Whatever Happened To The Race Cars From Days Of Thunder?
Tom Cruise was on top of the world when he played a stock car racer, Cole Trickle, looking to strike it big in "Days of Thunder," which premiered in 1990. The movie was one of a string of major successes that established the actor as a box office draw and earned critical acclaim, cementing its spot among film and car buffs alike. Those fans have long wondered what happened to the cars, and recently, we got some new answers from YouTuber Coors Bandit, who located some of them. But you'll never guess where he found them.
According to Coors Bandit's video, the cars were found in two separate locations in the middle of the woods in Florida, where parts of the movie were shot. According to Coors Bandit, the two cars he located were stunt cars from the movie, specifically the Mello Yello-sponsored car Cruise's Trickle drove and the Hardee's-branded car operated by Cary Elwes' Russ Wheeler. As you might expect, given the location of the cars and climate conditions in the surrounding area, the vehicles purchased by Coors Bandit were not in the best shape.
More details on the junked 'Days of Thunder' cars
The Mello Yello car, beaten and rusted, was sitting in the woods without any wheels on it. Coors Bandit's acquisition of the vehicle was a bit of a headache as a result, having to go out to get new tires because the ones he brought to be able to move it didn't fit. The Hardee's car, though also beat up and filled with bugs, looked a decent bit better, although time and the elements have turned its paint job from orange and blue to white and blue. Coors Bandit has no plans to restore the cars, but he still wants to preserve them.
This is not the first time that one of the Mello Yello-branded Chevrolet Luminas from "Days of Thunder" has surfaced. The Hollywood Star Cars Museum in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, has one on display, while others have shown up for sale on sites like eBay and Classic Driver.
Besides coming at a particular point when Cruise was at the height of his powers, "Days of Thunder" also bears personal significance for the superstar, as the shoot was where he met his second wife and the mother of two of his children, Nicole Kidman. To those who saw it in theaters, though, it's best remembered as a snazzy racing flick with some cool cars, particularly the Mello Yello-sponsored car driven by Cruise's character, Cole Trickle.