1968 dodge charger used in DMCL: What do we know about it?

[THE CHARGER PUNK]

Now im pretty sure 99% of you have seen DMCL(Dirty Mary Crazy Larry for those fo you who havn't) and for those of you who have seen it know what im talking about when i say ''1968'' charger used in DMCL, it was used in the scene where it the 69 comes down off that upper dirt road crossing paths with the cop and then in the next scene its a 1968 grille staring at ya dead in the face and it hits the cop off the road before the bridge. Then the 68 appears again hitting the truck thats turning(for the longest time i thought the base 69 hit the truck as its the car flying down the road at top speed because after it hits the truck u see a 69 spin around with a crunched drivers corner, but right after when they pull it in to ''fix it up'' u see the car pulling in has a heavily damaged wheel on the drivers corner and has no marker lights and 68 trim on the 69 tail panel) so a bit of info for you guys, feel free to share what you know about the 68 used during filming as i would like to know as much as possible thnx and greatly appreciated-MATT (see my few questions that i would to know below)

#1 Was the 68 an r/t or a base? (I have to get new contacts so i cant really see the grille so i cant see if its R/T or that arrow emblem)

#2 Did the 68 have a roll bar? (in the promo pic where Peter and susan are sitting on the chargers roof a roll bar is present, since im pretty sure the 68 was used to hit the truck i would assume it had a roll bar in it?, also its either has to be the 68 with the bar or the base 69 as they were the only cars with no sail panel ''charger'emblems i noticed)

#3 Does it have a 68 interior?

#4 What size tires and rims do you think this car wore???


1968 car used


Base 69 (no roll bar present)



Roll bar Car (same car or Base 69?)

[69_500]

In  the still photo you posted I'd say that the 68 has the R/T emblem in the grille, or at least that is what it looks like to me.

Also notice that the 69 base car has the high front bumperette's, where as the 68 car has the typical low 68 style.

To me the last photo you posted looks like the 68 car. Just going off of the buckets in the front.

[tan top]

yep sitting on a 68 charger , look where the door lock buttons are positioned 

[Ghoste]

The 68 had the roll bar.

[tan top]

there was a big thread on this if i remember corectaly ......... on how many were used in the film

[69charger2002]

In  the still photo you posted I'd say that the 68 has the R/T emblem in the grille, or at least that is what it looks like to me.

Also notice that the 69 base car has the high front bumperette's, where as the 68 car has the typical low 68 style.

To me the last photo you posted looks like the 68 car. Just going off of the buckets in the front.

definitely has a R/T emblem in the grill on the 68.. and to ME the last car appears to have low back 69 buckets.. i can't see the horixzontal pleat pattern. almost looks like the "t" pattern of the 69.. and the door locks. they kinda look like they're in the back like 68, hard to tell with the door open
trav

[pettyfan43]

In  the still photo you posted I'd say that the 68 has the R/T emblem in the grille, or at least that is what it looks like to me.

Also notice that the 69 base car has the high front bumperette's, where as the 68 car has the typical low 68 style.

To me the last photo you posted looks like the 68 car. Just going off of the buckets in the front.

definitely has a R/T emblem in the grill on the 68.. and to ME the last car appears to have low back 69 buckets.. i can't see the horixzontal pleat pattern. almost looks like the "t" pattern of the 69.. and the door locks. they kinda look like they're in the back like 68, hard to tell with the door open
trav

Yeah if you look closely at the DVD cover, the 68 is definitely the one on the cover with the roll bar, it has 68 seat pattern and the door locks are at the rear. Most likely a stunt car, used up and thrown away (just a 5 year old used car remember?) May have even had a 69 grille and taillights stuck in at some point. Who knows?

[Khyron]

there where only 3 of the cars used in the movie and they where all destroyed.

if memory serves, the 68 is the one you see that got smashed by the train and then blown up. The 69 non r/t was smashed so bad they junked it, and the r/t was sold to a person that worked on the set, they proply got into an accident and totled the car, it also got junked.

BTW: the charger also where used as camera cars in some parts of the movie, if you watch the DVD, when they are driving through town and the camera pans on the side of the Charger and up to Peter Fonda, you can see the reflection of the other charger in the side view mirror.


BTW: for your viewing pleasure.

http://www.findinternettv.com/Video,item,2872225561.aspx
http://www.findinternettv.com/Video,item,737076213.aspx

[Ghoste]

I've heard and read a few times that the 68 is the one in the train scene but I have watched that scene frame by frame and I'm certain it was one of the 69's.  I could still be wrong though.

[Khyron]

very well could be, The movies cars wheren't all that well documented, hell, the stripe was a last min thing, so I read. BUt I do remember it was definatly the R/T that was sold to a production member, so it could be the other way around. I just sleep better at night thinking it was the 68 

[Khyron]

O.k. here is my take on this, when the train hits the car, we see it get obliterated?

O.k. now follow me here, they used 2 cars, one to get pulled into the train, and one that they later burned. You can see this on the DVD. O.k. so the car that hits the train was the 68 IMO because the cars front was crushed.

See first picture.

Now, for the burning scene they back the train up, light the 69 on fire and then film the train going past it. I believe this to be true because if you look at my second picture you can see the front end is less damaged then the one that the train hit and if you zoom in, you can see the 69 marker lights in the back under the burned paint.

This is my limited ability to deduct the pictures

[Dave22443]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGO5f3JfdLg&feature=related

[Ghoste]

Although I agree there may have been two cars used for the burning scene, I don't know that I agree one was the 68.  There were two cars with front end damage, if you watch the movie closely, you'll see the damage changes slightly from scene to scene.  The car that hits the train has a slight amount of damage behind the door on the 1/4 panel but I can't recall if that weas duplicated among all the cars or not.  As for one of the 69's being sold to a crew member, has that ever been verified.
We have a big screen tv now so if I have time this weekend, I'm going to do the frame by frame again and look for more evidence on the crash and burn. 

[Khyron]

frame by frame on a big screen would be cool 

I'm going to need to hunt again, but I remember reading about a crew member getting the R/T. I have no verification on that of course. I'll have to dig again. Back when I was trying to get all the info I could about the new role my charger would be playing I remember comming across that and remembered it because I thought it was some interesting trivia.

[Mike DC]

 
I tried to figure out which car went into the train a while back when it first hit DVD.
I became convinced they hit the train with the base '69.  And they blew/burned the rearend of the same car again a moment later. 

Frame-by-frame it, and you can pick out both the rear backup lights and the quarter signals on the car that hit the train.  The burned car also hit the train.  Looked to be the same '69 rearend on fire.  And the burn car's front end damage was too severe not to have been hit by either the train or something like it.

-------------------------------------------------------------


The '68 really didn't get much usage in the whole picture. 

I get the feeling maybe they had that '68 being used for risky shots just to make damn sure they didn't wipe out either of the '69s before they had canned the entire movie.  The car (character) in the film is verbally referred to as a "1969 Dodge Charger" by the cops during the movie, so that might have made them wanna show one of those more often.  We never saw the '68 in any wide/long shots, nor in any closeup shots with the actors at all.  And they plainly did a ghetto-fabulous taillight conversion on the '68 to put wider '69 lights into it. 

And when you think about which shots the '68 appeared in, about the only ones that it probably did for sure were the riskiest stunt-shots with live drivers before the final train wreck:  It did the side (intentional) ramming shots with the cop car, and then it probably did the real front corner ramming shot on the red truck. 

Both shots were most likely for them to want a rollbar in the car. 

And more importantly, those two instances were probably the two most likely times in the whole movie that they might have accidentally wiped out one of the Chargers before they intended to.  Those were the only times in the movie where a producer or stunt-coordinator would have taken one look at the shooting script and said, "Well, this one is gonna hurt the Charger for sure." 

If they had over-damaged one of the '69s in either case, then it would have left them pretty short.  They'd only have one correct-year Charger to do the entire rest of the movie with, closeups and all. 

     

[FastbackJon]

I found this on the IMDB message boards a while back, not sure who posted it but they have a profile.... "bl-nevada".

"...I got the R/T and owned it until my ex wife totaled it back in 1977, but even though the R/T was supposed to have a 440 Magnum and said 440 on the stripe, it really had a 383 Magnum 4 BBl. I got pictures of the car from the studio crew and the headrests for the front seats were in plastic bags in the trunk, also, the air conditioning didn't work when i got it either, but i fixed it and had the body work done on it the front end, the dents in the roof from the helicopter skids never did go away, you could always see them from an angle like huge dings in the side of a car. i wanted to leave them, but fixed the front end so it was driveable. They used 2 cars for the front end damage i got the one that wasn't as bad as the other charger the damage LOOKS almost the same, but it was different from car to car.the body shop matched the paint, and it came from the 1971 mopar colors that were availble from the factory. it looked light bright green to bright pale yellow depending how the light shined on it. I wish i still had that car."

[FastbackJon]

Same person posted this...

"...back in 1975, I owned one of the 8 yellow/pale green 69 Chargers used in the movie. I worked on the film crew for the tv show "THE STREETS OF SAN FRANCISCO" and had access to used movie cars. The charger that was available was the "Beauty Car" meaning the one they did the closeups in. It was the same one that was picked up at Dutton Flats, the oneat EL Charro ( went there with the car AND parked in back where they did.) YOU SHOULD HAVE SEEN THE LOOKS WE GOT GOING THOUGH TOWN !!! that was back in 1975 and the movie was still fresh in peoples minds, i went with my girlfriend soon to be wife and ex wife, and my best friend on this trip this was the same car that was used in the helicopter chase scenes also.To get this car i sold my 1973 Mustang MACH 1 in a hurry (i wish i had that car now) Here is the fun part. the movie was still playing at the drive in and was now the second feature, i would park in the back near the snack bar where there was good lighting and everyone had to pass by, and i'm telling you when movie was playing, and someone would turn their head and notice the car on the screen sitting right next to them people would come unglued !!!! that was the fun part.always had a huge crowd standing around the car after that.Some thought is was a replica car but as soon as they stood behind it and saw the license plate i had people wanting to sit in it that i wouldn't do !but i really loved that car, and my ex wife was coming to pick me up from work in S.F. and this twit brought her little 12 year old sister and they were goofing off and not paying attention to driving and totalled the car !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! at least i still have a couple of pictures of it somewhere from way back when, i sure would love to get another 69 and make me a replica, since i know exactly what it should look like."

[Death1970Proof]

yep sitting on a 68 charger , look where the door lock buttons are positioned 

If you look real hard you can see the black door handle button also...

[Death1970Proof]

Compare the tag on the death proof charger to the '68/9 used in DMCL.....

[THE CHARGER PUNK]

Okay i just watched DMCL and paused and played by played all the scenes the 68 was used in and heres what i got to say

When the 68 appears and its smashing the cop into the river the 68 is only used for the front shot, the rear and interior shots are of the 69 base car,because the 68 had a roll bar(therefore it is a stunt car and was not used for any interior shots just far driving shots i think),AND the 68 used its 68 tail panel b4 it reaches that scene up on the higher dirt road( u can see the 68 lights and the side markers if u look close and pause at certain parts.


The base 69 smashes the truck as if u pause and play by play it u can see 69 side markers as it hits the red truck turning and the r/t is used when it spins around and then when they pull it in its the 68 and u can see the front end damage is diff and real, the front drivers wheel and susepension is hooped,(no idea how it got damaged as the base 69 hits the truck) and u see as the 68 pulls in the apple orchards u can see its side marker in the rear quarter (behind the ''440'' cut out and it has no reverse lights in the valence and it has a 69 tail panel cut into a 68 panel as the 68 trim is still on it (below the tail lights) AND the tail lights are to close to the trunk lid

[THE CHARGER PUNK]

watchin it 1 more time(just the charger scenes), and thats definitely the base 69 smashing the train (69 reverse lights in panel from rearview when it first hits) and then 69 side markers from the side as it EXPLODES into oblivion-MATT

[Ghoste]

I have to watch this again this weekend, but the guy on imdb says he got the RT and it was the car they picked up at Dutton Flats, wasn't the Dutton Flats car the base model?

[Charger_Fan]

Now I'm gonna have to watch it again, too. Like I needed an excuse.

That's a cool post you found, FB Jon.

[Ghoste]

There was an RT at Dutton Flats.

[FastbackJon]

First shot of the Charger at Dutton Flats is the base model, but when they actually fire it up and scream out of there, it's the R/T.