Aficionauto Drives Last Vanishing Point Dodge Challenger

Auto enthusiast lives childhood dream of being ‘Kowalski’ in Dodge Challenger from 1971 cult classic film.

In the long history of great Mopar movie cars, it could be argued that Vanishing Point Dodge Charger is one of the greatest. The familiar white Mopar muscle car made its debut in the 1971 filming of the movie and it returned for the 1997 TV remake of the cult classic. Recently, the host of the Aficionauto YouTube channel got a chance to drive the last existing Dodge Challenger from the Vanishing Point movies and he did so on camera, with a hefty dose of history on the movie and the cars from the current owner.

Kowalski’s Challenger

If you haven’t seen either of the Vanishing Point movies, we feel sorry for you, but here is a quick synopsis of both movies.

In the 1971 film, a delivery driver named simply “Kowalski” has to drive a then-new 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T 426 Hemi from Colorado to San Francisco in a short period of time. Along the way, he runs afoul of some local law enforcement and a multi-state chase ensues.

In the end, Kowalski drives the Hemi Challenger at high speed into a roadblock made of bulldozers, causing the car to explode violently. In reality, the film crew actually used a first-generation Chevrolet Camaro to slam into the roadblock, preserving all five of the Dodge Challengers used for filming.

In the 1997 Vanishing point TV movie, Viggo Mortensen stars as Jimmy Kowalski, who is once again looking to deliver a 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T. This time, Kowalski learns that his pregnant wife has fallen ill, so he veers off course to run to her rescue. Along the way, he refuses to stop for police and the chase is on.

Again Kowalski is faced with a roadblock of bulldozers and in seemingly knowing that his wife had passed away that morning, he drives to his death in the Mopar muscle car. In this film, they did actually destroy a classic Dodge Challenger.

Aficionauto and the Vanishing Point Car

While the video details state that the host of the YouTube channel is driving the last Vanishing Point Dodge Challenger; that is slightly misleading. The cars from the original movie were all scrapped and none exist today. The cars from the 1997 film were sold to a guy name Ted Stevens, who appears in this video after lending Car #1 from the 1997 movie to the YouTubers.

During the course of the video, the host drives the car and talks about its Hemi-powered wonders while Stevens talks about the movie cars and how he came to own them. He also explains the painstaking restoration process that this particular car underwent once it was delivered from the movie set. This car was the only one restored to factory perfection, right down to the 426 Hemi, the 4-speed manual transmission and the Dana 60 rear differential.

Needless to say, the host loves the car, but it is clear that Joe Stevens doesn’t just love this car – but he has a unique passion for both movies and all of the Dodge Challengers involved in the cult classic.

The most interesting aspect of this video, at least to Vanishing Point fans, comes around the 12-minute mark of the video, when the encouraging broadcast by DJ Super Soul is played over the radio, talking about the freedom of the man behind the wheel as he faces his unfortunate demise. The video ends with some gorgeous B-roll footage of the restored 1970 Hemi Challenger cruising through the countryside, giving us one last chance to admire Kowalski’s car in action.

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Patrick Rall

"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.

"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.

"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.

"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.

"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

Rall can be contacted at QuickMirada@Yahoo.com

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