Fans of the 1950s “Forward Look” Chrysler products either love or hate the 1983 movie, Christine. On the plus side, there’s the beautiful white and red 1958 Plymouth that “starred” in the film. On the other hand, it took two dozen of them to make the flick and most of those cars were destroyed in the process (like with The Dukes of Hazzard). Here we have a ’58 Belvedere that looks quite a lot like Christine the Car and is a genuinely nice, but not perfect, recreation. Located in Willmar, Minnesota, it’s being offered from an estate here on eBay where bidding has reached $32,600 and there is no reserve to worry about.
This ’58 Belvedere is being sold by a friend of the family. Said seller admits knowing little about the Mopar’s of this era. So, we don’t know if the owner intended to clone a Christine Plymouth, or it just worked out that way. Though the body is solid and devoid of the rust sometimes attributed to Virgil Exner’s creations, the paint looks good – from 10 feet away. The interior is also nice, though it’s trimmed in black and white rather than the red and white as seen in the movie’s car.
Under the hood resides a 318 cubic inch V8 paired to a TorqueFlite with pushbutton controls, of course. This 318 has twin 4-barrel carburetors which should look cool but the seller neglects to provide a photo of the engine compartment. We’re told it runs good and recent work was done on both the brakes and the exhaust system. Open the trunk and you’ll find an assortment of spare parts, including a set-up to convert this Plymouth from manual to power steering.
As a Christine clone, the car comes close (remember we mentioned the interior). The movie car was supposed to be a Plymouth Fury, but only 3,500 of those were built in 1958 and they only came in Sandstone White with a Buckskin Beige interior. So, most of the 17 cars used in the film were Belvederes and Savoy’s made up to look like a Fury. The filmmakers had to buy 24 cars to come up with the smaller number needed to produce the film.
Even though this car isn’t an exact Christine, it’s a cool Mopar nonetheless. With 90,000 miles, we assume that it would serve nicely as a Cars & Coffee entrant with little if any work done to it. BTW, have you ever wondered how they got Christine to reinvent herself every time someone crashed it or burned it up? The special effects team devised a way for the car to rebuild itself: one of the Plymouths was stripped of its engine to house some internally mounted hydraulics that pulled the framework inward, crumpling the car, with the sequence then run in reverse in the film. Cool, huh?
Will Darnell : Okay. That’s the last time you run that mechanical a**hole in here without an exhaust hose… I catch you doing it one time, and you’re out, you understand? HUH?
Arnie Cunningham : Yes, sir.
Christine made short work of Will Darnell..and his living room.
Will Darnell: And I’m gonna tell you something else right now. I don’t take any crud from you kids. This place is for working stiffs gotta keep their cars running so they can keep bread on the table, it’s not for rich, snot-nose kids who wanna go dragging around on the Orange Belt. I don’t allow no smoking in here, neither! You wanna’ butt, you go out in the junkyard!
It’s a story from my youth. Has nothing to do with the movie. The first time my eyes focused on the car was the summer of 1963. My cousin Phyllis owned the car she bought after being discharged from the Marine Corps. I think the first time I met her she was 22 years old and beautiful. Her father had recently passed and her mother (my aunt Myrtle my fathers sister) was moving from Modesto, California to Redding where My family lived. Now I went to Modesto to help with the move and that’s when I first saw the Plymouth. It was long, low and sleek with a convertible top. It was the first purple car I had ever seen. To a 16 year old car crazy boy it was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. I was allowed to drive the car around the greater Shasta County area with my friends. I loved putting the top down and cruising around waving at everyone I saw. I felt like a rich kid in that car, which I was not, at least I didn’t think so. I remember one sunny summer day driving with my brother and best friend on Highway 99 and stopping to pick up a hitchhiker. We had the top down and enjoying the day. The hitchhiker became a little nervous as my friend began teasing him and he asked to be let off at the next red light, which we obliged to do. We drove to our favorite swimming hole off highway 299 east near French Gulch. I loved the push button transmission in that car easy power steering and brakes. The A.M radio blaring songs from a local station KDRG in Redding. Just old memories now in my later years. But what fun we had in those days.
God bless America
Between the description of the beautiful cousin and the hitchhiker I was expecting a way more dramatic ending. Maybe I watch too much court tv. These were beautiful cars and it’s unfortunate that some were destroyed for the movie. I wonder if that movie got some younger folks to notice and appreciate old cars
Yeah, kind of anti-climatic. Sorry, just as I remember it though.
I wish I could have made more of it. Perhaps adding fact to fiction it might have made a better story.
God bless America
My parents had a 61 Chrysler New Yorker. It lasted into the early seventies but was very rusty. Went to the local boneyard and when my uncle returned on a parts hunt for his trucks few weeks later, the 413 and the rest of the driveline had already been pulled for their second career, whatever that was
John,
One of the first cars you’ve commented on that you didn’t own!
Beautiful car alright, but most are not around anymore because Chrysler must have bought the cheapest steel available, they rusted on the lot and it went downhill from there. Buddy of mine had a 58, the poly 2bbl 318 was a gem (along with the great three on the tree) but the rust eventually made her undriveable, gassed you with every drive. Car drove itself to the junk yard. Engine never missed a beat doing it.
Something about that body shell, because the 57-58 were rust magnets. My dad owned a nearly new ’57 I recall, and it was 4 years old when we cleaned out the car because we were trading it in. I remember see water and rust in the trunk.
My dad was a Plymouth man. As far back as I can remember. I came home from the hospital in a New 57 Belvedere. At 16 I had a 60 Fury and a bunch in between. The favorite was His 48 Coupe. This one looks to be in Good Company sitting in the garage. Hopefully someone will take it home and treat it right. The Henry “J” on the lift is my dream.
My mom had one of these, but hers was yellow – which made it more hideous. What a land yacht.
Every time I see a car that resembles Christine, all I can hear is Little Richard:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FJ6SstTS4YY
Awesome looking car! I remember the movie “Christine”. Awesome movie! 1958 is my favourite of the “Forward Look” Plymouths. My other favourite years are 1962-64.
I owned a 58 Fury for 30 years. I got so tired of the lame Christine references I sold it. Stephen King did for Forward Look Chryslers what George Barris did for the Lincoln Futura. They both wrecked the history of the cars as well as the car itself.
The best thing about the cars from the 50’s especially Christine is that anyone that lived the 50’s for me have to be The luckiest people in the world. The evolution of cars,the fins,the styling and most of all lets. Or forget the music that suited these cars. I could sit and listen to cars stories 24-7. Thank you for sharing your car story John M🙏🙏🙏
Thank you Charlie M. It’s my pleasure. I have always loved cars, and worked as a mechanic for many years until 1999 when I went into another profession. I have a 64 Buick Riviera I’ve been the caretaker of for the past 11 years. I’m currently restoring a mini pickup. It’s a 76 Luv. I have restored many cars and trucks over the years. But my cousins purple Plymouth convertible still holds great memories for me.
God bless America
Unfortunately I ended up with Christine’s grandson – a 1984 Plymouth Horizon. That was one of 3 lemons I had in a row a 1977 Sunbird Coupe, a 1981 Monte carlo with that lousy 229 V6-{first year with computer controlled emissions -no fuel injection } and the nasty Horizon-the key word being Hor. Oh and speaking of rust the oval shaped Chrysler Corp mini vans- I see a lot of them still trudging along with rust.
This is my favorite year Plymouth (with the ’57 a close second). Yes it was the movie that got me hooked on this car and still after almost 40 years, I still think these are jaw dropping.
Same here.
It wasn’t just the rust issues that did for the 57/58s. They also suffered from abysmal built quality, leaks, fitting and finishing problems too. By Dec 56, the 57 Plymouth had proved to be such a stylish sales hit that production was ramped up from two to three shifts, and the workers well going hell for leather to get ’em out the door. Quality issues soon followed.
Every time I se one of these that look decent on the outside, it reminds me of one that was featured on a TV show, maybe it was Graveyard Cars, where they stripped it down and it was rusty and the floor boards were recycled corrugated metal.