American Graffiti Coupe Pictures and Myths

Tommy Hockers 40 was in a lot of old car mags even when it had diffrent owners. One day I will get them posted on my blog. Jeff

 

Walt Bailey knows more about the 55's than anyone I have ever talked to. His site will answer ever question. Walt is a GREAT!!! Guy.
http://twolaneblacktop.yuku.com/directory

 

That is so COOL! I have heard so many stories about Fitch. They are all so interesting to hear. Thanks You for sharing. Wow I have not thought about W.W. and the Dixie Dance Kings in a while. I always liked that car. I always wondered if they really made that model? (the way it was explained in the movie) Jeff

 

Those would be "REAL COOL" to see. Jeff

 

AWESOME JEFF,Great post to wake up to after workin on gettin my tribute coupe ready for detroit all last nite . Great pics and info .KEEP IT UP and THANKS Darryl [The Big Stahu ] Pres Lost Kustoms cc

 

Jeff, emailed you an old Hemmings ad for the '55 when it was for sale in '84.

Being you didn't get the email...

 

After the movie came out, I drove my avatar to the drive-in to watch it. As I was leaving, people were cheering as I rumbled by. That movie got a lot of people excited. I heard that when the movie quit shooting, the studio listed the Coupe in the L.A. Times classifies for $1800. Can you verify this?

Another story is about the '55. I heard they drove it down Van Nuys Blvd and the car ran 10:90's at the track. A friend of mine back in the late '70's had a '55 Chevy called "Ratattack". It ran a BBC with an L88 cam and tunnel ram with an Automatic. Tilt steel front end and an Olds rear end with 4:88's. On slicks, the car ran 11:17.

 

The movie should be shown as part of the curriculum nationwide in 9th grade American History class . I believe the questionable 55 was sold by the fella in Maryland a couple of years ago. He now has a beautiful 62 409 Bel Air Bubble and various other cars, and he is not a "Hack" as was referred to earlier. Walt Bailey does have the most authenticated 55. Good thread.......too add a lil bit......an old episode of Andy Griffith with Ron Howard as Oppie and Barney harrassing the hooligan kid on the bike for riding on the sidewalk ......the hooligan kid was the Pharoahs leader in American Graffitti.......a lil of topic but......

 

I Like the School Idea. I remember watching Rebel Without A Cause in 6th or 7th grade. Had a test on it. Made learning fun and that made learning easy.

As far as I know Wayne still has the black 55.

Pharaoh on a bike?? Don't remember that?? but a fellow HAMBer did post this a while back.

 

Back in the 80's When I visited my Uncle in Cal., I went to the old ford store, I was talking about old hot rod stuff and was put in contact with a guy that had a full set of Throttle Magazines, He photo copied all of the issues and put them in a binder, and I bought those from him. (Don't remember his name either)

In conversation, I mentioned AG. And he told me about this other fellow,.. That is how I met the other guy that told me about the sectioned grill on the AG Coupe. Back then he was probably in his late 40's early 50's, Husky about 5'9",.. and if I remember right a flat top hair cut (again rare for the time) Or this could have been the guy that had the Throttle magazines,.. Come to think of it,.. the guy with the Throttle Magazines had the flat top,.. The other guy (that worked at the studio) was the same general description,.. but had a Fu-Manchu Mustache.

Anyway, I ended up with a photo copy of the script as well,... I will look for it and see what it actually says,... might say lowered,.. But I am almost certain it says Channeled. (just don't be in a big hurry for it guys, cause I have a lot on my plate right now)

 

Hey Gasser
2000.00 for the coupe that didn't sell. Can't show you how I know it but I got my proof from a very reliable source. This was the price before the movie came out.

Part of the confusion with that one is I heard someone messed up the price when the car went up for sale?? I can't back that one up. but in 1975 they were asking a bit more for it. I heard they canceled the sale?? (check photo) Don Orlandi repainted Milner's Coupe in the late 70's and it was used it More American filmed in 1978/1979 when that didn't do well at the box office is was put up for sale and sold. Steve Fitch got the coupe in the early 80's?? I guess I need to check that one.

As far as I know Yes the 55 ran 10.90's. I don't believe the 55 left Graffiti filming for the track. Another one of those all the correct information just in the wrong order stories. I have read they did rip the 55 down some of the closed streets during Graffiti filming. Best I know the 55 was raced when it was at the track during the filming of Two Lane Blacktop. I never questioned it because made perfect sense to me.

 

Great thread. Great blog. Thanks

Butch

 

Thanks for posting all the AG info and websites. It will always be one of my favorite movies and the coupe will always be one of my favorite cars.

 

HAMBers are the BEST!

Thanks for sharing your personal American Graffiti story's.

It's nice to hear how Graffiti affected of changed your lives.

Keep them coming. JH

 

This was actually in the garage for a number of years before Graffiti came out. that was my Dad,... with his "not happy look". In my opinion American Graffiti awoke a the sleeping giant of building Hot Rods again.......


Dad with the "newest refugee" 1968

 

Dec. 25, 1967 - Season 8, Episode 16 - Goober the Executive
Bo Hopkins as George

 

Australian Graffiti 32 clone and 55 2 door ,,,1977,,,,

 

That is way cool

I have never seen this before

Thanks for sharring

 

Say what you will about that p*ss-yella coupe... it hooked me and hooked HARD.

It and Falfa's '55... icons.

 

I've been tainted. Born in '66 and the first chopped duece hot rod I'd ever seen, the grille never appeared strange. Didn't know it was sectioned until I read it in a magazine as a teen. Same article enlightened me to the botched chop on the Merc.

Looking at it now, the grille does stand out of course. But in a good way IMO. It follows suit with the modified vibe of a hot rod and sets it apart from the rest. Gives it a streamlined, tapered look that compliments the rake and chop. "Oddly sectioned grille". LMAO. Shoulda sparked a trend. It's bitchin'.

Awesome site. Thanks for everything.

 

Has any history ever been uncovered about the Deuce before it was turned into the Grafitti coupe. It was an old hot rod, so someone must know something about it's past.

I'm sure this video has been seen a million times, but I still like it. Nice to see the car survives today.

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

Don

 

...Ive often wonder this; eg. what was the 'actual reg. no' of the yellow 32, since THX 138, was the nod to Lucas debut film THX 1138; its proberley been coverd before, but Im not that 'up' on Graffiti trivia; i stumled on a site years ago - story covering the 'present owners' story of the 32; ...seem to remember the 'piston top gear knob' was missing when he aquired the car, but he found it behind a wooden carpet backed panel in the front footwell of the car... (this is 'from memory').

I remember recording the film in the early 90s - aged about 13, and myself and my brother watched it 'over and over' - we were wowed by all the different custom cars (constantly hitting the pause button!!), the language and then soundtrack introduced
us to a previously 'unheard of' genre of music from the 50s and 60's - I still love and listen to 'green onions'...

Its been shown on BBC and other channels a number of times over the year; other 'US car films' dont appear much - eg. Ive seen two lane black top' only once; 15mins near the end....

 

I really hesitate to post this,... Because it's something I have no way of verifying,.. and it's hear say, not personal first hand experience.

With that said,... This is just a shot in the dark here guy's,... But a friend of mine that has been in west coast hot rodding for a long time (and has yet, to lead me wrong),.. Insists there is a picture of a chopped, red, full fendered, Deuce 5 window in the book by Andy Southard, "Hot Rods of the 1950's. " That became the Graffiti Coupe.

This old friend of mine insists he seen the red 5/W in the 60's and it had the same chop, and the unusual interior door trim was the same,... but the interior was two tone, He thinks red and white,..... He wasn't positive of the drivetrain.

Again I have no way of knowing this, other than he says hes absolutely sure it's the same car,.. I seen the picture when he showed it to me, but I don't have a copy of the book. I think it was a smaller picture of the passenger side, and could have been sitting in front of a building.

Maybe somebody can look it up and post the picture,... Maybe somebody can verify whos car this was,.. and what ever happened to it. just a thought, and the only lead I ever had to where it came from.

Again, take this with a grain of salt.

 

I've got that book in front of me right now and think I found the picture you are talking about. It is on page 29 and Andy says he photographed two nearly identical full fendered 5 windows in Salinas, Ca in 1955. One had 46 Chevy tail lights the other had Pontiac lights.

His last lines read " In time it disappeared from town. I never saw it again. I wonder where they are today?"


Hmmm, could the one with the Chevy lights have ended up as the Grafitti coupe? Isn't Salinas in the area where the movie was made? My scanner is not hooked up and my camera is at the shop, so I can't post the picture in question.

Don

 

I am pretty sure the picture he had, only had one car in it, as I remember it, almost a 3/4 view from the passenger rear,... sitting in a industrial area, facing a garage or building.

Again my take on the picture is by memory. Can you post a picture of the picture ? Or,I have a local pal, that I think has the book,.. I'll see if I can find it.

 

Harms that is a cool story and that coupe is Awsome!

 

That is the picture I am looking at. There is only one red 32 in front of a building, but Andy talks about two that looked alike in the same town.

I am trying to download software to get my scanner going and if I do I'll post the picture.

Don

 

I have been in the SO-CAL car scene since the early 1970&#8217;s and Van Nuys Blvd was a must do every Wednesday, I was lucky to have older brothers in car clubs one was a hot rodder and the other was a low rider so I was able to follow both paths, I got my first car a 1962 409 impala in fall of 1975, anyways, I&#8217;ve been bragging about this story ever since and even as recent as last week sitting around the shop talking to my kid&#8217;s friends and playing the movie for them, back in about 1973 we met this guy on Van Nuys Blvd driving BITCHEN white 1958 impala low rider brother when up to the guy to comment how cool of a car he had and the kid (early 20&#8217;s) said he just bought it a few weeks ago out of the &#8220;green sheet&#8221; news paper here is the valley and it was supposedly from some bad ass hot rod movie that was going to be coming out this summer, we said yeah right and went on with life&#8230; that summer on august 11<SUP>th</SUP> my birthday my folks took me and my 3 brother out to Van Nuys DRIVE-IN to see the new movie &#8220;American Graffiti&#8221; on opening day&#8230; and wouldn&#8217;t you know it there was that 1958 impala&#8230; a few years later I remember reading a story about all three of those famous cars being sold just before the movie release and when the movie became somewhat of a hit universal tried to buy them back to use as displays &#8230; to this day I still watch the movie every chance I get&#8230;

 

It's funny reading this description of the coupe rolling in a line is left out,
"You wanna end like John? You can't stay 17 forever!"
I love this line because Steve becomes the disgruntled insurance sales agent and John is timeless~.

 

Pretty cool even without verification..I'd love to see the pic in the book myself. Just checked my own archives and don't have it..
Guess i should.

Someone post it!! please.

Tony