Round Table - Revving Up The MFU Engines...

[glennagirl.livejournal.com]

Driving cars on a television shows is usually directly related to the sponsors.  During MFU it looks as though Chrysler was the driving force (excuse that obvious pun, it was irresistible), which meant that the guys were in big vehicles that wouldn't necesarily have matched the image of a spy.  The best car was that little red roadster that Illya drives from time to time when in European settings, but why couldn't they have driven it in New York?
The UNCLE car was added, much to the actors' chagrin by all accounts.  But what if the sponsor had been Chevrolet or Ford; what car would you have chosen for our sexy spies?
My money would be on ...

1965 Corvette
I know the UNCLE car bears a resemblance, but this is so much better.

Comments

[mrua7.livejournal.com]

They got to drive so many cars on the show from jaguars, rolls royce, and even a few putt putt cars. Though it was Angelique who got the Corvette.

It's hard to say what car would be good for them for US usage a Dodge Charger...they were one of the best cars of the period, a little sporty and mid-sized. For a basic car with power, there was the Chevy Impala, but I'm sure these cars would have received some sort of upgrade for agents to use.

Shelby's were a great car too, depending upon the model Ford GTO, and the Cobra too. Too many to choose from but anything was better than that UNCLE car... It was just a remodeled Covair...which in itself wasn't that great a car.

[glennagirl.livejournal.com]

They did drive a Dodge Charger sometimes, another in the Chrysler line up. They drove the other vehicles when they were supposed to be in Europe, which is sort of funny in a way. Imports were big in the 60's... MG, Jaguar... Karmen Ghia and the little Porsche. But of course we had to stick with Chrysler :(

[glennagirl.livejournal.com]

[laurose8.livejournal.com]

I don't remember if it happened in canon or not; but it might have been rather a good touch for a cheap and staid model (a Ford?) to suddenly outrun all the fancy ones, thanks to 'our motor pool'.

[glennagirl.livejournal.com]

That would be very sneaky indeed :D

[jantojones.livejournal.com]

I know absolutely nothing about cars, and even less about American cars. I always thought, though, that those huge cars they had wouldn't be much use for getting around the busy streets of NYC in a hurry.

[glennagirl.livejournal.com]

Those cars were fast, big V-8 engines that could go from 0 to 60 in a heartbeat. Chrysler cars were expensive so when they showed the one Waverly rode around in it was the top of the line Imperial, on a par with the Cadillac or a Lincoln Continental. My dad was into cars, I inherited that knowledge base ;)

[jantojones.livejournal.com]

I don't even drive, so cars really aren't on my radar. My nephew on the other hand was born with that sort of knowledge, and is now an auto-electrician for Durham Police.

I do enjoy watching DMc's hair flapping about whenever he's in an open-topped car :-)

[glennagirl.livejournal.com]

Ah yes, flapping of Kuryakin's hair... :D

[mrua7.livejournal.com]

NYC streets were't the same kind of busy back then as they are now. As Threecee said, there weren't a lot of people who owned cars in the city back then. There were cabs, trains, and buses to get around, besides just walking.

[threecee.livejournal.com]

It was never really clear if the cars they drove were their own or UNCLE's. Most people in New York didn't own cars because of the lack of parking.

[glennagirl.livejournal.com]

We don't really get the impression that the agents owned those cars ... good point.

[threecee.livejournal.com]

I'd guess UNCLE chose cars that a. weren't too memorable so they could be used for undercover ops and b. had a heavy enough body to protect the agents when they crashed as they seem to have done rather frequently.

[mrua7.livejournal.com]

And seeing as how often they were wrecked, bombed or shot at...

[rosywonder.livejournal.com]

I'm hopeless on American cars despite going round the Corvette factory, but I do remember they drive a Renault Dauphine in the supposed 'European ' scene when the bees attack... my suggestion for a much more fun car for use in Europe might be a nice Jag, S type. Of course Mr Bond has snagged the delectable Aston Martin. Beautiful car.

[glennagirl.livejournal.com]

The Corvette Factory? Right here in Bowling Green? I take it that was before the sinkhole buried 7 very valuable Corvettes.

[rosywonder.livejournal.com]

It was in 1997, when my husband did a swap with an Episcopalian priest in Frankfort, Kentucky for five whole weeks. My son was 10 at the time and so we did the Corvette factory. My husband, unbelievably, still has some trainers he bought at a shoe shop in Bowling Green. Whoa, sinkhole eh? Wow.

I have fond memories of Kentucky. My favourite place - the Shaker community (that was) at Pleasant Hill (have I got the name right?). A wonderful experience that has stayed with me ever since.

[glennagirl.livejournal.com]

I moved here (the first time) in '97. Shaker Hill, yes I've visited there as well. A very odd little group who, predictably, eventually all passed away leaving only a legacy. I'm glad you enjoyed Kentucky.