At DGT Wheels, we love cars. In the past, we have talked about our love for fictional cars we seen on TV and in films, such as Smokey and the Bandit, Knight Rider, Scooby Doo and, of course, James Bond.
But what about cars within literature? That's why we are thrilled to welcome Andrew from the Pewter Wolf, to chat about cars in fiction. The Pewter Wolf is a book blog based in Essex, reading a mix of fiction from Young Adult, Fantasy, Murder Mystery, LGBT and other genres. If you fancy checking out his blog, visit the Pewter Wolf at pewterwolf.blogspot.com and if any of the book he references either on this post or on his blog catches your eye, check out Book Depository and treat your self.
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Cars in books and the reasons authors choose a certain type of car or brand of car for their character or story are mixed and variety.
J.K. Rowling chose a blue Ford Anglia for Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets because one of her friends owned it when he passed his driving test and she went on road trips with him. Stephen King, who uses cars for inspiration for many of his stories, chose a 1958 Plymouth Fury for Christine because he felt the car was forgotten and deserved some attention. Stephenie Meyer chose the cars the Cullens drive as her brothers are huge car enthusiasts. EL James, apparently, chose Audi R8 Spyder for 50 Shades of Grey because it looked sleek and sexy.
Whatever the reason why authors choose a certain type of cars, sometimes the car has an important role within the story or takes a life of its own that can overshadow the story. If I said Great Gatsby, most people will remember the yellow 1928 Rolls Royce Tourer. If I said DC's Batman or Marvel's Ghost Rider, you would think of the Batmobile and Hell's Cycle.
But it's interesting to see the car changes when moving from book to TV or film. When you say James Bond, most fans will say he drives an Aston Martin because he drives them in the film. But in the books, he most drove a Bentley. This could be for stylist choice or product placement. Remember Heineken deal made for Skyfall or some TV shows that have scenes where the lead characters talk about the car's features which have no real importance to the episode's plot.
But it's interesting, as someone who knows very little about cars, what reaction I have when a car is reference and I Google what the car looks like and goes "That's so perfect for that character!". So, I imagine for motor-heads such as yourselves to read a car being used to nod and go "Of course they would drive that. It has x-amount of horsepower/is good for environment/was raced at La Mans last year/etc".
Just goes to show the important we all feel about cars, regardless if we just use our cars to get from A to B or if you love the hear that engine purr.
