Nostalgia is a Schedule I influence. Just look at the values of the cars we wanted when we were young, or the way “Back to the Future” heavily affected the DeLorean market. We all want to drive a piece of our childhoods, and if your childhood was the ’80s, guess what? You could be the next owner of an all-time cinema vehicle. We’re talking about a made-for-Hollywood car that perfectly satirized the bloat, excess, and inefficiency of Detroit’s most popular ’80s machines: The 6000 SUX from Robocop.
Yep, we’re looking at one of the most infamous fastbacks of all time, although it’s definitely seen better days. There appears to be a crack in the windshield, the paint is faded, and it’s picked up a few scuffs over the years. Thankfully, replacing the windshield shouldn’t be terribly hard because the middle section of this creation is actually fairly standard.
Underneath Gene Winfield’s coachwork sits a 1977 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme as pictured below, the last model year before the downsized, controversial fastback appeared. This means it’s powered by some wheezy malaise-era motor, likely a 4.3-liter V8, although it should still be efficient enough to exceed the advertised 8.2 MPG.
What about technology? Leather seats, cruise control, and a Blaupunkt? Well, sort of. See, because this is really just a Cutlass, you probably only get one of the three. Obviously, this thing also predates Magnavolt, so you might want The Club because GM’s steering column is notoriously easy for thieves to smash in the pursuit of hotwiring. Still, as a showpiece, who cares?
Winfield built two complete cars and one shell for the film, with the shell being what Clarence Boddicker blew up with his Cobra Assault Cannon. One of the complete cars managed to make its way to Pop Central in France, a big museum full of movie cars and memorabilia, which is now auctioning off a bunch of cars to make way for even more cars.
What else is going under the hammer? How about the actual 1973 Chevelle Malibu from Drive, seen above? It’s up for grabs and expected to fetch between €60,000 and €80,000. That’s strong money, but justified considering the impact the film had. Or how about the Peugeot 406 V6 from Taxi 2? Okay, it’s a bit more niche in North America than the “Drive” Chevelle, but come on. Would.
Anyway, back to the American Tradition. Reckon you’d buy the 6000 SUX for a dollar? Well, you’re probably going to want to bring a fair few of them. Bonhams expects this thing to fetch between €30,000 and €50,000, or between roughly $34,716 and $57,860. That’s not terrible when you think about the provenance of this screen car, and it’s still somehow easier to look at than some actual new cars you can buy today. If you can’t make it to Paris, you can also bid online.
Top graphic images: Bonhams; Orion Pictures