Varsity Blues a movie about football, girls, parties and the glory days of high school. Oh yea and trucks! Good ole Billy Bob drove one of the baddest '73 - '87 Chevrolet Trucks ever featured in a Hollywood movie. The only thing bigger than Billy Bob's character was his 1973 Chevrolet 4x4 Truck. It was big enough to pack half the football team, Billy Bob and his prized pig.
Quote from Billy Bob about his pig: "I sure do love that dog."
Features
The truck is a long wheel base truck. The front end features a factory grill shell with aftermarket grill insert. The bumper is tubular with a integrated push bar and fog lamps. Note the head lights are round. Until 1981 all Chevrolet trucks had round headlights. The fenders have the fender extensions/guards. They're real important when you're running from the law through the bushes. Ya don't wanta get your truck scratched up.
From the side you can get a better view of the big "69" number decal on the side of the doors. Right above the decal on the driver's door is Billy Bob's name hand-brushed. You can also see the crew in the back. There is also a hand-brushed "Coyote Powered" script on the tailgate as well. The tailgate also features the tail-panel band insert. The rear bumper is tubular just as the front. There is also a light bar. You can also see the tubular step-bars in this shot. It's hard to judge the size of the lift kit. But you can tell it is lifted. My guess would be around 4" - 6" inch lift kit was used. The tires are in the neighborhood of 35" - 38" inches.
Goof
According to a post on moviemistakes.com the front drive shaft is missing. I haven't seen this for myself, so I'm gonna have to watch it again to verify. But It wouldn't surprise me that a detail like this goes unnoticed in a Hollywood production. I find it kinda funny. But it doesn't take away from the sheer awesomeness of the truck or the movie!
Final Thoughts
I chose to do this post, because my brother had a 1984 Chevrolet 4x4 Pickup (SWB) in the early '90s. It was a close replica of Billy Bob's truck, long before the movie was made. It had a sweet looking hand-brushed script that said "Summertime Blues" on the tailgate. The color was an exact match. Other than the fact the years and wheelbase were not the same, it could have been the movie truck! Every time I see something about Varsity Blues, it reminds me of the truck my brother had. Till next time, keep on trucking! We'll be working on another On Screen Cars post!
Above is a picture of Bella's truck from the popular book/movie Twilight. Over the last few months, I've seen the same question pop-up all over the net. "What year is Bella's truck?" Well there are two responses to this question. If you've read the book, your answer will be a "1953 Chevrolet Truck." However if you've seen the movie and you know your vintage Chevrolet trucks like I do, your answer would be a "1963 Chevrolet Truck." Both answers are correct in their own right.
Stephanie's Description
I've not read the books. I know, shame on me for posting an article about Twilight without having read the books. But I have seen the first movie. However, I did manage to read a short passage where Stephanie Meyer describes Bella's truck. I think it's a very fitting description for both trucks featured in the book and the movie. Excerpt below.
"There, parked on the street in front of the house that never changed, was my new - well, new to me - truck. It was a faded red color, with big, rounded fenders and a bulbous cab. To my intense surprise, I loved it. I didn't know if it would run, but I could see myself in it. Plus, it was one of those solid iron affairs that never gets damaged - the kind you see at the scene of an accident, paint unscratched, surrounded by the pieces of the foreign car it had destroyed."
I love the part about "...pieces of the foreign car it had destroyed." Both of these trucks are built like a tank. A modern foreign car wouldn't have a chance against either of these monsters.
Can You Spot the Difference?
I know, everyone isn't a car nut like me. But I've seen pictures of the truck from the movie, posted several times by fans with the caption "1953 Chevrolet Truck." I don't expect everyone to know the differences. But side by side, it's easier to see the difference between a 1953 and a 1963 Chevrolet Truck. Do you agree? I could go on and on about the technical differences. But at glance you can see that these trucks are from different time periods.
For example starting with the fenders on the 1953 version. They're big, fat and round like bubble. The hood, grill and bumpers are oversize and over exaggerated with curves. The windshield is two piece glass. There is a wealth of chrome and flare. However on the 1963 truck, things are a little more down to earth and business like. There are more crisp and straight lines. The hood is flat and long. The overall shape is more rectangle like and has more of a wider stance. There is a lot less chrome too. I think both are works of art.
So, Twilight fans, next time someone asks "What year is Bella's truck?" What are you going to say? My advice is to say "It depends on if you're talking about the movie or the book." I'm sure you guys are excited about the next movie. I know I'll end up watching it, even if for nothing else but the On Screen Cars!
