One thing about recovering here in this glorious modern age is that one has free and easy access to a vast amount of movies, in a way never really possible before. Sure, maybe you had a huge DVD or Betamax collection, but if you have access to the internet and streaming services, you can pretty much think of a movie and have a good shot of finding it. One day not long ago, my pill-addled brains thought about a movie I hadn’t seen in a long time – the early ’80s horror-comedy classic An American Werewolf in London. It holds up, but more importantly, I had forgotten about all the great old British Iron in the movie, including one delightfully chaotic scene that smashes up an absurd amount of ’70s and early ’80s British market cars in Piccadilly Circus.
Also, look up there at the top image: the cop cars are amazing, as they are Rover SD1 cop cars, looking so sleek an modern, and even though these things were kind of a disaster of late ’70s British build quality, it seems that the cops genuinely loved these things. Also, that’s a Renault 16 (thanks, Ncbrit!) whizzing past.
Oh, and the dirty movie being shown at that theater? It’s called See You Next Wednesday? That is apparently a recurring joke in John Landis movies, showing up in some form in movies from the 1970s to well into the 2000s. It seems to have originated from a line in 2001: A Space Odyssey, and you can see a roundup of its appearances in movies in this handy anthology:
Look at all the important stuff you’re learning this morning! What a treat!
Anyway, let’s get to the wild automotive carnage from the werewolf movie. Oh, and I suppose I should note that, yes, there is a strangely buff werewolf in here, and there’s people getting mauled and hit with cars and flung through plate glass windows and all sorts of madness. So you’re warned.
Here it is:
What a mess, right? But so many great cars! Let’s look at a few specific ones:
Next to the double-decker bus is a Mk.2 Triumph 2000, an attractive Michelotti-styled sedan with a front end that matched the Triumph Stag sports coupé. These were never seen in America, for the most part, but are, I think, really attractive and appealing cars. These were also the last “big” Triumph, with the role of this car filled by the cop cars up there, the Rover SD1.
There’s just a ton of stuff here! A Jag, or possibly a Daimler, I think a Peugeot 504, and lots more. Plus, an Urgent Stock Clearance!
Look at this lovely Datsun Cherry, resplendent in yellow with a vinyl top, making what appears to be a cop sandwich with the car from yesterday’s Cold Start, a Hillman Avenger, as the other slice of bread! What are the odds?
I’m including this last shot because it has, over there on the left, a pretty uncommon Volkswagen Type 4 four-door sedan, and an early Range Rover nearby. There’s also, next to our SD1 cop car, an older Rover cop car, what looks to be a 3500.
(Commenters have pointed out what I thought was a VW Type 4 could be a Renault 20/30, and that’s definitely possible, even likely. I guess I just have some Type 4 biases to deal with.)
I’m not sure if I should apologize to you for throwing all this British car carnage in your face so early in the morning or not? If it bothered you, my apologies, but I hope for most of you this proved to be a great way to get excited for your day, which I hope is free of werewolves and being run over by anything from British Leyland.
I must have been around 12 years old when I saw this film on TV.
There’s a scene where the main guy is in the bathroom, opens the bathroom cabinet, closes the cabinet (which has a mirrored door), and in the reflection of the mirror he sees the half decomposed-face of his eaten-by-the-werewolf-and-now-dead friend, who is now standing behind him.
We had an almost identical cabinet in our bathroom, also with mirrored doors
For a week I would not look in that mirror when brushing my teeth before bed, for fear of seeing the reflection of a half-eaten face .
If you have Britbox, check out The Sweeney for awesome 70s car spotting. Several episodes featured a BL wedge car, and the trucking episodes used Ford Transcontinentals. There’s also some excellent film making and a younger John Thaw.
I like this car movie site: https://www.imcdb.org/movie_82010-An-American-Werewolf-in-London.html
“I once saw a Werewolf walking through SoHo with a Chinese menu in his hands.
His hair was perfect.”
And that’s all I am gonna say about that.
Funny, I saw a werewolf drinking a piña colada at Trader Vic’s and his hair was perfect, too.
Hah! I’d like to meet his tailor.
I’d assumed that “See You Next Wednesday” was actually a sly reference to ‘see you next Tuesday‘, which is a substitute for a certain four letter swear word (‘cunw‘ as it were).
I’d be amazed if that wasn’t the initial source of Landis’ reference when he wrote the screenplay as a teenager. I don’t see where else it could have come from.
Haven’t gone through the comments yet to see if it’s been covered, but the blue car in the background of the last photo is a Renault 30. The wagon in the ‘urgent stock clearance’ photo is, I think, a Vauxhall Victor. It’s definitely a Vauxhall.
My uncle ordered a brand new Rover SD1, proudly drove it home — and then found he could not get it in reverse.
Much swearing later, it was back at the dealers, who said they were baffled and procrastinated until a lawyers letter arrived, then took the gear box out and found — no reverse gear. Just left out.
So it was not noticed by the assembler — in those days humans built gear boxes, not robots, not noticed by the checker, put in the car, and made it through the assembly line, the parking waiting for the transporter, being loaded on to the transporter, unloaded at the dealer, and prepped for delivery, without anyone giving a shit.
My Uncle got his money back — he was a tall, lean farmer, as gentle as a lamb most of the time, but I have also seen him tackle cheeky bulls and win, and was no doubt a nightmare for the soft handed dealer staff.
He then bought a Toyota Crown, and stuck with Japanese cars for the rest of his life…
It is amazing that the British were able to create an empire that spanned the globe but not make a decent car. I say this as the owner of a late 70’s MG.
The ’70s were a craptacular shit-show for Britain and Britons. We got some really good music though, so there was an upside to go along with all the misery.
As for the cars, after owning a ’74 Vauxhall Viva and a ’77 Austin Maxi, I’ve owned Nissan cars ever since and never looked back. The Viva was a steaming pile of dog crap and the Maxi sills rotted out inside 10 years, even though it was assembled in NZ, where we don’t use salt on the roads in Winter.
The Malaise hit everyone hard, but Britain seemed to take it to another level. I think that’s why they went so absolutely apeshit when the fleet returned from the Falklands. They hadn’t had anything to celebrate in so long.
100% agree and good take. Meanwhile, when we arrived in NZ from Blighty at the end of 1974, as a young kid it was like stepping into paradise compared to what we had left behind. Adults in NZ may have seen things differently, but it was like the Malaise era bypassed us.
What’s really amazing is that it’s nighttime and all the lights on those Leyland cars appear to be functioning perfectly. Ah, Hollywood!
I had an SD1 police car as a kid! I wonder if my parents still have it…
I assume they gave it back to the officers when you were done, and apologized.
I watched this movie multiple times on VHS. One of my cherished childhood memories is watching that head bounce across the hood of the car.
The London police loved the SD1 so much, they stockpiled extras when production ended and kept introducing new ones into service for a few more years
I’m sure its easy to love a late 70s British car when you aren’t the owner and your employer pays for repairs!
Rick Baker did absolutely incredible work on this movie
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoXbRSTFsSE
Jason – if you want to see peak 1970s UK cars on the screen as you recuperate, may I encourage you to seek out TV shows ‘The Sweeney’ and ‘Minder’ for lots and lots of malaise era London locations and rusty sh!tbox autos. 🙂
Jason, you should make a series out of this. For the next installment, I recommend the original Pink Panther movie from 1963, which includes a chase through the streets of Rome involving costumed partygoers in ridiculously small cars. The final crash is only heard, not seen until the aftermath; the visual is the stoic face of an old man watching the proceedings. A brilliantly funny cinematic choice that no director would make today.
I love this film!
The guy who says “I can assure you this isn’t the least bit amusing” deserves to die just for that line and how he delivers it. Zero sympathy.
There are loads of hostile pubs just like the Slaughtered Lamb all over the North of England. Getting mauled to death and/or turned in to a werewolf is pretty much the best outcome.
Triumph 2000. First car I got to be a passenger in while my Dad drove me at a mind blowing 100mph back from Yorkshire to Exeter all leather and walnut with opening quarter windows so the old man’s Dunhills didn’t affect me so much – very kind of him.
I drove a seriously overloaded T2500 Estate over the Alps. Had to stop to let the brakes cool but it was quite a refined machine. I was seriously impressed.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/dEp7mj8BMRRqPExo6
Thats a great photo. Looks thoroughly loaded as well! The small six cylinder engine seemed to move it pretty well. Even though ours was a 3 speed Auto. I checked the rego as I still remember it NOD327G From the UK rego check it Looks like it was scrapped straight after our ownership where my parents bought a second hand Audi 80 I do remember it having a lot of rust issues even although we lived in Devon I think they must have salted the road and the garage was for Dads MG BGT.
It was overloaded because our 5 car caravan had just abandoned a Triumph Dolomite Sprint at 2500 feet when it blew a head gasket. Two of our party rolled it downhill into a town and rented a car to join us later. The other two passengers and all the dead car’s luggage got loaded into the survivors. I am happy to report that we finished the trip and the broken car was retrieved and fixed.
Gee, if the London coppers only carried guns… with silver bullets.
Every time I see this film, I’m left with one question: Wouldn’t you like to be a Pepper, too?
Not sure but that blue four door on the last image could be a Renault 20.
Yep, first thing I thought of Renault 20 or 30.
Definitely Renault 20/30
I think the blue estate ahead of the 504 and in front of the Dolomite is a Mk3 Cortina, and if I’m wrong, well, Cunningham’s Law tells us that there’s no better way to solicit a correct answer than to offer a wrong one.
I would counter that it’s a Vauxhall Victor Estate, (Wagon / Longroof / Break / Variant 🙂
Same ‘Coke’ bottle styling as the ‘Tina, but it has more angle-y passenger window corners and is one size up (Ford had the Granada at that size)
It is a Vauxhall Victor: https://www.imcdb.org/vehicle_875426-Vauxhall-Victor-Estate-FD-1968.html
That explains the lights looking a bit different, and the lovely side stripe (along the character line)!
Not vehicles, but I love that SANYO marquee sign…so wonderfully of its time, when that brand was all over the place.
I’m not sure it even exists anymore, and if it does, it’s probably making low end DVD players or something.
I enjoyed seeing the flyer for the Motels, apparently they were playing the Apollo Victoria Theatre
Per Mr. Google:
In 2009, Sanyo was acquired by Panasonic, and in 2011, it was fully consolidated into Panasonic and its brand disappeared. The company still exists as a legal entity for the purpose of winding up its affairs.
Wow. I used to have a Sanyo pocket radio back then, but really wanted a boombox, but you know, parents and all. Sigh.
See also Toshiba, Sharp, Akai A lot of the Japanese marks have slowly shriveled on the vine.
All tied up with a bow of British understatement: “There’s a disturbance in Piccadilly Circus involving some sort of mad dog.”
Oh thanks a bunch, Jason. I already had nightmares from Captain Muppet’s comment about man-eating zebras. Now this. Can we have something with cute puppies or cats for tomorrow’s Cold Start, please?
I’m very, very sorry.
Although, to be fair, I didn’t start the bloodthirsty zebra thread, I just took it a bit too far.
That Citroen Ami 8 appears to actually be a Renault 16
It’s all French to me.
Crap! You’re absolutely right! I fixed it.
Yep. Reminds me of my neighbor’s common refrain
“If you’ve seen one non-running French car, you’ve seen them all”
I’ll have you know that I own two French cars and I have some confidence that one of them almost certainly probably runs.