From Second Best To Movie And TV Icons - World Of Classic Cars -

Some major stars have made their names from being second choices. Al Pacino made his name as Michael Corleone when Jack Nicholson turned it down. Then he lost out when he turned down Han Solo – making Harrison Ford a star. And little known Sean Connery became one of the most famous names in the world when first choice Cary Grant turned down Bond. But what about the cars that have shot to stardom because the first choice car companies came up with excuses, were rejected or were just too precious to lend their wheels to would-be classic film and TV.

Pretty Woman

Ferrari and Porsche turned down one of the most popular films of all time as they didn’t want their cars associated with prostitutes. (Porsche didn’t seem to mind though that Tom Cruise drives prostitute Rebecca De Mornay around in his Dad’s 928)
Lotus, always up for promotion, jumped in with the Esprit and lent British sports car kudos to some classic scenes. Esprit sales tripled between 1990 and 1991.

The Saint

Jaguar were asked to supply the new E type for the 60s TV series with Roger Moore. They agreed but then failed to meet the deadlines.
With production looming Volvo were approached and a white P1800 was provided by a London agent. Volvo’s image changed from not just being safe and boxy to also being sexy and cool. Roger Moore loved the car so much he bought one for his daily drive.

James bond

After the success of Dr No, producers of Bond wanted an E-Type for their big screen spy hero. Jaguar turned them down, they felt they didn’t need Bond as they were already struggling to produce enough cars to meet demand. The 007 franchise turned to Aston Martin who obliged and in the process made the DB5 the most famous screen car in the world.

Herbie

The Love Bug wasn’t originally penned as a Beetle. The producers were looking for something lovable though and held auditions with various cars in their car park – those up for the role were Toyotas, a TVR, Volvos and an MG. But it was the VW Beetle that got the most attention from passers-by. It was noted that people ‘petted it and stroked it like it was a friend’.
The car was never branded in the film, no logos where shown and it was never billed as a VW. Yet over time Herbie and the Beetle have become synonymous with cute.

Magnum P.I.

A Porsche 928 was originally intended for the Hawaiian shirted PI, Thomas Magnum. But when producers asked Porsche to supply one with a larger sunroof for aerial shots, Porsche said they didn’t do special specifications! A Ferrari 308 GTS was chosen and became one of the most iconic cars of all time.