Deanism Bonus: The Vehicles of Supernatural Pt. 1

[mizra]

John & Dean's 1967 Chevrolet Impala

"The Impala, of course, has all the things other cars have... and a few things they don't. But none of that stuff's important. This is the stuff that's important: the army man that Sam crammed in the ashtray - it's still stuck there. The Legos that Dean shoved into the vents -to this day, heat comes on and they can hear 'em rattle. These are the things that make the car theirs -- really theirs. Even when Dean rebuilt her from the ground up, he made sure all these little things stayed, 'cause it's the blemishes that make her beautiful." - Chuck, 5x22 Swan Song

• Dean's car, affectionately dubbed the Metallicar (most likely due to most of the music associated with the car was one of Dean’s favorites: Metallica) by fans, originally belonged to his father, John. It is first seen in the aftermath of Mary's death, as John sits with his sons on the hood of the car while his house burns. John later gave the car to Dean, although the exact date of this is unknown. In a strange twist of fate, it is actually Dean who convinces John to buy the car, instead of a VW van, when he travels back in time to 1973.
• The Impala was redesigned and had a "coke bottle" shape that similar to the 1963 Buick Riviera. Safety features were added that included a fully collapsible energy absorbing steering wheel column, side marker lights, and shoulder belts for hardtops, sedans, and wagons. The Impala was distinguished by bright lower body-side moldings, roof drip cap and reveal moldings on hardtops, bright side window accents on station wagons and sedans, deck lid center panel accents, and black accented taillight surrounds. Impala interiors were cloth, cloth and vinyl, or just all vinyl combinations. They came with full wheel covers as well.
• According to the series, this particular Impala was built in Janesville, Wisconsin, on April 24 1967 (Oh so coincidentally Eric Kripke’s birthday).  Janesville, Wisconsin was one of twenty plants that produced the Chevrolet Impala in 1967. Some of the plants were located in Georgia, Missouri, Ohio, Texas, Michigan, New York and Quebec.
• The license plates are KAZ 2Y5 Kansas plates for all of Season 1 and most of 2, until Dean and Sam switched to Ohio plate CNK 80Q3 to avoid detection from the police.  You will also catch the original Kansas plate in some recycled shots in Season 4. In the ‘Wish Verse’ (2x20 What Is And What Never Will Be) the Impala has the Kansas plate of RMD 5H2. In a flashback from 1997, it has Kansas plate BQN 9R3, as John is driving Dean and Sam to school.
• The Impala shown in the show has a bench front seat and the driver’s side reclines (as seen 1x01 Pilot). It also has a automatic transmission, and only a cassette player. Sam tried to include an iPod jack while Dean was in Hell, but when Dean sees it, he rips it out, berating Sam about taking care of his baby and “not douching her up!”
• The sound of the squeaking doors were chosen individually for both passenger and drivers’ sides.
• In the early 70s, John was tempted to purchase a VW van for himself and Mary. Dean, time-traveling to the past (4x03 In The Beginning), convinces John to buy the Impala rather than the Volkswagen. (And all the fans said THANK YOU DEAN!)
• In 5x08 Changing Channels the Trickster/Gabriel changed Sam into the Impala (hence Sampala). This was a joke on the show Knight Rider, about a crime-fighter Michael Knight and his intelligent car KITT .
• In the episode 3x06 Red Sky At Morning, Dean almost hyperventilates when he thinks the Impala has been stolen.
• In 2x01 In My Time of Dying, Bobby and Sam have towed the Impala to a wrecker’s yard. Bobby tries to persuade Sam into junking the car, but Sam will not hear of it and expresses that “if there’s only one working part, that’s enough.” In the following episode 2x02 Eveybody Loves a Clown, Dean is seen restoring the Impala to her former glory, but then by the end of the episode, is taking his frustrations out on the car. He later apologizes to her, cleans her up and takes her out to a fancy dinner, expressing his undying love for his only lady.
• 5x22 Swan Song is, in many ways, the Impala’s Swan Song. Chuck voices over the episode, talking about the car and how it was made, the owners it had, all winding up to the end, where Dean, Lucifer!Sam and Michael!Adam are in Stull Cemetery for a final showdown. The memory of the army man Sam left in the car’s ashtray sparked something in Sam that kept Lucifer from killing Dean. He regains enough control to throw himself (and Michael!Adam) into the cage, leaving behind a bloody and bruised Dean slumped against the Impala.
• In a fan-based meta, missyjack wrote a post ‘Back In Black’ , an essay all about the Impala.
• You can read more about Chevrolet’s titled ‘Crown Jewel’ of vehicles here, a website dedicated to the 1967, 1968, & 1969 Chevy Impala SS427.

Death's 1959 Cadillac Seville


"This is one little planet in one tiny solar system in a galaxy that’s barely out of its diapers. I’m old, Dean. Very old. So I invite you to contemplate how insignificant I find you." - Death, 5x21 Two Minutes To Midnight

• Not much is known in the show about Death’s Cadillac. The California license plate says BUH BYE, assuredly an in-joke to Death being the end-all, be-all of the Four Horsemen.
• The song ‘O Death’ is sung by Jen Titus, heralding Death’s suave entrance at the end of Season 5. The opening sequence can be seen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1EzU9sLQ6I
• The website 1959Cadillac.com has an interesting background about the 1959 Cadillac, dubbing it as America’s Most Extravagant Production Car of All Time. According to the history, “Cadillac's most visible lead, however, was in styling. Cadillac was the first to set up a styling and design studio, and continued to create the major trends. In the fifties, Cadillac had already introduced wrap-around windshields, the dropped door line (the "belted" look that lasted more than a decade), forged aluminum wheels, fabric covered tops, quad headlights, and, of course, fins.”

Pestilence's 1972 AMC Hornet


"Disease gets a bad wrap, don't you think? For being filthy, chaotic, but really that just describes people who get sick. Disease itself is very pure. Single-minded. Bacteria have one purpose: divide and conquer. That's why in the end, it always wins." - Pestilence, 5x21 Two Minutes To Midnight

• Pestilence has a Nevada license plate that reads SICKN TRD (Sick and Tired). It also is a rather unflattering green color, most likely to represent the sickly, green color symbolic of sickness and disease.
• The 1972 AMC Hornet was labeled as “a great value and clever way to market the product. The consumer was able to get a new Hornet with rear seat arm rests and ashtray, a cigarette lighter, full carpeting throughout the interior, locking glove box, under dash package tray, and custom steering wheel without paying much more than a base Hornet from the previous model year.” Unfortunately for American Motors, consumers did not buy into the compact performance idea. AMC backtracked and brought in the two-barrel V8 engine as an option for the ’72 Hornet. Source
• It was promoted in 1972 as a ‘Tough Little Car’. (Although, I beg to differ. My ’96 Geo Metro was a tough little paper plate of a car. Lasted three teenagers all through high school and college. It earned its keep.)
• The origins of the ‘Hornet’ name: “The Hornet name plate goes back to the mid-1950s. The name originated from the merger of Hudson Motor Company and Nash-Kelvinator Corporation in 1954. Hudson introduced the first Hudson Hornet in 1951. The automaker formed a stock car racing team centered on the car, and the "Fabulous Hudson Hornet" soon became famous for its wins and stock-car title sweeps between 1951 and 1954. American Motors, the resulting corporation formed by the merger of Nash Motors and Hudson, continued to produce Nash-based Hornets, which were sold under the Hudson marque from 1955 to 1957. The automaker retained rights to the name while it was dormant from 1958 to 1969. The rights to the "Hornet" nameplate then passed to Chrysler with that company's acquisition of AMC in 1987.” - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AMC_Hornet

Famine's 2011 Cadillac Escalade


"And then will come Famine, riding on a black steed. He will ride into the land of plenty. And great will be the Horseman's hunger for he is hunger. His hunger will seep out and poison the air." - Castiel, 5x14 My Bloody Valentine

• It is unsure of the year of Famine’s Escalade, but it is likely a 2011 model.
• There is no known novelty license plate, and is the only Horseman vehicle that doesn’t reveal the license plate.
• The Cadillac 2011 Escalade has this to say about its Luxury SUV “he 2011 Cadillac Escalade SUV. It’s the standard by which all other luxury SUVs are measured, thanks to its luxurious interior, impressive technology and powerful presence. The stunning interior, trimmed in elegant brushed aluminum accents and polished chrome, accommodates 8 adults comfortably. Luxurious details include supple leather-trimmed, 14-way power-adjustable front seats with memory settings and elegant French-stitched seams, a premium 10-speaker Bose 5.1 surround sound system and a leather- and wood-trimmed steering wheel that’s power-adjustable. A heated option is available.
  
• With luxury also comes commanding power in the form of a 6.2L 403 HP V8 engine mated to a 6-speed automatic transmission. A comfortable ride is ensured by available Magnetic Ride Control-a class-exclusive suspension system. It incorporates variable damping that reacts in the blink of an eye to changing road conditions. Plus, Escalade is available with All-Wheel Drive (AWD) to help you power through some of the worst road conditions with confidence. When luxurious comfort and spaciousness are required, the 2011 Escalade luxury SUV is the one.” - Source
  
• According to autos.aol.com, the Escalade has these vital stats: 14 City / 20 Highway Miles Per Gallon, Market Price $57,133, Estimated Monthly Payment $1,179 - 1,588; with a J.D. Power Initial Quality Rating of a 3/5. Source
  
• It is likely due to the fact of the high-level of luxury and extravagance, is why it is listed as Famine’s vehicle. Famine is associated with greed, gluttony, and over-pricing of food items or lack thereof.

War's 1965 Mustang Fastback


"Here's a hint. I was in Germany, then in Germany, then in the Middle-East... I was in Darfur when my beeper went off. I'm waiting to hook up with my siblings, I've got three. We have so much fun together." - War, 5x02 Good God, Ya'll

• War’s ’65 Mustang Fastback is shown to be Cherry Red and carries the Colorado license plate 971-Q4S.
• Eric Kripke was originally going to have the Winchesters drive a Mustang Fastback, but a neighbor talked him out of it. "When I was originally writing the show I wanted to give the guys an American muscle car. My first choice was a '65 Mustang. My neighbor said it has to be a '67 Impala, because you can put a body in the trunk.  He says, 'You want a car that, when people stop next to it at the lights, they lock their doors'.” Source
• According to MustangDreams.com, Fastbacks “are meeting and exceeding prices for comparable convertibles. Fewer early Fastbacks survived than convertible Mustangs. Many were hot-rodded to imitate Shelby image, raced, wrecked , not preserved etc. Ford has re-released the Shelby and other hi performance Mustangs, sparking interest in the early cars. Notice how all the new Pony's resemble the fastback !? Good #2 condition cars will cost $22,0000 on up, more for K code cars, Mach and other special editions. The Fastbacks will continue to climb in value.” Source
• 1964's Goldfingerwas the first major motion picture to show a Mustang. James Bond drove an Aston Martin DB5 while chasing Tilly Masterson in a white 1964 1/2 Mustang convertible. Bond's center caps popped out and became spinning blades, which slashed the Mustang's tires and destroyed the body panels. There was also a gold fastback created for the movie, but it wasn't ready in time for production. Source
• Check out The Pony Site for pictures and information on the car.