Quentin Tarantino Conned Collectors Out Of Classic Cars
 

There is no way I would sell a classic Dodge Challenger to an action movie.


Quentin Tarantino Conned Collectors Out Of Classic Cars

March 31, 2007

Moviemaker Quentin Tarantino conned classic car owners while shopping for 1970 Dodge Chargers and Challengers for his new movie - because he couldn't tell the motor nuts he was going to trash their pride and joy.

The director launched a nationwide search for the rare vehicles and knew collectors would refuse to sell them if they knew he was planning to use them in car crash sequences.

He says, "One of the things that was told to us was `You can't mention that you're gonna destroy them.' They'll never sell them."

Tarantino eventually got hold of seven classic vehicles and trashed all but two of them. He adds, "At the end of the shoot there was one Charger and one Challenger that we never destroyed... and I wanted them, it was my movie, so I bought them. The mechanics went through all the other Chargers and Challengers and picked all the best parts and made a Frankenstein monster for me."

RE: Quentin Tarantino Conned Collectors Out Of Classic Cars
 

Good story but I would not consider it a con, what he does with him after he buys them is his business.

RE: Quentin Tarantino Conned Collectors Out Of Classic Cars
 

I wouldn't say it was a con either because there was an equitable buy and sell done legitmately.

He however, was deceitful.

RE: Quentin Tarantino Conned Collectors Out Of Classic Cars
 

yeah i guess i could understand your point, but they seem to be more mad at the fact that he didnt "value the car as much as they" did. Grindhouse is budgeted at about 40 mil, and 7 mopars may be roughly 2 million, so they seem to (at least to me) be mad at the fact he would destroy their investment, but if it is central to movie, it just sucks that he didnt go to the junkyard and had some restored instead.

RE: Quentin Tarantino Conned Collectors Out Of Classic Cars
 

If I was one of the sellers, I would just use my money to buy a his and hers 2008 Challenger and used the extra money to personalize and performance enhance the car.

In the end, you would have a better car anyway.

RE: Quentin Tarantino Conned Collectors Out Of Classic Cars
 

Well if I was the ex-owner of one of the Challengers, I would be royally ticked off. If the guy was going to destroy a Challenger in the movie, he should have taken one from a junk yard and used it instead. I hate it when they destroy classic cars in movies. A classic muscle car is something to be driven and seen not to be destroyed. If you want to destroy something, destroy something tasteless which is fun to see destroyed like a Yugo, Geo, or Prius.

Now having said that, the man has the right to destroy them as he did pay for them. It was deceitful and wrong for him to hide what he was wanting to do with the Challengers.

RE: Quentin Tarantino Conned Collectors Out Of Classic Cars
 

I agree, I would be pissed off that my baby was destroyed just for a few seconds on the big screen. There a plenty of Hondas Civics and other ricers around to trash, use them! Also a frame can be made for cheap with a fiberglass frame use that instead and CGI the motor and other parts, cheap. Also for the move "Dukes of Hazard" they bought Chargers that were mostly useless and used them for shots. So why does Tarantino need perfect cars? It just doesn't add up?

Also Jeremiah, it is not a matter of a better car it is history and respect. You can't buy a new 1970 Challenger or Charger and which makes car people droll? A 1970's Challenger with a 426 with all the trimmings or a 2008 with possible options? Personally I like both but would go for the 1970.

RE: Quentin Tarantino Conned Collectors Out Of Classic Cars
 

Nero, I don't think you understand what Jeremiah is saying. What he is saying is a 08 Challenger will be put together better than a classic Challenger. After owning one for 10 years an 08 Challenger will be in better shape than a 1970 Challenger was in 1980. Also a 08 Challenger will be easier to drive than a classic due to current technology upgrades that have ben developed in the last 35 years. Also the upcoming one will be safer again due to current technology. Also the new HEMI does not require the constant timing service that the 426 needed. Those are the things he meant, when he said a better car.

Don't get me wrong, the classic Challenger is great, and there are aspects about it which makes me prefer it to the current one (the rims, the shape is a little less boxy, etc.), but all in all in the academic sense, the 08 is better due to technology upgrades. Some prefer the classic which is great, but others prefer the upcoming model which is also great. If money was no object, don't know which one I would choose for sure, but since I'm not made of $$$, the 08 would be the one I would get.

RE: Quentin Tarantino Conned Collectors Out Of Classic Cars
 

RLSH700.......thanks that is what I meant.

Well it is certainly hard to put a price tag on history and respect but I know what you mean. I used to own one of those old Challengers...."back in the day".

The only way I think you could even possbily get an older Challenger better than the 08 Challenger is to buy one from www.uniqueperformance.com but
then you are going to pay $200K for it.

I think I will stay with the 08 Challenger.

RE: Quentin Tarantino Conned Collectors Out Of Classic Cars
 

Well the way I see it, if the cars meant so much to the people, they wouldn't have sold them in the first place.