Quentin Tarantino has said that DEATH PROOF is the worst movie he has ever made and needs to remain so, although that admission came with the caveat that the movie "wasn't so bad" for "a left-handed movie". The filmmaker may see his half of the GRINDHOUSE double feature as his lowest work, but I have always been very fond of it myself. The settings, the soundtrack, Kurt Russell being so fun in the role of the villainous Stuntman Mike, that amazing mid-movie crash, the climactic car chase, all of those elements work together to keep me coming back to DEATH PROOF more often than I revisit some of the Tarantino movies he ranks above it himself.
DEATH PROOF follows
a sociopathic stuntman whose taste for stalking sexy young ladies gets him into big trouble when he tangles with the wrong gang of badass babes.
The climactic chase is a "hair-raising 18 minute automotive duel" that involves Stuntman Mike, in a 1969 Dodge Charger, pursuing (and then being pursued by) a group of women in a 1970 Dodge Challenger that's just like the one in VANISHING POINT.
Two Challengers came out of the filming of that sequence alive, and one of them – actually a 1971 Challenger that the DEATH PROOF crew modified to match a '70 – has now been put up for auction by Movie Cars Central.
Here's how the vehicle is described:
The car is in overall great condition, no strucural rust. Shows wear and tear from its use in the movie and can be easily screenmatched in numerous scenes.
Some of the damage has been painted on by production at the time of filming. The car still has its camera mounts underneath, its racing seatbelts attach points and a support in the trunk for the system that enabled the driver to lock a rear wheel.
The radio is fake (just a plastic piece) and a good example of how Hollywood is all make believe! The front seats have been chopped and reupholstered by production so you can better see the actresses in the back.
Another production add on is these noticeable window frames on the doors that don't exist on normal production Challengers. They have been added by production so that actress Zoe Bell could strap herself in the movie scene where she's on the hood while the car drives.
The engine is a 383 Magnum, runs strong and smooth. Gearbox shifts smoothly. A lot of work has been done on the electricals and inside the engine bay. The exhaust and mufflers are new, as well as the fuel tank. This car runs and drives absolutely fine!
This is a car I would love to have, even in its battered state with Hollywood modifications, but the auction currently has 4 days left and bids have already taken the price over $16,000. Here's hoping it will find a good home with a collector who enjoys DEATH PROOF as much as I do.