Auto Files: Collecting Vehicles In Video

We’ve talked before about digital collections & how they are both practical, saving the collector money and space, and an act of posterity, keeping information & items safe yet ‘alive’ and accessible. While some of us collect audio files for listening pleasure and others scans of old papers for posterity, the folks at Internet Movie Cars Database combine a love of automobiles (and other vehicles) with film (and other moving picture media), creating a resource for the rest of us schlubs who wouldn’t know that Chevy Chase drove a 1983 Alfa Romeo 2000 Spider Veloce in Fletch in 1985.

These guys & gals not only watch the films and shows for vehicles but take screen shots and identify them. Cars & trucks, motorcycles & farm equipment, golf carts & street sweepers — virtually any vehicle, worldwide. It doesn’t matter how obscure or seemingly insignificant that vehicle is — a blur out the window of a car chase, a truck parked at the side of the road in an establishing shot, the 1981 BMW 320i E21 following Chevy in Fletch — they find it, capture it, and identify it (even if that means a little friendly debating) — and document it online.

A real labor of love; some insanity required.

And you gotta love ‘em for it. You don’t have to be a research nut like me to have fun digging ’round the IMCDb; it’s just too cool.

Thanks to these guys & gals at the Internet Movie Cars Database, I bring you this quiz:

Can you guess the vehicle’s make, model, year — and the film/TV show/video it appeared in — from these 13 images?

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

The Answers:

1 Elgin Pelican in Pretty in Pink, Movie, 1986

2 1975 Chevrolet Camero in Wonder Woman, TV Series

3 1956 Chevrolet Two-Ten Handyman in The Wasp Woman, Movie, 1959

4 1998 Chevrolet Metro in Drawn Together, Animation Series, 2004-2008

5 1966 Shelby GT 350 H in Guns N’ Roses: Don’t Cry, Music Video, 1991

6 1960 Buick LeSabre in Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Movie, 1982

7 AEC Regent in They Met in the Dark, Movie, 1943

8 1970 AMC Javelin in The Junkman, Movie, 1982

9 1982 Nissan Stanza [T11] in Police Academy, Movie, 1984

10 1950 Allis-Chalmers Model CA in Flags of Our Fathers, Movie, 2006

11 1916 Packard Twin Six [135] in The Penalty, Movie, 1920

12 Harley-Davidson Servi-Car in Carnival of Souls, Movie, 1962

13 1958 Edsel Pacer in Peggy Sue Got Married, Movie, 1986

How well did you do?

If you did really well, at least with the vehicles, maybe you should help identify these unknown vehicles — 179 pages and counting need your help!

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