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The automobile in Elliot Silverstein’s The Car (1977) was a heavily customized 1971 Lincoln Continental Mark III coupe. George Barris turned the large Lincoln into the film’s black, apparently driverless antagonist. The stunt versions were destroyed during production, but the close-up hero car reportedly survived and was sold in the early 1980s. Its current whereabouts remain unconfirmed.
The automobile in Elliot Silverstein’s The Car (1977) was a heavily customized 1971 Lincoln Continental Mark III coupe—not a special factory model and not a 1977 Lincoln. Hollywood vehicle customizer George Barris transformed the large personal-luxury coupe into the film’s black, seemingly driverless antagonist, working with stunt coordinator Everett Creach.
Several modified Lincolns were prepared for the production. The stunt and special-effects cars were destroyed or rendered unusable during filming, while the surviving close-up—or “hero”—car was reportedly sold at a Barris-related auction in the early 1980s. It was believed to have entered a European private collection, but its present owner and location have not been publicly verified.
What kind of car was used in The Car?
The donor vehicle was a 1971 Lincoln Continental Mark III. The Mark III was Lincoln’s two-door personal-luxury coupe, sold for the 1969, 1970 and 1971 model years. It was related to the full-size Lincoln Continental, but its shorter, more formal coupe body gave it the long hood, substantial roofline and imposing proportions that Barris could exaggerate for the film.
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Calling it simply “a black Lincoln” misses the important distinction: the movie car was a customized 1971 Mark III. The film’s 1977 release date is not the car’s model year.
Technical accounts generally associate the production cars with Ford’s large-displacement V8 engines. Sources differ over the exact displacement, describing the engines as either 455 or 460 cubic inches. It is therefore more accurate to call the powerplant an approximately 455–460-cubic-inch Ford V8 than to present one figure as certain.
How George Barris changed the Lincoln
The film car was not created by painting an ordinary Mark III black and removing its badges. Barris’s team substantially reworked the body to make the Lincoln appear unnaturally low, broad and threatening.
- Lowered roof: The roof was cut down to alter the car’s proportions and make the body seem heavier and more predatory.
- Raised and extended fenders: The fenders were reshaped and enlarged, giving the car a hunched, almost animal-like stance.
- Custom front end: The grille and bumper treatment were redesigned to suggest a face, with the front opening reading as a mouth or set of teeth.
- Concealed interior: Dark laminated windows obscured the driver and camera equipment while still allowing occupants to see outward.
- Dark finish: Production descriptions refer to a charcoal-gray or charcoal/pearl-black finish rather than an ordinary glossy factory black.
- Custom wheels and heavy-duty equipment: The cars were fitted for the demands of stunt work, with later accounts describing reinforced safety equipment, heavy-duty suspension, roll bars and locked differentials on stunt units.
AFI’s production research described the design goal as making the vehicle “flexible but heavy, huge, dark and aggressive.” That combination explains why the car looks less like a conventional custom and more like a moving piece of industrial machinery. Its familiar Lincoln identity remains visible in the basic proportions, but the altered roof, fenders, glass and nose turn a luxury coupe into an almost anthropomorphic villain.
How many movie cars were built?
The number depends on which production account is consulted. The American Film Institute Catalog, drawing on contemporary trade reporting and Universal production information, counts three customized Lincoln Mark III cars. Later accounts, including a Lincoln corporate feature and a Fraser Engine Company retrospective, describe four versions: one hero car used for close-ups and three vehicles intended mainly for stunts or special effects.
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The discrepancy may reflect different ways of counting vehicles during production—such as whether a rebuilt or special-effects body was treated as a separate car—but the surviving public record does not resolve that point conclusively.
The safest summary is: several Mark IIIs were built, with contemporary AFI research counting three and later accounts commonly describing four. If a single number is required, four is the most frequently repeated later figure, but it should not be presented without acknowledging the conflicting count.
What happened to the stunt cars?
The stunt versions were expendable production equipment, not preserved collector cars. Accounts of the shoot say that cars were destroyed during the house-crash sequence and during the spectacular barrel roll over police vehicles. Later production histories state that two of the four reported vehicles were destroyed during filming.
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Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minuteEnthusiast vehicle-identification research adds that a fiberglass-bodied car was used for the barrel-roll work and that special-effects bodies were mounted on other chassis for the canyon finale. That scene-level reconstruction is useful but should be treated as supporting enthusiast evidence rather than a definitive Universal engineering record.
The broad conclusion is secure: the cars used for the most destructive work did not survive as intact original film vehicles. They were crashed, rolled, dismantled or otherwise left unusable in the process of making the movie.
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Did the original hero car survive?
Apparently, yes. The close-up or “glamour” car was not subjected to the same level of destructive stunt work and is generally reported to have survived production.
Later accounts say the car was sold at a Barris-related auction in the early 1980s. One account gives 1983, while another gives 1984; both place the sale in that period. The car was reportedly missing some components—including lights and bumper overriders—after spending years on a backlot or in storage. It was then believed to have been shipped to, or acquired by, a European collector.
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That makes the most defensible answer today: the film-used hero car survived, was reportedly auctioned in the early 1980s and was believed to have entered a European private collection; its current whereabouts remain unconfirmed.
Original film car or replica?
Several cars resembling the movie vehicle have appeared at shows and in enthusiast circles. Those cars should not automatically be described as the surviving original.
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| Vehicle category | What can be said with confidence |
|---|---|
| Surviving hero car | The Barris-built close-up vehicle, reportedly sold in the early 1980s and believed to be in a European private collection. |
| Destroyed production cars | Stunt and special-effects units used in the crash and barrel-roll work; they did not survive intact. |
| Later replicas | Show and collector vehicles modeled on the film design. Reports mention a United Kingdom replica and another associated with filmmaker Guillermo del Toro, but the available evidence does not establish complete construction or ownership histories for those cars. |
A car being displayed as “the car from The Car” may therefore mean a replica, a tribute build or an original component-based reconstruction. Without a traceable production history, auction record or identifying documentation, it should not be treated as proof that the surviving hero car has resurfaced.
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Why the car became the film’s real monster
Silverstein’s film gives the vehicle very little conventional personality: it has no visible driver, no dialogue and no explanation that turns it into an ordinary machine. Barris’s design supplies the missing character. The lowered roof makes the car look crouched; the tall fenders create the impression of shoulders; the black glass removes the human presence behind the wheel; and the front end resembles a face without becoming a literal cartoon.
The result works because the Mark III was already large and formal. A small sports car would have suggested speed or precision. The Lincoln suggests weight, force and inevitability. Its mass also made it practical for the film’s physical action, while the custom bodywork made every approach shot visually threatening.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to watch the film
For readers who want to examine the vehicle in context, availability varies by country and can change over time. The film has had a physical The Car (1977) Blu-ray release, and digital rental or purchase availability has also been reported in the United States. Check the current edition, region compatibility and storefront listing before buying; a home-video release is not evidence that the original automobile survives with the distributor.
Bottom line
The Car used a custom-built monster based on a 1971 Lincoln Continental Mark III coupe. George Barris and the production team lowered its roof, enlarged its fenders, redesigned its front end, darkened its windows and prepared multiple versions for stunt work. The destructive cars were sacrificed during filming. The close-up hero car reportedly survived and was sold at an early-1980s auction, probably entering a European private collection afterward. Its current whereabouts, however, remain unverified—and replicas should not be confused with it.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What model was the car in The Car?
It was based on a 1971 Lincoln Continental Mark III coupe. The roof, fenders, front end, windows, finish and stunt equipment were heavily modified for the film.
How many cars were used in The Car?
Several were built. AFI production research counts three customized Mark IIIs, while later accounts commonly describe four vehicles, including one hero car and three stunt or special-effects cars.
Did the original car from The Car survive?
The stunt cars were destroyed or rendered unusable during sequences including the house crash and barrel roll. The close-up hero car reportedly survived and was sold at an early-1980s auction.
Where is the surviving The Car automobile now?
Its current whereabouts are not publicly verified. Later accounts say it was believed to have entered a European private collection after the auction.
The Bottom Line
The car was a heavily modified 1971 Lincoln Continental Mark III, not a 1977 model. Several versions were built; the stunt cars were destroyed, while the surviving hero car was reportedly sold in the early 1980s and believed to have gone to Europe. No reliable public record currently confirms where that original car is today.
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