what Kind Of Car Was CHRISTINE?

Christine is one of Stephen King’s most iconic and sinister inanimate objects. Both the chilling 1983 novel and the popular 1984 movie adaptation featured a bright red and white 1958 Plymouth Fury with a mind of its own. This classic car had a dangerous obsession with its nerdy owner Arnie Cunningham.

Let’s explore the mysteries surrounding the car Christine, from the original novel to the film adaptation to the real-life Plymouth Fury models. We’ll uncover fascinating details for fans of this demonic muscle car.

The Origins of Christine in the Novel

In Stephen King’s novel, Christine is a two-door 1958 Plymouth Fury that’s described as “red and white and fabulous.” This old car is purchased by Arnie Cunningham, an unpopular high school senior who becomes unhealthily obsessed with restoring Christine.

As Christine gets repaired, she develops a dangerous consciousness and starts protecting Arnie, even killing anyone who upsets him. Christine is portrayed as a supernatural presence that possesses Arnie and haunts the small town the book is set in.

Key details about Christine in the novel:

• Year: 1958
• Make & Model: Plymouth Fury 2-Door Coupe
• Colors: Originally red and white. Later described as all red after repairs.
• History: Christine is 20 years old when Arnie buys her. She was previously owned by an older man named Roland LeBay who died inside the car.
• Altered Form: Christine can supernaturally repair any damage done to her through a form of possession.
• Powers: Christine has the power to lock doors, turn on the engine, kill people, and control the radio all on her own as if she is possessed.

The backstory given about Christine’s original owner Roland LeBay establishes that the car was likely manipulated into being evil through LeBay’s ownership. Christine essentially haunts and corrupts Arnie throughout the book, ultimately leading to his death.

How Christine Was Portrayed in the Movie

The 1984 adaptation of Christine brought the haunted Plymouth Fury to life on the big screen. The movie makes several changes to Christine’s paint color and backstory.

In the film, Christine is shown in these incarnations:

• Damaged and rusting red and white paint when Arnie first buys her
• Covered completely in grime before the repairs are completed
• Bright cherry red paint with a white top once repaired

Rather than being previously owned by Roland LeBay, this version of Christine was assembled in Detroit before being sold to Arnie. The film still maintains the storyline of Christine becoming self-aware and completely devoted to Arnie after being restored.

Special effects coordinator Roy Arbogast handled bringing the possessed Christine to life for the film. Complex mechanical rigs were built into over 20 Plymouth car bodies to allow Christine to drive herself and be filmed destroying herself and other cars.

The movie solidified Christine’s status as a horror icon and introduced her menacing personality to wider audiences through the memorable special effects and kills.

The Plymouth Fury Models Used to Create Christine

So what real-life Plymouth models were used during the production of the novel and film? Here are the cars that formed the basis for the demonic Christine:

The Book

Stephen King is said to have visualized a red and white 1958 Plymouth Fury coupe when writing the original novel. However, Plymouth did not actually manufacture any two-door Fury models until 1959.

The novel's setting of Pennsylvania in the late 1970s meant King drew inspiration from stylish Plymouths of the late 1950s. The Fury was Plymouth’s top of the line model at the time.

The Movie

The filmmakers faced a challenge finding 1958 Plymouth Furys since no coupes were produced. They ultimately opted to use the following models:

• 1957 Plymouth Belvedere - Used for scenes of Christine in a state of disrepair
• 1958 Plymouth Savoy - The car that undergoes repairs onscreen to become Christine
• 1958 Plymouth Belvedere - The "hero car" portraying Christine once fully restored

Over 20 identical Plymouths were built and modified for filming the various repair, driving, and destruction scenes. The mix of cars matched the styling Plymouth released between 1957-1958.

John Carpenter was able to take creative liberties with the movie adaptation and turn Christine into a bright red muscle car most audiences would imagine a sinister possessed car to look like.

Why the Plymouth Fury Was the Perfect Choice

The Plymouth Fury was an inspired choice by Stephen King for the basis of the murderous Christine in his novel. Here’s some background on why the Fury made sense as an iconic possessed car:

• The Fury was Plymouth’s flashiest, most powerful model at the time. The name invoked a hot temper and fury, fitting for an evil car.
• The Fury evolved from Plymouth’s tough Cranbrook and Belvedere lines. It had a bold, masculine design.
• Christine represented the rise of youth culture embracing hot rods and rebelling in the late 1950s. The Fury was released in 1956 as a fast, defiant car.
• In 1958 the Fury gained wings, dual headlights, and vertical taillights that made it look stylish and mean compared to other models.
• As a top-end model, the Fury reflected the aspirations of Arnie Cunningham to become more popular and accepted.

The Plymouth Fury was the perfect vessel for the Christine character as an intimidating muscle car. No other model from 1958 could have provided the same menacing spirit.

Spotting a Christine Lookalike Today

If you want to recreate the iconic Christine look with a classic Plymouth Fury, the closest match would likely be:

• A 1958 Plymouth Fury coupe painted cherry red with a white roof and silver trim just like in the movie. Finding a real '58 coupe may be impossible though since none were produced.
• A 1959 Plymouth Fury coupe in red and white. This would match the year and body style described in King's novel. The '59 models were the first Fury coupes made.
• A 1957 or 1958 Plymouth Belvedere coupe painted red with a white top to mimic the film cars. This model was used in the movie.

Finding any 1950s Plymouth coupe, especially a Fury, in good condition will be a challenge these days. Expect to pay around $20,000-$30,000 for a restored classic. Many fans recreate the Christine look on later model Plymouths and other muscle cars as tributes to the fictional car.

Owning a Christine lookalike may be cool, but we don’t recommend forming a dangerous obsessive bond with your car!

Impact of Christine on Car Culture

Christine had a major impact on car culture by helping demonic possessed vehicles enter the public imagination. Here are some of the key influences of Christine since 1983:

• Inspired other possessed car horror movies - Christine paved the way for later movies like Maximum Overdrive, The Car, and Trucks that also featured ominous driverless cars tormenting people.
• Brought Plymouth brand recognition - Christine shone a spotlight on the Plymouth brand which would cease production in 2001. Seeing the Fury on screen led many fans to seek out Plymouths from the 50s and 60s.
• Symbolized youth car culture - Christine represented teens of the late 1950s who were defined by their cars and challenged the status quo. She embodied America’s early obsession with youth, cars, and rock ‘n roll music.
• Solidified Stephen King’s legacy – Bringing a sinister car to life showed King’s knack for making the mundane frighting. It helped establish him as a master of horror fiction.
• Inspired real-life replica cars - Christine inspired generations of fans to recreate the possessed car look with their own Plymouths. Custom Christine tributes remain popular today.

Though just a fictional car, Christine had widespread influence on car culture for her menacing backstory and iconic design. She helped bring the Plymouth brand to the forefront.

FAQs

Still hungry for more details on the demonic 1958 Plymouth Fury known as Christine? Here are answers to some additional common questions about the car:

What were some features of Christine in the book?

In Stephen King's novel, some unique features of Christine mentioned include: vanishing license plates, indestructible red leather upholstery, the ability to lock doors on her own, self-repairing paint and body damage, murdered mice found inside the car, and the radio changing stations and volume on its own.

What was Christine’s license plate number?

In the book, Christine's plates keep mysteriously changing but are reported as CQB 241 early on. In the film, Christine sports New Jersey plates reading DDE 320 for most of the movie.

Did Christine have any special effects in the movie?

The film version used over 24 Plymouth Belvederes modified into Christine clones. Hydraulics allowed the cars to drive themselves and cables controlled the steering wheel. Smashable fiberglass bodies made the destruction scenes possible. Smoke machines and animated parts created a possessed personality.

Was Christine really evil or under control of her owners?

The backstories imply Christine was somewhat evil by nature, but really became a dangerous demonic presence after being controlled by the rage and obsessions of owners Roland LeBay and Arnie Cunningham. Their dark sides turned Christine into a violent extension of themselves.

Could Christine be destroyed or killed?

In the book Christine is able to supernaturally self-repair damage and rebuild herself multiple times. The movie shows Christine completely mangled in a climatic destruction scene, presumably killing her, though the ending is ambiguous. Her ability to regenerate hints she could return.

The 1958 Plymouth Fury known as Christine remains one of horror's most legendary automobiles decades later. This examination of her origins, powers, and influences shows what made her such a compelling and frightening antagonist. Despite being just a car, Christine developed her own devout following of fans who continue to honor her legacy today.

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