There was no single indestructible Bluesmobile. The 1980 film used a fleet of modified 1974 Dodge Monaco police sedans, most of which were wrecked, dismantled or otherwise lost during production. One original car is widely reported to have survived and gone to Dan Aykroyd’s brother-in-law, but its present owner and location have not been publicly verified.
What was the original Bluesmobile?
The principal car in The Blues Brothers was a 1974 Dodge Monaco sedan, dressed to look like a retired Mount Prospect, Illinois, police car. The production used retired California Highway Patrol vehicles, whose black-and-white paint made them suitable for the film’s fictional police-car identity. The film’s “cop motor,” 440-cubic-inch engine, police tires, suspension and shocks are part of Elwood’s dialogue; they should not be taken to mean every car in the fleet had identical equipment or preparation. DMV.org’s account of the production cars describes the Monacos and their police-car origins.
The story also distinguishes the Dodge from the brothers’ earlier Cadillac. In the film’s backstory, Elwood says he traded that Cadillac for a microphone and bought the Monaco at a Mount Prospect police auction. The Cadillac is part of the fictional history, not the Dodge used for the central chase. Internet Movie Cars Database’s vehicle entry identifies the 1974 Monaco.
Why there was more than one Bluesmobile
Different cars served different production needs: actor close-ups and ordinary driving, high-speed work, jumps, and carefully engineered destruction. Published accounts disagree on the number of Monacos, commonly giving either 12 or 13, so “a dozen-plus” is more accurate than a firm count. The production also acquired more than 60 additional police cars for the surrounding chase sequences. The exact fleet count and what qualifies as a car “used” can vary across accounts. DMV.org recounts the fleet and its destruction.
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That distinction matters when someone calls a vehicle “the original Bluesmobile.” It might mean an actual film car, a hero or publicity car, a later promotional vehicle, or a replica. A black-and-white 1974 Monaco on display is not, by appearance alone, proof of production provenance.
What happened during the stunts and final collapse?
The 1980 production relied on practical car stunts. Director John Landis described the film’s major vehicle stunts as real rather than digitally created, including the Bluesmobile jumping a police car. Stunt drivers handled dangerous work, and the film’s final gag—the car collapsing outside the Cook County Building—used a specially rigged vehicle. Landis’s Library of Congress interview discusses the practical stunts.
The film is often said to have set a vehicle-destruction record at the time, with a commonly reported total of 103 vehicles. That figure is a reported production tally, not a definitive count of cars destroyed on camera alone: accounts may include vehicles damaged or written off during the work. The broader point is clear—many Bluesmobiles and other police cars were consumed by the production.
Did any original Bluesmobile survive?
The best-known account says one intact 1974 Dodge Monaco from the original production survived and was given to Dan Aykroyd’s brother-in-law. That story appears in multiple secondary accounts, including DMV.org. But the public reporting does not establish a VIN, an unbroken ownership history, a verified current owner or a present-day location. It is therefore a reported historical fate, not a confirmed account of where the car is now.
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Other cars associated with the Blues Brothers are not established as that survivor. Brian Scanlon’s well-known Chicago Bluesmobile is a replica: he found a 1974 Dodge Royal Monaco in 2016 and spent about a year converting it into a Mount Prospect-style car. It has appeared at events and on television, but it is not documented as one of the 1980 production vehicles. The Drive’s profile of Scanlon’s car describes its replica history.
A 1974 Monaco associated with House of Blues appearances and later display in Sweden and Florida has also been described by its custodial site as the last Monaco Aykroyd drove and signed. That account supports a promotional history, not proof that the car appeared in the original film. The vehicle’s custodial page makes that description.
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Likewise, cars displayed as Bluesmobiles at theme parks or studios should not automatically be identified as original production vehicles. One commonly repeated description calls Universal’s car a replica 1974 Dodge Coronet rather than a Monaco; that detail comes from secondary reporting, not a current Universal vehicle inventory. The available information does not establish that a specific Rick Shields or Movie Cars vehicle is the surviving original, either.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Was the Bluesmobile in the sequel the same car?
No. Blues Brothers 2000, released in 1998, used a different police-car concept, generally identified as a 1990 Ford LTD Crown Victoria. It was not one of the 1974 Dodge Monacos from the first film. Universal Pictures at Home’s page for the sequel identifies the separate film.
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How to judge a claimed Bluesmobile today
- Original production car: Look for provenance tied to the 1980 film, ideally a documented vehicle identity and ownership history. Paint and model alone are not enough.
- Replica: A later car built to resemble the film vehicle, such as Scanlon’s Chicago event car.
- Promotional or appearance car: A vehicle used for publicity, events or display; that history does not establish it was in the original production.
- Unverified survivor claim: The reported car given to Aykroyd’s brother-in-law, whose current location and ownership are not publicly confirmed in the cited accounts.
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