Bluto Meets Clark at Volo Auto Museum-- Part 3: About That 'Vette

This title comes from their having the original Corvette from the movie "Animal House" with Bluto Blutarsky and the Clark Griswold Family Truckster from the movie "Vacation."  Two of my all-time favorite movies.

The "Animal House" Corvette was the one that Eroc "Otter" Stratton owned.

The road to procuring the "Animal House" Corvette was a winding one according to Brian Grams of the Volo Auto Museum,  First they had to deal with the Mercurial Mr. Smith who owned it.  He wanted a six-figure payment for his Corvette and it had to be in cash -- specifically in $100 bills. 

And, that was with the fact that the car's keys had been misplaced and that it hadn't run since the 1980s.

Well, Grams got his car, regardless.  Plus there were some extras that sweetened the deal.  That included the movie's transportation coordinators signed copy of the original film script that came with the car as well as the October 24,1977, dated Universal City Studios receipt for four weeks of rental, along with a copy of the $400 check written to Mr. Smith for that rental.  (What, not four $100 bills?)

Plus, Grams said the car has great value both in the fact that it is a verified piece of movie history and as a solid 1959 model Corvette featuring a dual quad high-performance engine and original paint.

"Corvette people are purists," he said.  "They love original paint, even if it does have a  few battle scars."

"Was It Over When the Germans Bombed Pearl Harbor?"  --RoadDog

Bluto Meets Clark at the Volo Auto Museum-- Part 2: Acquiring the Corvette

The Corvette was featured in the 1978 breakout movie for John Belushi, "Animal House" and was featured in posters of it.  (And, it sure reminded me of my dear old frat rat days with the Delta Sigs at NIU.)

That Corvette spent decades in a pole barn near Eugene, Oregon, where the movie was filmed.  The previous owner, before Brian Grams, director of the Volo Auto Museum, said that its previous owner, Paul Smith, bought it in 1975 as a gift for his wife.  But, neither one of them liked the car much, so, it sat, accumulating only about 200 miles on the odometer, most of those coming during the filming of the movie in 1977.

Paul Smith is an old-time drag racer and car guy.  He used to scout cars for film projects, and he offered his Vette when the producers of "Animal House" were looking.

--Cootimal

Bluto Meets Clark at the Volo Auto Museum

From the December 1, 2021, Hi-Liter (Northwest Chicago suburbs) "Treat your family this year to a 'Christmas Vacation' they won't forget at Volo Museum."

It's Bluto Blutarsky meet Clark Griswold at the Volo Museum right now and a tip of Santa's cap to two of the best movies ever made in my opinion.  

They have the 1959 Corvette from "Animal House" and the Family Truckster from "Vacation."  Plus, there is a photo op you can get with Cousin Eddie's "Christmas Vacation" RV in the backdrop background.

"Animal House" is my all-time favorite movie (essentially it was my old fraternity up until the parade and I am sure we would have had toga parties if we'd thought about it.  We'd have been just the guys to do it, you know.)

Plus, "Christmas Vacation" is my second favorite Christmas movie.  But. I have to admit I thought the Wagon Queen Family Truckster had been pretty-well destroyed by Clark's trip into the desert.  And, "Vacation" is in my Top Five favorite movies especially since Liz and I are bigtime old road folks.

--Cooter