I could sworn one person owned the 55 Chevy and 32 for from AG for a time. I remember having an article about this in the 80s. I wish I still had it but my sister's coke head boyfriend cut it up to put coke in the pages. Am I wrong about this? I swore he got them both via sealed bids. I know Wayne newson in MD owned the 55 for awhile.
I am a fan of the movie but not all ******** wrapped up in either car like some people. Still I believe that both have changed hands several times over the years and there so damned many clones of both that you never know if you are around the real deal or just and exact clone. I'm still waiting for the American 32 coupe nationals where all the clone builders/owners can get together on one field and compare piss yellow and piston gear shift knobs. There were at least two clones at the Portland roadster show one year plus one Model A coupe prending to be a clone.
FB post quoted below with link... "Rick Figari of San Francisco has owned John Milner’s (Paul LeMat) yellow Deuce Coupe since the mid-1980s and he also has a black ’55 Chevy’s built for Graffiti and styled after 1971’s Two Lane Blacktop. The ’55 Chevy was driven in American Graffiti by Bob Falfa (Harrison Ford) and featured in the final dawn drag race with the yellow Deuce Coupe. The film’s transportation manager Henry Travers sold the cars cheaply after production wrapped and both the black ’55 Chevy and yellow ’32 Deuce Coupe were bought by Steve Fitch of Kansas City. Figari bought the ’32 in 1985, finding the piston gearshifter and THX 1138 license plate in the trunk. He bought the ’55 Chevy later and tours with them to hot rod shows, remaining amazed at the response. In an interview a few years ago, accompanied by Paul LeMat and Candy Clark, Figari recalled when he first realized that American Graffiti had evolved from pop culture to pop history. He was driving the ’32 on a California freeway “when a carload of kids pulled up alongside me. They wound down the windows and shouted ‘Hey is that the real car from American Graffiti?’ he said. “They were only about 20 years old – they weren’t even born when the film was made and I realized it had jumped generations.” One effect of car’s the historical significance is that Figari said knew he couldn’t change it from its movie condition. “The body shop that painted it offered to block it out and redo it – they just shot it quickly for the film, and it killed them it wasn’t that good.” Three black ‘55 Chevrolets were built for American Graffiti but the only survivor is unrecognizably modified. Figari said builder Richard Ruth had one extra car left after the movie, “so he built it exactly like Harrison Ford’s car, for me.” Rick is on the drivers side of the coupe" https://www.facebook.com/share/p/16DuyKpqmf/ https://www.hotrod.com/news/0102sr-american-graffiti-coupe So I gather from this he has the Original Coupe and one of 3 55's used in the movie...
Last year someone posted a link to a video about a shop going to undo the modifications to the real 55 and restore it to movie condition. Anybody seen more about that?
I didn't watch the videos of the Level 1 Restoration but suspect it was not Figari's 55. He said his was Richard Ruth's which was one of the 3 used for AG or was it a 4th that he had that never got used and he built a clone for him... Another in depth story on the AG 55s http://jeffsallgraffitiallthetime.blogspot.com/2012/02/i-newsome-guy-had-it-now-he-sold-it.html
Just to add; the white 58 chevy from the movie, last I knew, is owned by Ray Evernham . That was my favorite car of the movie.
Thanks @tb33anda3rd...and to you and all my Hamb friends if I've incorrectly stated or shared anything that is not true please advise...I like spreading the gospel not the garbage...I do my best...
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