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1->''"If you crashed (a '56 Buick), they could wipe you off the dashboard and sell it to the next sucker!"''
2-->-- '''Creator/JayLeno'''
3
4So, your character has an older car. It may be a CoolCar, the AllegedCar, or somewhere in between - but it has a slight gimmick. It can survive harsh crashes that would maim a modern car - it's the Invincible Classic Car. While old cars tend to survive crashes better than new ones, this trope usually exaggerates it. Only applies to classic cars (classic = 25+ years old at time of production) and the cars do not have to be ''completely'' invincible, per se. Commonly overlaps with WhatAPieceOfJunk.
5
6Contrary to popular myth, this is not TruthInTelevision. While pre-war manufacturers would go to extreme lengths to build cars that could survive extreme abuse - even to the extent of throwing them off cliffs and seeing if they still worked - this was simply because the uses of a car were much different. Indeed, the Model T was designed to operate in a world without paved roads outside of cities, and was often even used as a stationary engine for farming.
7
8As the world modernized in the post war period, manufacturers traded agricultural ruggedness for style, refinement and planned obsolescence. While a 1950's yank tank may look large and imposing, the rapid yearly style changes left little time for structural engineering - they simply focused on creating the most fashionable coachwork and placed it over primitive ladder frames.
9
10The biggest reason for this trope in real life, however, is the "crumple zone" misconception. Modern cars use are designed to dissipate crash energy by spreading it across the frame as evenly as possible, and into sacrificial areas. The energy of the impact is thus spread throughout the car and not ''into the passengers''. The idea of a "crumple zone" is misunderstood to mean the car collapses like an accordion; since vintage ones don't have them (and are built in a much heavier-looking way), they are falsely assumed to be stronger. [[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=C_r5UJrxcck The reality is quite different.]]
11
12In fiction of course, the heroes are MadeOfIron or wear PlotArmor, so the Invincible Classic Car surviving treatment that would shred a modern car just goes to show how cool it is.
13
14Compare/contrast TheyDontMakeThemLikeTheyUsedTo, BreakOutTheMuseumPiece, ChronicallyCrashedCar, WatchThePaintJob and ThePreciousPreciousCar.
15----
16!!Examples
17
18[[foldercontrol]]
19
20[[folder:Advertising]]
21* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoNpg8PDEKw This]] 21st Century ad has a 1962 Cadillac parallel park by smashing the front and rear of two Miatas in its way. While the two new cars were drivable but damaged badly, the Caddy lacked ''even a scratch''.
22[[/folder]]
23
24[[folder:Fanfiction]]
25* [[http://bg.battletech.com/forums/fan-fiction/top-gear-3025/ Top Gear 3025]] has the unlikely instance of the presenters of the time of writing (Clarkson, Hammond, and May) being brought into the Successor States to do what they usually do--with Battlemechs. Among the series-congruent insanity, it is found that the infamous Hilux is '''still''' the truck of choice--just updating the construction.
26[[/folder]]
27
28[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
29* Film/{{Christine}} was not technically invincible, but could repair herself given a chance.
30* ''Film/InspectorGadget1999'' has the [[CoolCar Gadgetmobile]], a 1964 Lincoln Continental.
31* [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] in ''Film/BackToTheFuturePartII'':
32-->'''Marty:''' Let's land on him, we'll cripple his car.
33-->'''Doc:''' Marty, he's in a '46 Ford; we're in a [=DeLorean=]. He'd rip through us like we were tinfoil.
34* Balthazar's 1935 Rolls Royce Phantom in ''Film/TheSorcerersApprentice.''
35* ''Film/TheBluesBrothers'': The Bluesmobile survives incredible abuse amidst ridiculous stunts until it [[CriticalExistenceFailure literally comes apart]] once the boys finally reach Daley Plaza. Though unusually for this trope, it was only five years old at the time of filming. It was on a Mission from God, though.
36* In Film/Drive2011, the Driver's 1973 Malibu survives enough abuse to render it undrivable during his RoaringRampageOfRevenge, yet emerges unscathed, [[spoiler: even after he rams a late model Lincoln Town Car off a cliff.]]
37[[/folder]]
38
39[[folder: Literature]]
40* Literature/{{Stephanie Plum}} occasionally is forced to drive her grandfather's 1953 Buick, which has damaged many other cars but has never been dented or scratched.
41** The Buick is the ''only'' car Stephanie has driven not to get stolen or [[EveryCarIsAPinto explode]].
42** Constantly [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]], [[RunningGag hilariously]].
43* Boko Fittleworth's car in ''Literature/JoyInTheMorning'' is an early example:
44-->It was a thing about the size of a young tank, which he had bought second-hand in his less oofy days and refused to part with because its admirable solidity served him so well in the give and take of traffic. He told me once that it brushed ordinary sports models aside like flies, and that his money would be on it even in the event of a collision with an omnibus.
45* Justified in ''Literature/GoodOmens''. Crowley's car is a Bentley from the 20s, which still is in perfect condition when the book (which takes place some time in the late 80s) starts. Of course, Crowley is a fallen angel, and when he decides he wants something around him to be a certain way, reality usually realigns itself accordingly. That's why the antique can do 90 miles an hour, and has a tape deck.
46* {{Downplayed}} example in ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'', where it's something of a running gag for the Blue Beetle, Harry Dresden's [=VW=] Bug, keeps getting disabled and partly demolished in the process, only for [[TheGhost Mike the Mechanic]] to resurrect it from the dead. Over the course of the series, it's been fixed over and over again with a series of replacement parts with mismatched paint and a [[Film/TheLoveBug 53 graffitied onto the hood]]. During the course of events in ''Literature/{{Changes}}'', it gets put down for good.
47* Parodied in ''[[Literature/NurseryCrime The Fourth Bear]]'', when Jack Spratt buys a ''self-repairing'' 1979 Austin Allegro ([[TheAllegedCar not a car most people would consider a "classic"]], but Jack does), with a portrait of a beat-up old wreck in the boot, from a man named [[Literature/ThePictureOfDorianGray Gray]]. [[spoiler: Eventually the damage he inflicts on it is too much for the picture to handle, and the whole thing ''implodes''.]]
48[[/folder]]
49
50[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
51* ''Series/{{Night Court}}'': Christine's father buys her a 1958 Buick Roadmaster. She gets in an accident and the car flips several times; the only injury she or the car suffers is that she chips a nail.
52* ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' has a 1967 Chevrolet Impala that may or may not be intelligent. She (referred to as their baby) is indestructible even after a major crash in the first season, and had a hand (wheel rim) in saving the world.
53** Although in a slight aversion, Dean is shown to spend a lot of time working on repairing the car when it receives major damage.
54* ''Series/{{Angel}}'''s '67 Plymouth managed to survive multiple collisions and various forms of abuse, including a trip to a Hell dimension without so much as a scratch.
55* ''Series/TopGear'' purchased an ancient Toyota Hilux pick-up truck which they proceeded to drive down a set of concrete stairs, crash into a tree, submerge in the sea, drive through a shed, set on fire, drop a caravan on it, hit with a wrecking ball, and place on top of a 22-story building just before it was demolished. With minimal repairs (the only part they replaced after being damaged was the windshield, and that was so they could continue abusing the truck without risking harm to the driver), it re-started ''every single time''. It now has a place of honor in the ''Top Gear'' studio.
56** On top of that, when they drove it into the studio, the frame (normally the sturdiest part of the car) was held together by the body (there to streamline and make it look pretty). Since body-plates are usually not held on by much (making them easier to replace), that really says something about the Hilux's construction.
57** When driving to the North Pole, guess which model of car they chose.
58** Toyota Hilux is the basis for both the Finnish Army Engineers' minelaying vehicle and minesweeping vehicle - tasks usually reserved for specialized tanks. Hilux is far cheaper than a tank and can do most such tasks as well as any tank.
59*** Additional bonus is that it is also lighter than a tank and will not detonate undetected anti-tank mines, while it is durable enough to stand the explosion of anti-personnel mines.
60* On ''Series/BurnNotice'', Michael drives a 1973 Dodge Charger that his father had owned. This car has survived being blown up twice and shot repeatedly while the more modern cars owned by everyone else have generally been destroyed.
61** In the pilot, this trope is discussed. Michael specifically picks a classic car without airbags so that after a collision when his opponent will be disabled and distracted by his airbag, Michael will be free to get out and tie him to his steering wheel.
62* ''Series/TheDukesOfHazzard'''s '69 Charger surely counts. To be sure, the reality was that they destroyed so many of them that towards the end of the series they began to have difficulty finding any more to smash up, but the on-screen portrayal (truckload of continuity errors notwithstanding) is of one single car that survived no end of {{Ramp Jump}}s and other comparably destructive stunts.
63* ''Series/{{Chuck}}'' Casey's Crown Vic ''just'' falls under "classic" at the time of filming (it's an '85, and the series began in 2007). While his first car ''does'' get blown up, the replacement is just as MadeOfIron as Casey himself. In one episode it survives being ''crashed through the middle of a restaurant'' and drives off again.
64** The '71 Challenger Chuck and Sarah use early in "Chuck Vs. the Colonel" is no less rugged. Although it ''does'' get its windshield blown out in a gunfight, Chuck is able to run down a Fulcrum agent with no visual damage, and any return fire that hits the grill and chassis just plinks off.
65* Zig-zagged in ''Series/AgentsOfSHIELD'' with the Ghost Rider's '69 Dodge Charger. The car is practically invincible when the Ghost Rider is behind the wheel. However, when Daisy is behind the wheel of the car while Robbie is in a ghost realm, the car can be damaged. But when he comes back to the normal realm and making a new deal with the Rider, the car becomes invincible once again.
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67
68[[folder:Video Games]]
69* A variation appears in ''VideoGame/Cyberpunk2077'', where the 50 year old Archer Hella is described as so reliable that most customers never bought another car, almost bankrupting the company. In-game, the Hella is also very sturdy, able to survive a considerable amount of abuse before throwing in the towel.
70* In ''VideoGame/NeedForSpeedII'', there's a bonus car (accessible by a Cheat Code) called the "Bomber BFS", which is a Hot Rod based on a 1957 Chevrolet. Not only is it capable of surviving damage, but it also apparently has the ability to ram traffic cars out of the way.
71* The [[http://half-life.wikia.com/wiki/Muscle_Car Muscle Car]] in ''VideoGame/HalfLife2: Episode Two'' is a 1969 Dodge Charger stripped down, with modified engine. It looks [[WhatAPieceOfJunk exactly as you imagine it]], but can shrug off anything you do to it, including multiple {{Ramp Jump}}s in quick succession, excessive chases under heavy gunfire and [[CarFu running Hunters over]]. In fact, the only breakdown it ever suffers is [[PlotDrivenBreakdown scripted]].
72* ''VideoGame/WatchDogs'': At the start of one mission, Jordi mentions an experience from a past job of his, where he was driving a vintage '70s muscle car ("Y'know, when an 'automobile accident' was still called a fuckin' ''car crash''") when some rival hitmen in a "plastic, eco-friendly shitbug" tried to ram him off the road. Jordi recalls only feeling a small "ping" as they rebounded off his car entirely and totaled themselves on a parked van.
73* Subverted in ''VideoGame/MafiaII''. Cars don't crumple as hard as their real-world counterparts, but any major collision would either seriously injure Vito or kill him outright, similar to the Mini as described in the RealLife section where the car was mostly intact yet it was still a rolling death trap to its occupants due to rapid deceleration and the steering column impaling the driver.
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76[[folder:Webcomics]]
77* ''Webcomic/ShotAndChaser'': While loading up Olly's hail dented 1990 Oldsmobile he jokes that the cruiser will last longer than he will.
78[[/folder]]
79
80[[folder:Web Video]]
81* A common point in ''WebVideo/RegularCarReviews'' is how 1950s-70s American cars' rigid construction meant that in a collision with a modern car, the classic car would survive but the driver would not. From the review of the 1956 Oldsmobile Super 88:
82-->'''And when you're driving in traffic...''': "O-oh am I taking too long on this stoplight? wh-wh-what're you gonna do? Honk at me? OOH. Or maybe you have neck tattoos and a mushy brain and you're gonna bump me from behind on your Dodge Durango. O-oh go ahead, run into me, I dare you! I have 16 gauge steel all around me and your kit-kat plastic SUV will shatter! O-yeah yeah I'll be dead because there's no seatbelts or head restraints and the steering column will impale me but -heh- your day will be ruined!"
83[[/folder]]
84
85[[folder:Real Life]]
86* The perceptions of Classic Cars being Invincible (or at least more invincible than modern cars) comes from the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body-on-frame Body on Frame]] method of construction. In this manner the critical parts of the car's structure, the frame, was protected by a shroud of thick gauge cosmetic steel. All sorts of minor accidents could be "fixed" by replacing or repairing the dented body panels. Cars with a Unibody construction risk damaging critical elements of the frame in even a minor impact and moreover are also designed to be sacrificed in order to absorb impact energy to protect the occupants. Rigid frames do not crumple (easily) leaving the occupant's body as the only thing available to [[NotTheFallThatKillsYou decelerate them]].
87** In short, Jay Leno's line at the top of the page is to be taken literally. In the older cars, the drivers and passengers ''were'' the crumple zones.
88** Even if the frame was damaged, there were ways available to straighten them out and return the car to the road.
89** Note that at the time these designs were being used average road speeds were far lower than they are today.
90* The original Mini was subjected to a [[https://youtu.be/4RLhAPQHf60 crash test]] in a ''Series/FifthGear'' episode. While the Mini's stiff frame allowed it to largely shrug off the collision with a more modern Lexus sedan, it placed all the G-forces on the occupants themselves as with the examples above, especially with the lack of airbags and seatbelts.
91* Jay Leno had, in his collections of funny newspaper titles, a story about a '57 Chevy which stalled across a railroad crossing with a train oncoming. The train was totaled. Not a scratch on the car.
92* Volvo cars in general have the aura of indestructibility. A huge part of the company's marketing is built around its reputation for safety, especially given how many automotive safety features the company either invented outright or otherwise popularized. In TheSeventies, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration used the Volvo 240 as their benchmark when formulating safety standards, and in TheEighties they ran [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPp5mhl3C2c ads]] in which they drove the Volvo 760 off a fourteen-meter drop (about 45 feet) right onto its nose in order to demonstrate how safe it was.
93** In [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9NRDfDIxcc another advert]], several Volvos were stacked on top of one another to emphasise the rigidity of the roof structure and passenger cell.
94* Subverted when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety marked its 50th anniversary by [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_r5UJrxcck crashing a 1959 Chevrolet Bel Air into a 2009 Chevrolet Malibu]]. Both cars were destroyed beyond repair at 35 mph, but the modern car's driver would've had a few cuts and bruises while the '59's driver would've been killed instantly (read: impaled on the steering column and crushed between the dashboard and the seat). Granted, though, Chevy had switched to [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle_frame#X-frame x-frames]] in 1959, which offered poor performance in a crash and was dropped in 1964. A '64 likely wouldn't have fared any better.
95* While not a motor car, the Nokia 3310 is a fairly old mobile telephone compared to modern smartphones. While it lacks many of the advanced features of the newer phones, it is much smaller, and has a reputation for invincibility; it can be dropped from six stories up, be run over by a lorry, or even being immersed briefly in water. Now contrast with a modern Iphone whose screen cracks when tapped too hard.
96* Averted in case of rust protection. Because of advancements in rustproofing technology a car that is 15 years old now would probably be less rusty than a 5-year-old car in the late 50s.
97* This trope can be enforced and/or double-subverted if the car in question is an UpdatedRerelease or a restomod of a classic car. While many classic cars don't see reproduction in their future, some carmakers started making replica copies or updated versions of their classic cars with the modern technologies applied. Case in point, Superformance and AC Cars, the latter being the original creator of AC Cobra sports cars, make updated versions of their cars with modern technologies, including electric powertrain if the buyers desire.
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