Wagon Queen Family Truckster
The Wagon Queen Family Truckster is a station wagon created specifically for the comedy National Lampoon's Vacation. The Truckster is based on a 1979-1981 Ford LTD Country Squire station wagon that has been heavily modified.
The car was designed by George Barris (famous for other Hollywood custom cars such as the Batmobile, the Monkeemobile, and many others) and was deliberately designed in bad taste as an absolutely ridiculous station wagon, and as over-the-top as possible. The Truckster features overdone wood paneling, eight headlights (four on each side in a rectangular cluster), a grille area largely covered by bodywork having only two small openings close to the bumper, (similar to that of a 1982 Oldsmobile Toronado) a separate oil cooler grille (but had no oil cooler), large chrome hubcaps with a huge crown logo, and a badly-placed gas tank access door (in the front passenger fender). Lampooning American cars of the 1970's, the engine knocked and rattled (in a supposedly brand-new car), and the car also had an airbag made out of a household trash bag.
In the film
Clark and his son Rusty arrive at Lou Glutz Motors at the movie's beginning and trade in their old station wagon, an Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser, for an unnamed Antarctic Blue Sports Wagon, with a C.B. radio and "The Rally Fun-Pack". The salesman Ed (played by Eugene Levy) attempts to fool Clark into buying the Truckster (because their lot is packed with unsold Trucksters, as the viewer can see at the beginning of the scene) by telling him the car he really wants hasn't come in yet. When Clark argues with the salesman and eventually asks for his old car back, the dealership has already had it crushed in the meantime. The salesman is not seen again, but Clark brings the Truckster home; he tells his wife it was "a great deal".
As the film progresses, the car is subjected to a large amount of abuse:
- In East St. Louis, the hubcaps are stolen and graffiti is spray-painted on the side. Clark then falls asleep at the wheel and nearly wrecks the car, only to spin out and stop in a motel parking lot.
- At the first stop for gas, Clark accidentally rips off the rear license plate (thinking that the gas cap was behind the license plate).
- In Arizona, Clark gets lost en route to the Grand Canyon, and is too busy arguing with Ellen ("Jesus, it's only the biggest goddamn hole in the world") to realize the road is closed. He then drives the car off the road's end at high speed, flies through the air, and almost destroys it, blowing all the tires, bending the axles, and obliterating the front end. He is able to get the car towed, but instead of receiving a properly repaired car, he gets four bald tires and is robbed of all his money by the garage manager, who also happens to be a dishonest County Sheriff.
In popular culture
Several fans of the movie have created reproductions of the Family Truckster, and some may be seen at car shows and similar events.
The only Truckster that survived filming is currently sitting in a museum.
The car used in the movie Planes, Trains and Automobiles carries a similar paint scheme (metallic green with woodgrain trim) in reference to the Family Truckster. Both movies were directed by John Hughes.