Classic Cars Glamorized
Glamorization, Inherent, Overrepresentation & Promotion Biases 
Severe Impact
13 Tropes
9 Movies
4 TV Shows
Table Of ContentsMain Description
Classic cars are the trifecta of conservative tropes. They are environmentally unfriendly, help promote the conservative notion of longing for the "good old days" (when things were obviously definitely not better) and are free advertising that helps glamorize the automobile industry over public transportation. Every time one is shown on screen it helps make the car and newer models more desirable in real life. People see a beautiful restored old car driven by a beautiful actor with beautiful scenery and they want one. And counter to that, you will almost never see environmentally friendly cars glamorized on screen and actually made fun of a lot of the time instead.
We have listed occasions where we feel classic cars are glamorized on screen. These are cars that have a prominent role in a movie or TV show and be portrayed in a positive way that "glamorizes" it.
Conservative Trope Examples
- Classic cars from all eras are restored and sold
- James Bond drives a classic Aston Martin DB5 in MI6 storage from London to Scotland because they want to avoid new technologies that can be tracked. The Bond theme is played prominently, and the car is glamorized for much of the climax scenes.
- Mick Haller (Matthew McConaughey) is chauffeured around Los Angeles in a 1979 Lincoln Continental that the "Lincoln Lawyer" movie title is based on, and all the movie posters show Matthew sitting on his iconic car.Staff AsideI mean, come on. The classic car trope is so inherently embedded in the film industry. Can you imagine a new model in a movie titled Lincoln Lawyer? They have to have an older, classic model so that it is "cool". It would be weird otherwise and helps make the movie more fun to watch. And heck, Matthew ends up endorsing and doing commercials for Lincoln as well in real-life.
- The Duke brothers drive a 1969 Dodge Charger that was an iconic fixture on the long-running TV show the film is loosely based off of.
- Jeremy (Vince Vaughn) drives away from his wedding in a classic Cadillac De Ville convertible.
- Max drives a black 1969 Chevrolet Camaro around the island.
- Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) drives a fully-loaded 1970 Dodge Charger R/T.
- Vincent (John Travolta) takes Mia (Uma Thurman) out to dinner in a bright red 1964 Chevrolet Chevelle Malibu convertible.
- Dr Ben Stone (Michael J. Fox) drives a classic 1956 Porsche 356 Speedster throughout the movie
- A classic red 1961 Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder is introduced to the song "Oh Yeah" and later flies through the air to the theme of "Star Wars." It's glamorized throughout the movie as they take it on a joy ride exploring Chicago while playing hooky from school. In the end, during an ill-advised attempt to roll back miles driving in reverse on a jack in Cameron's garage, the car goes flying through a glass window and epically crashes into a small ravine below. These iconic rememberable scenes really stand out.
- Jay Leno prominently features classic cars in a number of episodes.
- Lawyer Billy Bob Thornton drives a red 1966 Mustang convertible which is an iconic feature throughout the entire series even when he later comes into a lot of money after winning a case.
- A black 1965 Lincoln Continental features prominently during the entire opening credits as the four male leads drive by iconic Hollywood landmarks. They have the resources to afford most types of vehicles, but they choose an old classic car for every opening scene.Staff AsideHollywood *LOVES* to glamorize old cars and nothing glamorizes them more than this.
Glamorization
- Classic cars are exotic, unique and stand out compared to other vehicles they share scenes with
- Usually always well maintained, clean, washed and often with custom trimmings
Inherent
- Everyday cars are not as cool and fancy sports cars are too expensive for the average protagonist to own. But, the audience can believe that any actor can afford a classic car, and this inherently will never change.
- Traffic is rarely a problem on screen unless a specific plot point depends on it. So classic cars are depicted as more enjoyable to drive.
- Convertible classic cars usually always drive with the top down on screen and much less dependent on pesky real-life conditions like weather
- Classic cars only breakdown on screen if it fits in with specific plot points. Not so in real life where old cars are much less reliable than new.
Overrepresentation
- Classic cars are much more common on screen than in real life
Promotion
- Every time a classic car is shown on screen it helps make it and newer models more desirable in real life. People see a beautiful restored old car driven by a beautiful actor with beautiful scenery and they want one.
Conservative Biases
How classic cars favor conservatives
:
- Classic cars are environmentally unfriendly which, of course, is a bias against liberal policies
- Many conservatives will actually rig their vehicles to be more environmentally unfriendly out of spite in a practice dubbed "rolling coal"
- They help promote the conservative notion of longing for the "good old days" (when things were obviously definitely not better)
- They are free advertising for the automobile industry run by large corporations favored more by Republicans than Democrats who favor policies that benefit smaller businesses and workers
- Cars are promoted over public transportation which is worse for the environment and counter to Democratic party priorities
Impact of Trope: Severe
Severity: High Prevalence: High
Classic cars would definitely not be nearly as popular if it wasn't for Hollywood. While it is still only a niche industry, the impact on society is still high as they make cars overall appear glamorous and encourages people to spend more money on cars over more environmentally friendly travel options.