Yellow ’32 Ford Coupe From “American Graffiti”
Where were you in ’62? Or truthfully, where were you in 1973, the year George Lucas’ American Graffiti was released. Though the film kickstarted the careers of Harrison Ford and Ron Howard, it made it’s featured cars even more iconic. Bad boy John Milner (Paul LeMat) drove around in a bright yellow 32′ Deuce Coupe, ending the movie in a fantastic drag race scene. The ’32 Ford was chosen for the movie because of its chopped top but had to go through a bit of modification before it was movie ready. Filmmakers took it in to add motorcycle front fenders, aluminum headlight stanchions, and a fresh coat of paint. They also dyed the interior from red and white to a matte black. Collector Rick Figari now owns the car. He drove it for a while and took it to shows across California for a while before retiring it as a daily driver. He said in an interview that he would often be stopped by people of all ages, asking if he had the original movie model. Figari said it was then that he “realized it had jumped generations.”