American Graffiti Coupe Pictures and Myths

really....well thats almost a motorcycle, and I just love motorcycles...

 

That AG 55 pic looks to be of a clone? Baby moon caps, front end too high (straight axle?)...

 

I think i read somewhere that they spent 28 nights filming the movie. so sounds like a month worth of work for the actors.

 

$3600 may seem like peanuts today but when you consider 1973 dollars that was not bad money for 28 days of work back then. Especially since most of the actors, and even George Lucas were relatively unknown and probably struggling actors. Like Paul LeMat said, he was hitching rides because his car had died, and Harrison Ford was a carpenter.

What is amazing is how many celebrities came out of this movie. We all know where George Lucas went from there, Harrison Ford, Richard Dreyfus, Cindy Williams ,McKenzie Phillips, Suzanne Summers and Ron Howard became stars. Lots of others like Candy Clark, Paul LeMat, Charles Smith (Toad), Bo Hopkins, and Manual Padilla continued working in the business and had varying degrees of success.

All of us are probably so fond of it because either we were there in 62 and can relate to much in the movie, or we are younger and wish we had been alive in such a cool time. Plus, it was a car movie without a lot of the usual Hollywood goofiness that the producers seem to think they need to interject into a movie to make it sell.

Don

 

That's a substantial website! well done!

 

That's what the real one looks like today! Someone needs to buy it and put it back the way it was.

 

The 55 was sold to a guy in Texas who says he is going to restore it to it's Graffiti Trim.

 

Here's my AG story
About 10 years ago I was walking through the moultrie swap meet and I hear a voice that sounded familier you know the kind of voice made by someone who eats glass and drinks gasoline for breakfast. I turn around and see a small crowd of people standing in front of Milner and his coupe, there he was white T-shirt and greasy hair, it was asked not by me if that was the real coupe from the movie, he said no it wasn't.

I enjoyed the movie but a not a AG faninatic, honestlty I felt sad for him.

Nice site and I dig movie cars and there history to.
MrC.
I think the 55 would have won.

 

in reality the 55 won have won for sure, it had a wicked Big Block under the hood that would have spanked the Deuce's mild 327 small block

 

The real '55 was owned by a guy in Maryland and was in the 2nd Jalopyrama. It was set up with clones of the '58 Chevy and '32 coupe which are always together at gatherings in Md. Don't know what happened to the '55, but I did hear it was sold.

 

That car was found in Post Falls, ID. in the mid 90's. It is now living in Bellingham, WA

 

No contest. That 55 was as close to a drag car as you could get. I have no reason to disbelieve the 10 second claims I have heard. The 32 might have weighed less but it would probably be a high 12 second car at best IMO, maybe even 13's.

Don

 

Like J'rama Mike sez... here 'tis at Jalopyrama 2 in 2005 along with the Deuce and Impala clones.

 

I had to go searching on the internet about the coupe, here is what I found from:
http://www.americangraffiti.net
Which is mostly copied from the February, 2009 issue of Street Rodder
http://www.streetrodderweb.com/milestones/0102sr_american_graffiti_coupe/index.html

THE ’32 DEUCE COUPE
George Lucas wanted a car that would evoke circa 1962 memories of the cruising he experienced growing up near Modesto. He and movie producer Gary Kurtz whittled a list of potential car candidates down to a red, full-fendered coupe, finally basing their selection on its chopped top.

Henry Travers, the film’s transportation manager, was given the enviable task of overseeing the coupe’s construction as a bona fide hot rod. Henry trailered the car to Bob Hamilton’s shop in Ignacio for the conversion. Lucas wanted a highboy with bobbed rear fenders to emphasize the fender laws that hot rodders continually confronted 45 years ago. Reconstruction included the addition of motorcycle front fenders, aluminum headlight stanchions, and chrome plating for the dropped I-beam solid axle. Also, the grill and shell were sectioned a few inches.

Next, it was trailered to Close Orlandi’s Body & Fender in San Rafael for its coat of Canary Yellow lacquer paint. The interior, which was red and white tuck and roll Naugahyde, was dyed black.

Johnny Franklin’s Mufflers in Santa Rosa added the Man-A-Fre intake manifold, a quartet of Rochester 2G two-barrel carbs, and no name valve covers to the 1966 327 Chevy motor with fuelie heads. Franklin’s also built and installed the Sprint racecar-style header-exhaust system based on dimensions provided by Mr. Lucas. The remainder of drive train included a Super T-10 four-speed and 4:11 gears in a ‘57 rear end.

 

I like these old pictures of the coupe.

 

baron.. that lower picture looks like the door was painted after below the belt.

 

Thanks to the guys who have been so helpfull the last week or so. I reworked some articles on my site with the new information and pictures. Check it out& Enjoy Jeff

 

I grew up in Arbutus,Md and found out later that is where the original 55 resided by the current owner. Can anybody confirm that is where it was? I may have seen it and not even known it..

 

via: streetrodderweb, Steve Figari's Roy Brizio roadworthy version of the original.

 

lately the dye in the interior has been wearing thin and you can see the red and white coming through in spots..

 

Glad he kept it original to the movie, may it age gracefully!
...

 

Rick is a hardcore Graffiti fan.He told me bought the car when he was 14/15 years old!

 

Here are a few more pictures I have found over the years.

 

Is that a bad photoshop, or are those girls just tiny?...

 

Car is on the lift with the back tires off. Look at post 165.

 

I'm trying to envision the old "Must be your momma's car...", "sneak up on the hose to get a little air" banter with Milner sitting a few inches lower..




LeMat would've had to fold himself in half to get in. Definately would've effected his response time to Toad's beating.

 

I'm not sure that this has been covered,.. But someone told me that Rick sold the Coupe to a man in Japan for an 8 figure sum..... True ?,.. or just a smoke screen to get him off the radar ?

 

Thie picture was taken while filming the tv show "Emergency" the Coupe is on a lift.

 

Just another story.

 

Yeah, I knew the coupe was up on a lift, the picture just still looked a little strange.