History Main / InvincibleClassicCar

* ''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.

* ''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, and place on top of a 22-story building just before it was demolished. With minimal repairs, it re-started ''every single time''. It now has a place of honor in the ''Top Gear'' studio.

* {{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.

** On top of that, when they drove it into the studio, the frame (normally the sturdiest part of the car) wsa 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.

* ''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.
** 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.

* The [[Film/TheBluesBrothers Bluesmobile]] survives incredible abuse amidst ridiculous stunts until it 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.

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* 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.

* ''Series/{{Night Court}}'': Christine's father buys her a 1949 Oldsmobile. 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.

* 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 face as the only thing available to [[NotTheFallThatKillsYou decellerate them]].

* 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 RampJumps and other comparably destructive stunts.

* Justified in ''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.

* ''{{Night Court}}'': Christine's father buys her a 1949 Oldsmobile. 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.

* ''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, and place on top of a 22-story building just before it was demolished. With minimal repairs, it re-started ''every single time''. It now has a place of honor in the ''Top Gear'' studio.

Compare/contrast TheyDontMakeThemLikeTheyUsedTo, WatchThePaintJob and ThePreciousPreciousCar.

* The 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]].

* Volvo cars in general have the aura of indestructibilty.
* Subverted when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety marked its' 50th annniversary 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).

* The [[Film/TheBluesBrothers Bluesmobile]] survives incredible abuse amidst ridiculous stunts until it literally comes apart once the boys finally reach Daley Plaza.

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->If you crashed (a '56 Buick), they could wipe you off the dashboard and sell it to the next sucker!
-->'''[[TheTonightShow Jay Leno]]'''

* Subverted when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety marked its' 50th annniversary by crashing a 1959 Chevrolet Biscayne 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).

* In ''NeedForSpeed II'', 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.

* The ''[[Film/TheBluesBrothers Bluesmobile]] survives incredible abuse amidst ridiculous stunts until it literally comes apart once the boys finally reach Daley Plaza.

* The ''[[film/TheBluesBrothers Bluesmobile]] survives incredible abuse amidst ridiculous stunts until it literally comes apart once the boys finally reach Daley Plaza.

* ''{{Inspector Gadget}}'' has the [[CoolCar Gadgetmobile]], a 1964 Lincoln Continental.
* [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] in ''Film/{{Back to the Future}}'':

* Balthazar's 1935 Rolls Royce Phantom in ''TheSorcerersApprentice.''

* On 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.

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* In ''NeedForSpeed II'', 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.
* The [[AwesomeYetPractical 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]].

** This has garnered quite a bit of flak for bias; upon further inspection, the engine block and transmission were taken out of the Biscayne prior to the test. That's not to say the driver wouldn't have died, but the 59' would have plowed farther into the Malibu, killing that driver, with the added mass of the drive train.