Pierce Brosnan) and her lovely companion Laura Holt (Stephanie Zimbalist) are ready to have a picnic by the road.

Just then the baddies arrive on a Barracuda. This shot has nothing to do with the point I’m trying to make, but I just can’t see a Barracuda and not include it.

A minute later, the baddies get ready to toss Laura’s cute VW Cabrio over the hill. And as it turns over, the Cabrio suddenly changes into a US-built 1980 model. The headlights and side markers being the giveaways. Wait, what?

What’s worse, I don’t even remember a square headlight Cabrio ever being built. The whole matter is just puzzling…

I could go on, like a MacGyver episode where a Chevy Caprice briefly turns into an Oldsmobile Cutlass; but this post is not meant as a comprehensive list. Car switcheroos aren’t as common as the ‘park position’ goof, but so far, the Edsel one takes the cake for me.

So the question goes out: Have you seen any? And where?