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As you cozy up for the season of classic Christmas movies, be sure to check out our list of the classic Christmas cars that helped make those films so memorable.
Classic Movie Christmas Cars
Everyone has their favorites when it comes to Christmas movies, but today we’re going to take a look at some of the classics, and one that manages to span the decades, with a focus on the cars of course. You’ll probably remember these classic Christmas cars, but perhaps you’re not familiar with the stories behind them. So when you’re cueing up Jimmy Stewart and Bing Crosby this holiday season, be sure to pay special attention to the cool Christmas cars these legends are driving.
It’s a Wonderful Life – 1919 Dodge Brothers Model 30 Touring
Jimmy Stewart playing George Bailey in the 1946 black-and-white film It’s a Wonderful Life has been a fixture of holiday TV programming for decades, and for good reason. This story about a good guy who struggles in life but finds redemption with the help of his guardian angel – on Christmas Eve – is excellent, and generally considered one of the best Christmas movies of all time. Throughout the film, there are a host of cool cars like Sam Wainwright’s gorgeous 1931 Duesenberg and of course Ernie’s GMC taxi, but it is the 1919 Dodge Brothers Model 30 Touring piloted by George Bailey that takes center stage.
Painted black with wooden wheels and a canopy top, this Dodge phaeton is praised by George in the face of the neighbors’ shiny new ride and later crashed into a tree before George meets his guardian angel. Later, George jumps for joy upon seeing the old jalopy when he realizes how wonderful life really is. That being said, the $475,000 recently spent at auction to acquire this all-time Christmas car would suggest it is anything but a jalopy. An official 20th Century Fox movie prop, this 1919 Dodge with a flathead four, making about 36 horsepower, is an indelible part of the holiday season.
Miracle on 34th Street – 1940 Ford V8 Standard Coupe
Another black-and-white classic from the 1940s, Miracle on 34th Street is the Academy Award-winning movie about a department store Santa Claus who claims to be the real thing. His effect on Susan, the little girl in the film, is clear when she spots a house for sale at the end of the movie. Riding around in a 1940 Ford V8 Standard coupe, she demands Uncle Fred stop the car so that she can run inside. In coupe form, the ’40 Ford had a simple bench seat up front with room for three. Sporting a split windshield, front vent windows, and as much as 85 horsepower, these 1940 Fords are favorites of hot rodders and a classic part of Christmas car history.
Holiday Inn -1942 Plymouth Special De Luxe
Filmed in 1942, Holiday Inn stars legendary sing-and-dance duo Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire strutting their stuff at an old farm converted into the Holiday Inn entertainment venue. There is a sweet 1942 Plymouth Special De Luxe wagon featured in the film that shuttles guests and their luggage between the Holiday Inn and train station, which is exactly what these wood-bodied wagons, or woodies, were originally designed for. An interesting note on this particular model year is that all domestic automakers were forced to halt production in 1942 as a result of World War II. This makes any vehicle from this year rather rare today, particularly a coach-built woodie. You wouldn’t know it from watching the movie when they drive the big beauty into a pond TWICE, something that would horrify car collectors today.
White Christmas -1950 Plymouth Special De Luxe Woodie Wagon
Produced 12 years after Holiday Inn, White Christmas brought with it a host of interesting parallels to the earlier Bing Crosby film, Holiday Inn. For one, he was again the star of a new movie with a title that matched the song of the same name that he performed in that earlier movie. Irving Berlin was the composer for both flicks, and of course, the song “White Christmas” has been on radio repeat for decades at Christmas time.
Another striking similarity was the use of a Plymouth Special De Luxe woodie wagon in White Christmas. Only this time, it was a 1950 model. Featuring a big Columbia Inn logo and roof rack, this later woodie was used in the movie for the same purpose as the 1942 version from Holiday Inn. Filmed in Technicolor, we get to fully enjoy how glorious these old woodies are and how they make for the ultimate in classic Christmas cars.
Scrooged – 1961 Cadillac Fleetwood 75 & 1978 Checker Taxi
Though a far more modern movie, relative to the black-and-white classics above, 1988’s Scrooged starring Bill Murray manages to touch on classic cars as far back as a be-finned 1961 Cadillac Fleetwood 75. While not much more than a stand-in vehicle, this classic ride is unceremoniously rear-ended by a yellow 1978 Checker taxi driven by the maniacal Ghost of Christmas Past in the movie.
Sporting wreaths on both ends, a license plate reading XMAS PAST, and garland strung around the cabin, this long-running Michigan-made taxicab easily earns a spot in the annals of classic Christmas cars thanks to some wild antics behind the wheel and spooky special effects. Including the scene where the taxi appears to drive right through a rarely-seen Divco (short for Detroit Industrial Vehicles Company) delivery truck that was likely built in the early 1950s.
Not only would this old Divco be a perfect candidate for Christmas truck duty, they are ready to join this list of Unsung Classics thanks to a funky, but forgotten, style. Don’t miss this rundown of Christmas movie cars for more fun holiday rides from the modern era.
