Countless movies showcased top quality vehicles to promote as part of the storyline or for transportation purposes.
They serve as branding for the film as well as for the carmaker chosen to supply their needed vehicles.
However, what if a film had a Chevy as its top biller, gaining the title for a certain movie shown years back?
The Vehicle Star
It was in 1978 when the film Corvette Summer was released starring Mark Hamill and Annie Pots. This film has the male star as the top biller, but the title itself is also enough to label the Corvette Stingray as the top biller or star. (You can view the all new Stingray at ReedmanToll Chevy).
In this story, Mark Hamill portrayed the role of Kenny Dantley, a car enthusiast studying as a senior in Southern California high school. His task involved Chevy Corvette as he was required to customize the vehicle, which possessed a right-hand drive feature. However, things start to develop when the said car was stolen. Dantley decided to find the car by tracing the thieves. He ended up to Las Vegas and met Vanessa (portrayed by Annie Potts), who called herself as a prostitute in training.
Dantley worked in a car wash shop to sustain his needs while in a different city. One day, he saw the missing Corvette Stingray and followed where the driver will bring it. He saw the vehicle stopped at a local garage and had a conflict with the owner. Fortunately, Vanessa came to the rescue. The story developed when Dantley found out that his teacher arranged for the vehicle theft, which crushed the main guy character. He discovered that the garage owner and the teacher had conspired for the incident to occur. While he agreed to work at the garage, he also vowed to bring back the car.
In the end, Dantley got the car and together with Vanessa had a car chase as they go back to his high school. They ultimately won the chase and got the car back safely.
The Plotline’s Star
The Corvette Stingray in this film has not only been a mode of transportation. It has been the main reason that steered the storyline. If you’ll look closely, the film also highlighted Stingray’s performance, especially during the car chase.
According to the resources, two Corvettes were used in the film. The main car has been used for filming while the other one is a backup car. Notes about the movie showed how special this film is because it was specifically constructed for MGM in preparation for the film.
This star vehicle’s status remained the same and people can still see the main Corvette vehicle at the National Corvette Museum. On the other hand, Mid America Motorworks’ Mike Yager used the backup car before selling it to a private collector.
Overall, the storyline is enough to show that the car is actually the star of the film. After being stolen and saved, it became a prominent vehicle in the entertainment industry. Check this car at the museum and see the actual car used in the movie.
