Here's Where The 1967 Plymouth GTX From 'Tommy Boy' Is Today
Vehicles used in film often become objects of obsession among car fans and movie buffs alike. Most people can only dream of owning these cars, but a handful of lucky diehards get the chance to bring them home to treasure forever, which is an excellent way to hold on to a piece of film history. These movie vehicles — and other rare models — often go up for auction given their unique history.
Though it's not a car movie by any stretch of the imagination, the 1995 buddy comedy "Tommy Boy" starring the late Chris Farley, David Spade, and Bo Derek featured a classic ride that many have wanted to get their hands on. The car in question is a 1967 Plymouth, and the set had several of them for filming. However, fans should know that there was a bit of movie magic used on this car. The vehicle has a 1967 Plymouth GTX badge, but that's not actually the model of this car.
The false GTX
Movies are works of fiction, so it makes sense that sometimes film sets have to use a bit of creativity to transform props into something they're not. In this case, the "Tommy Boy" script called for a Plymouth GTX; however, the story goes, the production crew couldn't find one. Instead, a Plymouth Satellite Convertible was used, and the film crew installed GTX badges in the appropriate places, according to Motor Biscuit. This decision may sound like deception, but the GTX is the Satellite's highest trim, meaning it's not entirely a different car.
One of these 1967 Plymouth Satellite movie cars went up for auction through Barrett-Jackson and sold for $71,500, and one of the rebadged Satellites — this one in far worse shape — went up for auction through Mecum Auctions. This car model isn't super special, which means that was a pretty excellent sale price. It's rare for vehicles that were used in films to have their current whereabouts known, and it's even more out of the ordinary that a mislabeled example would sell for so much. In the case of the Barrett-Jackson auction, that particular vehicle is said to have featured some modifications for filming, including structural adjustments for filming spins and mounting a camera in front of the windshield, meaning it was probably used for stunts.