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Actually, the Toronado appeared only in the first season of the show and before the Chrysler products came along. It was a customized '67, and the customization was done by the guy who seemed to do all of the customizations at that time, including the Batmobile, George Barris.
In seasons 2 and 3 he drove Dodge Darts. In seasons 4, 5, and 6, he drove Plymouth Barracudas, in season 7 he drove a Dodge Challenger, and in the final season he drove a Chevy Camaro.
One of the reasons for the customization of the Toronado was that the show's producers wanted Mannix to drive around in a convertible. The Toronado, of course, was never offered as a convertible. So George Barris made one for them.
Ah, so I had it backwards. I read he had Barracuda's, I assumed they came first. The Camaro must have been the only "cool" convertible left when he drove it.
I can't imagine a guy that sends people to jail in such dramatic fashion would want to ride around in a convertible. A little vulnerable I would think. But hey, this is TV. Easier to be seen by the cameras.
Edit: Except the Camaro wasn't a convertible past 69. Maybe it was a T top.
The cars for the first six seasons were convertibles. For the last two, they were coupes.
For season 7, his car was a 1974 Dodge Challenger 360.
For the last season, it was a 1975 Camaro Type LT, which was the more high-end version of the Camaro that year. The lower-priced version was called the Sport Coupe. Presumably both the '74 Challenger and '75 Camaro that appeared in the show had sunroofs, but I don't know for sure.
Those shows back in the day were always sponsored by car companies. My guess is, in the beginning the show had no known viewership, or ratings, so the producers got to pick the car and custom cars were all the rage back then. Then after a few seasons and proven popularity, Chrysler came along and offered sponsorship. The show eventually waned in popularity and Chrysler quit. GM picked up the slack in the last season. I bet this is exactly how it went.
The show eventually waned in popularity and Chrysler quit. GM picked up the slack in the last season. I bet this is exactly how it went.
Possibly, but the reality is probably a bit more complicated.
By the time show reached its final season in 1974-1975, Chrysler's available cars (Fury, Cordoba) were not seen as fitting Mannix's style. Also, by that time, Chrysler was approaching its significant financial trouble that would eventually lead to the famous government bailout a few years later. Chrysler may not have had the money to provide free cars to TV shows any more, or at least not as much as they used to, especially to a TV series that was nearing its end.
But there were other oddities. There were two episodes in the final season that had Joe Mannix traveling. In both episodes, the cars he rented were '74 Ford Torinos, and most of the other cars seen in those two episodes were also Fords. But in the credits for the first of those two episodes, Chrysler was credited as supplying the cars, and the second of the two, GM was credited as supplying the cars.
Mannix also drove, during the first few episodes of the final season, a red '75 Caprice convertible. It was later in the season that he switched to the Camaro mentioned above. There is some thought that later season car selection was at least partly dictated by the somewhat close connection between Mannix and The Brady Bunch, which began production while Mannix was also in production. Both were produced by Paramount, and both starred Robert Reed, who was appearing on both shows at the same time. Reed was the police detective that Mannix often shared information with or worked with. The interior of The Brady Bunch house was used in several Mannix episodes. The Brady Bunch saw Reed driving Chevrolet Caprices as well.
Almost guarantee that it won’t sell unless it’s no reserve. It was at Hershey a couple years ago thru Dragone I believe and they wanted ~130K. It was still in decent shape but nothing jaw dropping nice. I doubt it would get that if Mr Bond himself drove it.
I really enjoyed that show. I liked Mike Connors and the cars were cool. Gail Fisher as Peggy was a plus for sure. I agree with deaddds that not so many people are left that were fans of the show plus their goal of $130K is high considering the potential customer base for the car. Many people might be afraid of the "different" drivetrain. Also, not sure if it is titled and street able or just can be used as a part of a collection. Regards, Trent in Los Angeles
I always enjoyed the show even though Mike Connors was a little wooden in his acting compared to some of the other "detectives" of the day. That Toronado just doesn't lend itself to being turned into a convert in my opinion. The cover is way too large and the black is too harsh, matching silver fabric would have been my choice, but hey who am I to judge (oh just did, sorry).
Oh shoot, I didn't realize Samantha's Corvair was a Corsa. The high dollar car. I do remember her in Chevelles more often, though they didn't show cars in that show very often.
August 3rd, 2019, 09:27 AM
