Will Smith and Kevin Hart work together to remake one of the most beloved comedy films ever: “Plans, Trains, and Cars.”
The John Hughes-directed original in 1987 was a furious but touching story of two travelers played by Steve Martin and John Candy trying to get to Chicago during a Thanksgiving week storm.
Along the way, they get behind the wheel of a green, wood-paneled convertible called Gran Detroit Farm and Country, which was based on a 1986 Chrysler LeBaron Town and Country. The car has the same appearance as another iconic movie car: the Wagon Queen Family Truckster seen in “National Lampoon’s Vacation,” written by Hughes.
Things do not go so well for the car, which ** spoiler alert ** ends up on fire and dragging before the end of the movie, but not before it makes a lasting impression on Hollywood history. A replica of it was even sold last year at a Barrett-Jackson auction for a whopping $ 11,000.
Unfortunately for the producers of the new movie, Chrysler no longer sells a convertible. In fact, the pickings these days are bad for every motorist’s drop-tops. So what would Smith and Hart have to pin their hopes on to get home?
Ford Mustang Convertible
While the LeBaron was the go-to rental convertible in the go-go’s 80s, if you ask for a ragtop today, there’s a good chance it’s going to be a four-cylinder Mustang, which is still plenty is cooler than Del’s car.
MINI Cabriolet
The MINI Cooper is front-wheel-drive like the LeBaron, somewhat cartoonish – see it with 6-foot-2-inch Will Smith sticking out – and one of its classic predecessors was not only called the Traveler, but also get with wood trim.
Jeep Wrangler
If you had to get through a southwesterly storm from the Midwest in a car without a roof (or doors, or windbreak), you would be hard pressed to beat the Wrangler, which comes standard today with a 4×4 drive today.
Mercedes-Benz E-Class Cabriolet
Then again, just because Candy Del Griffith played as an unlucky shower curtain salesman does not mean that Smith or Hart have to do it in exactly the same way. Smith drew the “new hotness” Mercedes-Benz E-Class in “Men in Black II” and was able to flip the script with a convertible E-Class in this film.
FOX NEWS VIRTUAL AUTO SHOW: YOUR CONVERTIBLES
