The Simpsons is a cult animated series that has been broadcast for decades. And sometimes it is called prophetic, because indeed its writers managed to predict events in our world in advance. However, they depict reality in the present tense very reliably, using, in particular, real cars as prototypes. And in the entire long history of the creation of "The Simpsons" there have appeared at least a hundred of them, and these are not only cars, but also police cars, prison and tourist buses, tractors and motorcycles, and even a hearse.
1. Ford
Perhaps it is this car that takes the lead in the number of appearances in the series "The Simpsons". There are half a dozen Mustangs alone. On a 1964 car, as well as later, eighties - early nineties. For example, one of them was ridden by the son of the mayor of Springfield, and the other is the newlyweds who are leaving for their honeymoon.
Another model of this brand, which is found in several variations in the animated series, is the Ford Thunderbird. So, her rear bumper is perfectly visible in the scene of a date between a couple in love, and in another series, the 1966 model can be thoroughly examined in full.
Other Ford vehicles that appeared in The Simpsons include the 1965 Ford Galaxie 500, the 1977 Ford LTD II Squire and the Ford f-150 in the late 1970s.
2. Chevrolet
Models of another famous auto concern appear in the series quite often. We are talking about Chevrolet, and cartoonists preferred to choose cars from a wide variety of time periods. For example, the earliest model to appear in The Simpsons is the Chevrolet Advanced Design, and it was produced between July 28, 1947 and 1955. However, this choice of screenwriters is not accidental: this machine was in great demand at one time and was the leader in sales.
Another popular car seen in The Simpsons is the 1984 Chevrolet Corvette. Models such as the 1968 Chevrolet Nova, the 1973 Chevrolet Bel Air and the 1973 Chevrolet Monte Carlo also made a glimpse of the series.
In fairness, the characters of the series also ride on the later brainchildren of the concern: for example, the 1997 Chevrolet Suburban also appeared in the cartoon, the capacity of the trunk of which is quite clearly demonstrated in one of the series. Another car that featured on the show was a 2006 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible, in this case a hot pink barbie concept.
3. Cadillac
Quite often, Cadillac models appear in The Simpsons: these representative cars were very often in the possession of wealthy people there. For example, the character of a Texas millionaire drives a 1976 Cadillac Eldorado. This choice is quite reasonable: in different years, the owners of various modifications of this model were John F. Kennedy, the Iranian Shah and even Elvis Presley.
By the way, the legendary singer was a big fan of the cars of this particular auto concern. And this fact was immortalized in The Simpsons once again: as a present there was presented a car that Elvis Presley gave to his mother - a pink Cadillac Fleetwood. The history of this car in the family of a famous performer became very popular in America, which was marked by the appearance of the phrase: He dreams of buying a pink Cadillac for his mother."
In fact, on the "Cadillacs" in "The Simpsons" who just did not go - and mafiosi, and taxi drivers, and journalists, and even the owners of brothels. One day Homer Simpson wanted to buy a 1964 Cadillac, which is, in fact, an ambulance. The car of this brand also appeared in the series about zombies, and for this plot the animators chose not just a passenger car, but a 1989 Cadillac Hearse hearse. This decision turned out to be correct, because the series ended up being very atmospheric.
4. Cars of European brands
The cars of concerns from European countries are widely represented in the cult animated series. A striking example of this trend is the appearance of "Germans" on the screen. For example, the character of Dr. Hibbert drives the now iconic Mercedes-Benz G-Class, also known as the Geländewagen. In addition to her, several cars of this brand also appeared in various series - Mercedes-Benz S-class, Mercedes-Benz CLK and Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Coupe.
Another cars produced by the concern from Germany, which repeatedly appear in The Simpsons, are various Volkswagen models. Among them, of course, was the legendary "Beetle", and not quite an ordinary one, but the Volkswagen beetle convertible, which is a convertible. Such a machine was released in reality in the seventies of the last century. You can also see the characters behind the wheel of the same "Beetle", but already produced in 1998 and several other models, for example, the Volkswagen Thing.
Multipliers and Scandinavian producers were not spared. Several cars of the Swedish carmaker Volvo appear in The Simpsons. Of course, today the department of passenger cars of this brand belongs to the Chinese, but Lenny's character drives a Volvo-960 model, which was produced in the period from 1990 to 1994, that is, even in his historical homeland. And there was also an interesting hybrid of two cars of this brand - the artists took the back from the S 80 model, and the front from the S 70.
When the family of American Simpsons travels to the UK, they prefer to drive there in a car from a local manufacturer - Austin Motor Company Ltd. Moreover, they chose not just one of their most famous models, but also one that clearly demonstrates the British craving for conservatism and the preservation of traditions. After all, we are talking about the legendary Mini Cooper, which, according to the Novate.ru editors, has a design that has not changed from the very beginning of the model's release, that is, since 1959.
Cars from the last century, which were produced in the countries of the socialist camp, also appeared in the animated series. So, for example, when Homer Simpson came to a sale of used cars, cunning sellers tried to sell him a hybrid of two cars produced in Eastern Europe at once - the GDR's Trabant 601 presented the body to the car, the Yugoslavian Oskar-Velorex three-wheeled chassis. But the model from the very heart of the socialist camp, from the Soviet Union, which can be seen during the viewing, turned out to be a VAZ-2105, which in Western countries, along with the VAZ-2107, was known as Lada Nova.
5. Asian cars
Machines made in Asian countries are represented in the "Simpsons" somewhat less than others, but they are still not deprived of attention. The clearest example of the appearance of, say, Japanese cars is one of the most famous Toyota models - the 1995 camry. It is such a car, and "drowned", belongs to the character director Skinner.
Another Japanese car company that appears in the famous cartoon is Honda. Moreover, in this case, animators also stopped at the image of cars of the same model, but different years of production. We are talking about the Honda civic, only one of them was released from the assembly line in 1980, and the second - five years later. In fairness, it should be clarified that in one of the cars, which also appears in the cartoon, some motorists identified a 1979 Honda Accord model, but this is not certain.
The authors of The Simpsons did not stop at two Japanese car brands. In one of the series, they noticed a glimpse of a small, but rather famous car of an equally famous manufacturer from the land of the rising sun. In this case, it was the Suzuki swift model - in the animated series, Lenny's character had to ride it.
6. Unusual cars
The town of Springfield, home to the typical American Simpsons family, although it bears the same name as the town in Illinois, is fictional. However, they still wrote it from real cities, of which there are hundreds in the United States. Therefore, not only average passenger cars, but also much more original cars drive along the streets there. For example, the Amphicar-770 amphibious vehicle, which went on sale in the sixties of the last century.
The character Serpent owns a no less entertaining specimen - his car is generally flying. But not every man in the street knows that such a car actually exists. True, he only flies in the frames of the film "Nerds from Hazzard." This is the Dodge Charge R / T, also known as the 1969 General Lee.
Another non-trivial light car that appeared in The Simpsons is the solar car. True, in the animated series, any of the original cars was not demonstrated - the animators depicted a kind of hybrid, which makes up a generalized concept of cars of this type. And motorists have determined that the design of this non-trivial vehicle has the characteristic features of the Solar Powered Blue Car model from the Italian design studio Pininfarina and the French battery manufacturer Bollore.
7. Buses
There is no city in which you cannot find buses - the Simpsons also have them. For example, given that the family of the protagonists has school-age children, it is not surprising that in a number of episodes you can find the famous yellow school bus there - in this case, it was copied from a real-life Ford 3800 school bus, which is one of the most popular models of this type of transport.
Shown in the cult animated series and transport for intercity flights. True, the citizens of the fictional Springfield are forced to travel, for example, to New York, who are forced to take a bus that is far from being the most modern. After all, the animators drew a model D-4500 manufactured by Motor Coach Industries International Inc., and this one was assembled back in the fifties of the last century.
The truly legendary buses, which are famous all over the world and have become real symbols of their country, also appeared in The Simpsons. One of these is the excursion transport that carries tourists to Hollywood - Hollywood topless tour bus. Moreover, the second word in this case means the presence of an open top in the bus.
Another famous bus that is known all over the world, which appeared in the cartoon, is the legendary two-decker English MCW Metrobus. This car is one of the most popular models of this type of public transport. By the way, he was not the only double-decker bus that was shown in "The Simpsons" - similar was shown in the series, where the action takes place in Vancouver.
8. Historic and vintage cars
In the long-term broadcast of The Simpsons, there was also a place for episodes where famous historical figures and events were mentioned. For example, the Fuhrer of the Third Reich, Adolf Hitler, was portrayed as driving his favorite car - Mercedes 770 By 1935 production year.
And in another episode, they showed the car of the famous couple of American criminals Bonnie and Clyde, who drove a Ford-8 model. The latter was painted riddled: according to the Novate.ru editors, on the day of the arrest in 1934, the car was fired upon, and a total of 160 bullets were fired into it.
Quite a few vintage cars appeared in the series of "Simpsons", and not only those that can be called pre-war, but also those that have already crossed the mark of one hundred years from the date of release. For example, a 1929 Duesenberg j convertible coupe appeared in one of the series, and the rare Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8A, which was released a year later, was shown in another.
However, the most "old" car, which appeared in the cult American animated series, was the 1909 Ford-T. The car that was considered an alternative to the horse in The Simpsons was owned by avid collector Charles Montgomery Burns, also known as Monty.
Interesting fact: this famous car, although it was very popular, at the same time managed to get from its owners a whole set of sharp and even offensive nicknames - "Tin Lizzie", "Betty Jumping", "Shake", "Chicken Coop", "Detroit Misfortune" and, even the Losers' Car.
9. Military equipment
In several episodes of The Simpsons, the action takes place in the army, or troops appear there. Accordingly, animators draw military equipment repeatedly and in different variations. For example, one of the most famous American military trucks of the middle of the last century, the 1957 Studebaker M35A2, appeared in the series. Among other cars that were seen by the cartoon characters and the audience, there was also a Hummer V-998 from 1986.
Often, cartoonists also depicted armored vehicles. Most often, these were American-made tanks - the Sherman M4A3 machine from the Second World War, the more modern Abrams M1A1, and others. The authors and other military vehicles also did not pass by: for example, in one of the series, the Stryker M-1129 self-propelled mortar manufactured by General Dynamics Land Systems was lit up.
There was also a place for military air transport in the cartoon. Several times in the series, helicopters of various modifications flashed, among which, perhaps, the most famous is the Boeing AH-64 Apache model, which has been in service with the American Air Force for almost half a century.
10. Special transport
As in any average city, in cartoon Springfield, special vehicles also drive on the roads that provide services to local residents and maintain the infrastructure of the population. For example, a garbage truck rides the streets, which is copied from a real-life Volvo WX Tandem with side loading 1997 release. And on the tracks, the characters once met a timber truck, in which motorists recognized the Mack RW733, which was produced at the end of the last century.
Also, in every city there will definitely be emergency vehicles. In one of the episodes, the protagonist steals a fire engine, which in real life is manufactured by the Seagrave Fire Apparatus Company, located in Clintonville, Wisconsin. This choice is not surprising, since this company supplies transport to the fire departments of New York, Los Angeles and Washington, being the largest manufacturer. The ambulances, for example, the Ford / Horton ambulance classic, which roamed the American expanses in the nineties of the last century, were also noted in The Simpsons.
Police vehicles appear quite often in the series "The Simpsons". These are patrol cars - for example, suddenly, in a series illustrating the twenty-first century, the Ford Galaxie-500 model appeared, which drove on American roads fifty years ago. The 1976 Ford Maverick and the 1992 Ford Crown Victoria were other models believed to be the prototypes for the police cars in the series. There was a place in the cartoon and patrol motorcycles - one of them was the Kawasaki Police 1000.
11. Other cars
But even the above considerable list does not reflect all the variety of cars that the Simpsons animators were not too lazy to draw. Taxis such as the 1992 Ford NYC taxi or the older 1957 Ford Fairlane 500 Classic ride the streets of Springfield. Sometimes an ice cream van appeared in the series - the 1989 GMC utilimaster.
In a number of episodes, the characters drive or notice narrowly targeted vehicles that are used in special places. For example, the Yamaha golf car, or the Parking Enforcement GO-4 valet, and on one of his adventures in Tokyo, Homer Simpson stole an airport service car.
In addition to the topic: but it also happens vice versa, when something is transferred from the fictional world to the real one - 6 fun garden office houses inspired by TV shows and movies