‘National Lampoon’ was a controversial humor magazine that began life in 1970 and took no prisoners during the ensuing decade.
Nothing was truly offside for National Lampoon because the magazine blazed an outrageous comedy trail for its readers.
The writers chose shock and awe in the dogged pursuit of funny material whenever the monthly magazine hit the newsstands.
Jim Sutherland
Its loyal readers were not disappointed with their direction.
Eventually, National Lampoon evolved into the movie industry after its release of comedy record albums were runaway hits, starting with their infamous 1972 ‘Radio Dinner’ album that proved National Lampoon could run with the big dogs in that genre.
One of National Lampoon’s most famous flicks was ‘Animal House’, a legendary comedy film that debuted in 1978 and chronicled the antics at an-out-of-control frat house in1962. The movie was R-rated and likely pushed against an X-rating at the time, but it was very funny and widely embraced by young males in ‘78.
‘Animal House’ would fail miserably in today’s sanitized world of generic comedy because offending a very thin-skinned 21st century movie audience is not a difficult task these days.
Fortunately, easily offended social crusaders are not our problem- in fact we have little respect for them–but ‘Animal House’ also had its dark side, specifically the wholesale destruction of classic cars in the movie. It turned a very funny movie into a car guy horror story as movie-goers were forced to watch classic rides bashed into oblivion.
The main object of destruction was a 1964 Lincoln that was somehow able to time-machine itself back to 1962, two years before the car had advanced beyond the drawing table and clay model stage. Maybe it had the extremely rare time travel option.
The style differences between a 1964 and 1962 Lincoln were subtle but noticeable to their fans and owners. In fact, we at MyStarCollectorCar used to own a ’62 Lincoln, consequently we would know the differences, but we didn’t let the ’64 Lincoln issue come between us and the abundance of comedy in ‘Animal House’.
Unfortunately, the sands of time have severely thinned the herd regarding 1964 Lincolns. The big boats were simply inexpensive movie props when used in ‘Animal House’, but 1964 Lincolns are extremely uncommon almost 50 years later, so the destruction of the car in the movie hits car guys hard in 2025.
Even worse, the Lincoln battering ram destroys other cars during a wild parking lot sequence outside a bar. The innocent victims in the parking lot included a survivor 1956 Buick Special two-door hardtop, another inexpensive prop in 1978, but very scarce in 2025. Sadly, the most likely destination for the Buick was the nearest crusher when ‘Animal House’ wrapped up movie production all those years ago.
Perhaps the most cringe-worthy scene in ‘Animal House’ for car guys was the Lincoln’s destruction of the 1959 Chevy Parkwood station wagon, an unusual car then and now. 1959 Chevys are currently rock stars in the car hobby and enjoy a large following of fans, but a wagon version runs at a young and alive Jim Morrison level.
Witnessing the destruction of classic rides at the hands (bumpers) of another classic ride is indeed a horror story for today’s car guys. Even in a classic comedy.
Jim Sutherland
BY: Jim Sutherland
Jim Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer whose work has been published by many major print and online publications. The list includes Calgary Herald, The Truth About Cars, Red Deer Advocate, RPM Magazine, Edmonton Journal, Montreal Gazette, Windsor Star, Vancouver Province, and Post Media Wheels Section.
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