The Ten Greatest Movie Cars

Sold at auction for $170,500 in 2004

318 Cubic Inch 290 HP V8
Push Button Plymouth TorqueFlite A-488
Automatic Transmission
2 Door Hardtop

1958 Plymouth Sport Fury - John Carpenter's "Christine"

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This is one of the 23 1958 Plymouth Fury’s used during the making of John Carpenter’s 1984 blockbuster horror film, “Christine,” based on the novel by Stephen King. What makes it special? Besides being one of the most recognizable big screen serial killers, the 1958 Fury was the last and most powerful of its kind. Until 1956, Plymouth was known for making reliable, slow, boxy cars. The Fury changed all that, transforming Plymouth’s image from stodgy to sporty a mere three model years. Powered comes from a 318 cubic inch V-8 that produced 290 horsepower when mated to a Plymouth TorqueFlite A-488. Mostly a mirror image of the 1957 Fury, the ’58 model was equipped with quad headlamps, a tube grille with matching under-bumper stone shield, and smaller “lollipop” taillights. Only 5,300 1958 were produced.

There were 13 or 16 (depending on source) Belvederes/Furys smashed in the making of the movie (out of the roughly 23 used during filming), but it is unknown whether they were 1957 or 1958 models, or a combination. In any event, Plymouth enthusiasts were infuriated, though the movie popularized the car and probably saved many of them.

This particular one used in the movie was sold at at Barrett-Jackson auction in Palm Beach in 2004 $170,500 and was given to a lucky winner in a TV program promotion.
Supposedly one of the other remaining cars from this movie will come to auction from the Ron Pratte collection at the Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale 2015 event in January 2015.