TV characters in shite cars

[reb]

Just now, wesacosa said:

I believe it did but sold at Mathewson's recently (was on an episode of Bangers and Cash)

My V70 was sold through there, which means it has a tenuous telly connection to something I've never seen.

[Lord Sterling]

19 hours ago, warch said:

But so many characters in modern tv shows seem to drive really really old or quirky cars.

It's just another one of those boring long-standing fashions that is currently all about nostalgia. Like how many adverts on TV and radio are using 1980s music.

We all grew up watching various memorable TV shows and can certainly mostly match the car to the character; The A Team with their GMC Vandura, Michael Knight with his Pontiac Firebird Trans AM KITT car, even in shows where the car isn't such a prominent thing like The Equalizer where Edward Woodward drove a Black S3 Jaguar XJ6, or indeed Arthur Daley with his plethora of Jags and Terry with his Capris.

In a sense, TV makers today are trying to cash in on that nostalgic sense by putting quirky chatacters in quirky cars in the hope that the car would become as much a star as the character themselves. Except it doesn't really work does it? It just smacks of desperately trying to be different but ending up all the same as everyone else. The idea almost becomes production line bilge.

There are, for example, soooooo many detective shows on TV, all the same, either with quirky and eccentric lead characters or stressed out and one case away from going over the edge detectives, usually carrying a name like "Castleford" or something equally forgetful. Then comes the desperate add-ons; they'll dump a "quirky" car on them, something that adds a "dynamic" to their character, but to us, it smacks of desperation/trying and failing to appeal to a wider audience.

It just about worked in Ashes to Ashes even though there were technically a lot of things wrong in there, but Gene Hunt is now synonymous with the red Quattro and will always be. But what TV makers fail to understand is that it's also got to be well written, there needs to be some real comedy intertwined with dark moments. Having a quirky character with a "quirky" car just doesn't cut it if the rest of the show is dull and boring re-hashed detective shows or boring "comedies" hosted in a glossy American way.

[Volksy]

Glynis Barber was running in a couple of Mini 850's on Dempsey and Makepeace, I think the 1980 one got crushed with her in it in one episode.

Michael Brandon got a W107 Mercedes SL as a rental car IIRC..

 

[dozeydustman]

If anyone’s watched Rivals based on the Jilly Cooper novel, the main character Declan drives a P- plated Clubman estate with wood trim and either a very dirty or mismatched driver’s door. It looks disheveled as befits most 70s BL products did in 1986.

[Rocket88]

Been watching re runs of George Gently… some heroic shite on there…

[5speedracer]

Robin Ellacott in Strike drives a S1 Land Rover, I think it was mentioned as a family hand me down or something.

[inconsistant]

I think characters driving shite can mean two different things. 
1. The yellow TR7 in Detectorists is owned by someone fanatical about the odd, obscure, bizarre, and is obsessed with artefacts from the past. The character definitely bought that TR7 himself and probably dismissed several before buying that one as they were wrong spec, year or colour. 
2. The Acclaim in Man Down. The character is dysfunctional, struggles to get through the day and is constantly being sabotaged by himself, those around him, and fate. He definitely didn’t choose that car, I assume he was give/inherited it and has no interest in what it is and is probably incapable of even getting rid of it. 

tl:dr don’t assume these TV characters all chose/bought the cars they’re associated with. At least that’s how I read it

[juular]

5 hours ago, Lord Sterling said:

It just about worked in Ashes to Ashes

Worth taking a moment to appreciate the absolute festival of shite that is Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes.

As for Volvos, I'm frequently reminded how a 240 is often either driven by a jaded / morally ambiguous cop, or a serial killer / rapist.  

So thanks for that.

[wesacosa]

2 hours ago, juular said:

Worth taking a moment to appreciate the absolute festival of shite that is Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes.

As for Volvos, I'm frequently reminded how a 240 is often either driven by a jaded / morally ambiguous cop, or a serial killer / rapist.  

So thanks for that.

I forget who ,but someone on here (EDIT : @Shadow)   now owns the mk5 Cortina used as a CID squad car in Ashes to Ashes 

I was recently offered the early Mk3 Escort Ghia which was used heavily in series 1 but its been turned into a police car subsequently and didn't want to end up having to have it painted back , which is a shame as I live close to.where its big scene from s1 finale.was filmed

[Muniphobia]

One Foot in the Grave.

 

People always associate Victor Meldrew with the Honda Ballade, but in the first series he had a Hillman "crimson" Avenger

before changing to a Mk2 Fiesta

He then had the Honda

A Sierra Sapphire for a Christmas special

Another Christmas special with a tatty Mk3 Escort - giving him a noticably older car than his 2 previous cars it was pretty obvious it was going to go over the cliffs

Before buying a Nissan Almera in the last series, complete with offensive number plate 😀

[Soundwave]

Some of those Ashes to Ashes cars have post-2001 number plate font. Because I'm a deeply sad individual, this bothers me more than it should.

[MiniMinorMk3]

Quote

'I certainly wouldn't choose it myself' – Sofia Helin, star of The Bridge, on Saga Norén's 1977 Porsche 911S

[MiniMinorMk3]

No No No No No

[Pieman]

2 hours ago, wesacosa said:

 

Apart from the wheels and the lack of octagonal Lucas spotlamps, that is identical to the Escort my dad had when I was little.

[AnthonyG]

11 hours ago, Dobloseven said:

Remember an episode of Rebus where he's driving a Mercedes of some sort,190 or C Class, possibly,which is endlessly breaking down.Eventually he takes it to some waste ground,sets fire to it and reports it stolen.

In the books John Rebus drives a shonky Saab, which I mostly picture as a tired 900 but when Ian Rankin first wrote about it, could even have been pictured as a 99.

It’s just described as a ‘Saab’ and was unreliable and battered from the very start, not sure if it has survived into the latest books.  Also not sure why a detective inspector could only afford a banger for a car, but his alcoholism could well account for it.

The other characters drive cars like Sierras, Astras and Mondeos but given one copper was driving a police issue Sierra or Cavalier well into the late Noughties, I’m not sure how current Rankin’s car knowledge is!!

The gangsters have Range Rovers, that is bang-on, and has been accurate for a good 35 years now.

[eddyramrod]

4 hours ago, juular said:

Wait, what?  Black plates, F suffix = 1968.  Toledo = 1971 or later, so could have appeared under its own identity.  I've said it before and I'll say it again, these shows really need an actual Car Nerd as a consultant.  Any of us could do it; I absolutely would.

[sheffcortinacentre]

10 hours ago, Volksy said:

Glynis Barber was running in a couple of Mini 850's on Dempsey and Makepeace, I think the 1980 one got crushed with her in it in one episode.

Michael Brandon got a W107 Mercedes SL as a rental car IIRC..

 

One of the escort cabriolets servives as the gorgeous Glynis barber recently helped the owner with information re the car.

[Jim Bergerac]

33 minutes ago, AnthonyG said:

In the books John Rebus drives a shonky Saab, which I mostly picture as a tired 900 but when Ian Rankin first wrote about it, could even have been pictured as a 99.

It’s just described as a ‘Saab’ and was unreliable and battered from the very start, not sure if it has survived into the latest books.  Also not sure why a detective inspector could only afford a banger for a car, but his alcoholism could well account for it.

The other characters drive cars like Sierras, Astras and Mondeos but given one copper was driving a police issue Sierra or Cavalier well into the late Noughties, I’m not sure how current Rankin’s car knowledge is!!

The gangsters have Range Rovers, that is bang-on, and has been accurate for a good 35 years now.

In most of the TV adaptations they follow the aging SAAB idea. The John Hannah series had him in a classic 900, the Ken Stott one had the Merc but later an early 9-3 and the most recent series had him in a more modern 9-3, which tbf is now a 15yr old car. 

[Jim Bergerac]

2 hours ago, MiniMinorMk3 said:

No No No No No

I dread to think what they will wedge him, err me, into for the forthcoming remake. 

Probably an aging SAAB/Volvo. 

 

[Volksy]

43 minutes ago, sheffcortinacentre said:

One of the escort cabriolets servives as the gorgeous Glynis barber recently helped the owner with information re the car.

I bet she still is. 

I'm a gay man, but she was my fave. 

[High Jetter]

There was something recent with an Acclaim in it, didn't take much else in, sorry

[Surface Rust]

1 hour ago, eddyramrod said:

Wait, what?  Black plates, F suffix = 1968.  Toledo = 1971 or later, so could have appeared under its own identity.  I've said it before and I'll say it again, these shows really need an actual Car Nerd as a consultant.  Any of us could do it; I absolutely would.

I'd volunteer my services too, if only to stop them rolling into shot in a car that is pluming condensation from the exhaust and has clearly just been started on full choke off screen.

Sorry, pet hate that!

[richardmorris]

3 hours ago, MiniMinorMk3 said:

That is an excellent series by the way.

[sheffcortinacentre]

2 minutes ago, Surface Rust said:

I'd volunteer my services too, if only to stop them rolling into shot in a car that is pluming condensation from the exhaust and has clearly just been started on full choke off screen.

Sorry, pet hate that!

We always made sure any of ours were always warmed up when on set.

[sheffcortinacentre]

1 hour ago, Volksy said:

I bet she still is. 

I'm a gay man, but she was my fave. 

Yes she still is a good looking woman.

[AnthonyG]

1 hour ago, Jim Bergerac said:

I dread to think what they will wedge him, err me, into for the forthcoming remake. 

Probably an aging SAAB/Volvo. 

 

Would laugh if they gave him/you a Triumph Stag! 

[New POD]

2 hours ago, eddyramrod said:

Wait, what?  Black plates, F suffix = 1968.  Toledo = 1971 or later, so could have appeared under its own identity.  I've said it before and I'll say it again, these shows really need an actual Car Nerd as a consultant.  Any of us could do it; I absolutely would.

They just need to care enough to check Wikipedia.  Five fucking minutes. 

[Shadow]

7 hours ago, wesacosa said:

I forget who ,but someone on here (EDIT : @Shadow)   now owns the mk5 Cortina used as a CID squad car in Ashes to Ashes 

I was recently offered the early Mk3 Escort Ghia which was used heavily in series 1 but its been turned into a police car subsequently and didn't want to end up having to have it painted back , which is a shame as I live close to.where its big scene from s1 finale.was filmed

Yes.

i have owned it for around 12years I believe.

although looks a bit different nowadays.

She runs a 2.3 L4 EFI engine now.

[wesacosa]

2 minutes ago, Shadow said:

Yes.

i have owned it for around 12years I believe.

although looks a bit different nowadays.

She runs a 2.3 L4 EFI engine now.

nice, must really shift 

[somewhatfoolish]

12 hours ago, 5speedracer said:

Robin Ellacott in Strike drives a S1 Land Rover, I think it was mentioned as a family hand me down or something.

Is that in the book? The TV show had a Series 2a with the quietest 2 and a 1/4 in the world as they could hold an ordinary conversation at speed.