Saratoga Motorcar Auctions live event on September 19th features ‘Christine’ Fury
Saratoga Motorcar AuctionsCollector Car Auction features famed movie car ‘Christine’ and other desirables on September 19th.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – The Fourth Annual Saratoga Motorcar Auction will be held Saturday, Sept. 19, 2020 in Saratoga Springs, New York. Over 200 collectible vehicles plus Automobilia will be awarded to the highest bidder. The live auction benefits the Saratoga Automobile Museum.
"We are excited to have Christine among our consignments," said Bill Windham, Saratoga Motorcar Auctions Director. Ask anyone to name a movie car, and most will immediately think of Christine, the famous 1958 Plymouth Fury from the 1983 movie by the same name. "Cars that have been featured in popular movies have traditionally brought strong dollars and been a favorite among serious car collectors." said Windham.
Other interesting consignments include an IMSA Thompson-Yenko Corvette with extensive vintage racing history, a 1970 "Boss 429" Mustang in Grabber Blue, and an exceptional 1931 Pierce-Arrow Model 42 Dual Cowl Phaeton with built-in bar for rear seat passengers, offered at no reserve.
Many auction houses have converted to online-only events in 2020, but the Saratoga Motorcar Auction is moving ahead with a live event. "Our live auction will include bidders and consignors only and all participants, including the auction team, will be expected to wear masks and observe social distancing whenever possible." shared Carly Connors, Executive Director of Saratoga Automobile Museum. "Our live auction is meant to be a fun and engaging way to support the Museum through a passion for collector cars."
To consign one or more vehicles, contact Bill Windham at (518) 401-5180
To register to bid visit http://www.saratogamotorcarauction.org/register-to-bid
Background on 'Christine' offering
Courtesy of Montana Danford from article published in 'Barn Finds' about Saratoga Motorcar Auction
There are a handful of iconic movie cars that are instantly recognizable, although perhaps none are more creepy than this one. The 1958 Plymouth Fury was the star of the cult classic Christine. Directed by horror master John Carpenter, the 1983 movie was based on a book written by Stephen King. We’ve featured a few “Christine-ish” cars here on Barn Finds over the years, but this one is the real-deal…Not a replica. It’s the actual car! Apparently the car was raffled off after production wrapped and while it’s a little unclear where it went from there, it was recently part of the Ron Pratte collection. With a pre-auction estimate of $400,000 to $500,000. Check out more of this movie car below!
This is the iconic shot that fans of the movie Christine know! The menacing front end of the car is shown in a ghostly silhouette on the movie poster. If you haven’t seen the movie, it is a must-watch for car enthusiasts. I won’t spoil it, but beginning on the assembly line, the car menaces nearly everyone it comes in contact with.
The red and white theme carries into the interior and you can see this car is immaculate. The dash-mounted rearview mirror is a pretty unique feature.
The engine is a small block wedge V8 topped with an Offenhauser intake and dual 4bbl carburetors. The transmission is a push-button Torqueflite automatic and the car also features power steering and brakes, which is a nice addition.
This car features the fins and jet-age styling that was so popular during this era. You certainly don’t see distinct styling like this in new cars anymore. I’m not sure if I’d be comfortable owning this car or not, how about you? The bumper sticker says “Watch out for me…I am Pure Evil. I am CHRISTINE.” Yikes.
23 Facts about Christine, Cinema's Most Haunted Car: The 1958 Plymouth Fury
Copied from Carponents
- Stephen King’s popularity was such at the time that the film went into production before the book was even published.
- Kevin Bacon was offered the lead role but ended up choosing Footloose (1984) instead. (Good move. We love that movie.)
- Scott Baio was considered to play Arnie Cunningham and Brooke Shields was considered for Leigh Cabot. But the film makers involved all felt the movie would be better served by casting “unknowns". (And cheaper!)
- Christine made more money than any other actor. 15% of the movie’s entire budget was spent just on the cars.
- In order to find enough Plymouth Furys for the movie, the film-makers placed ads across the country to buy 23 1958 Plymouths, only sixteen were used for filming; seven were used for parts. They bought Belvederes and Savoys along with real Furys, painting them and making changes as needed to make them all look like Christine.
- Christine's license plate begins "CQB" which is an acronym for "Close Quarters Battle".
- The opening scene of the movie where Christine is “born” in Detroit, is not in the book. During the opening shot, Christine is shown with the other cars in the lineup, and shown as the only red Fury, in comparison to the other cars. This scene had to be filmed first so the other cars could be re-painted to later be used as Christine car doubles.
- All cars were stunt driven. There was no remote control used in any of the 24 cars used in the movie Christine. When Christine became “evil,” her windows were painted black, except a small area covered with window tint; the stunt driver had no side or rear vision. At times and in certain scenes she was also pushed by a bulldozer and drawn forward with cables.
- To simulate the car regenerating itself, hydraulic pumps were installed on the inside of some of the film's numerous Plymouth Fury "stunt doubles", a mock-up in plastic that looked more like metal on camera than actual metal as it bent and deformed. These pumps were attached to cables, which were in turn attached to the cars' bodywork and when they compressed, they would "suck" the paneling inwards. Footage of the inward crumpling body was then reversed, or rather, played backwards, giving the appearance of the car spontaneously retaking form, instead of imploding.
- By the movie’s wrap, only three mint condition Christines remained; they went on the road to promote the movie, and were later sold to collectors. A fourth car was saved from the wrecker and purchased by Martin Sanchez.
- If you have a copy of the first issue hard cover with the dust jacket, you will find a picture of Mr. King sitting on the hood of a 1957 Plymouth, not a 1958, as the movie states.
- One of the Christine cars actually became possessed and caused destruction all on it’s own. This one car in particular was a manual transmission. The guys on the set forgot and when they went to start her up she was in gear and lunged forward, taking out some equipment.
- Christine’s voiceover, is actually a Ford. All of Christine’s engine sounds were dubbed in from records taken from a 1970 Mustang 428 SCJ.
- To ignite the infamous “burn car”, it was covered in rubber cement during production and lit on fire.
- According to Bill Phillips, the movie technically didn’t have enough violence back then to justify an “R” rating. They were afraid that if the movie went out with a PG ranting, no one would come to see it. So they purposely used the word “f*ck” along with other derivatives in order to get the “R” rating for the film. They were later criticized for their overuse of the word in the film.
- John Carpenter refused to go to the premiere because of a superstition. “When I go to premieres, something bad always happens.”
- Keith Gordon was nervous about kissing Alexandra Paul, so he asked her to practice first. Riiiigggghhhhttt. Practice…
- The film was shot in the same neighborhood that John Carpenter used in the movie Halloween.
- Screenwriter Bill Phillips thought it was a joke when he was first asked to adapt a book about a killer car.
- One of the Plymouth Furys from the movie was sold for $167,000 in 2004. They must have been really big Stephen King fans…
- There are Plymouth Fury Christine fan clubs for people who own Christine clones. Carlisle Chrysler Nationals gives an award every year to the best Christine look-a-like.
- Stephen King chose a '58 Plymouth Fury for Christine because it was a "forgotten car."
About the Saratoga Motorcar Auction
Saratoga Motorcar Auction is a for-charity, live collector car auction that is presented annually by the Saratoga Automobile Museum. Launched in 2017, the event allows car collectors and enthusiasts the opportunity to support the Museum through the fun and excitement of auction bidding. The Fourth Annual Saratoga Motorcar Auction will be held Saturday, Sept. 19, 2020 adjacent to the museum in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. Registered participants can bid live in person, online, or by telephone. Auction partners include: Hagerty, JJ Best Banc, Reliable Carriers, Inc., and Keeler Motor Car Company.
About Saratoga Automobile Museum
The Saratoga Automobile Museum was chartered in 1999 and its mission is to preserve, interpret and exhibit automobiles and automotive artifacts. We celebrate the automobile and educate the general public, students, and enthusiasts to the role of the automobile in New York State and the wider world. In addition to technical and design aspects, our educational focus is on the past, present and future social and economic impacts of the automobile. The Museum is located within the 2,500-acre Saratoga Spa State Park, in the heart of historic Saratoga Springs, New York, world famous for its legendary one-mile thoroughbred track.
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