Wagon Queen Family Truckster - in The Film

In The Film

Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase) and his son Rusty (Anthony Michael Hall) arrive at the fictional Lou Glutz Motors at the movie's beginning and trade in their old station wagon, an Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser, for an unseen Antarctic Blue Super Sportswagon with a Citizens' Band radio and the optional "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 has not arrived yet, and should be available in six weeks. When Clark argues with the salesman and eventually asks for his old car back, the dealership has already had it crushed. 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 St. Louis, Missouri, the hubcaps are stolen and graffiti reading "HONKY LIPS" is spray-painted on the side. The tire's sidewalls are also spray-painted green, leading cousin Eddie to later remark "I like those green walls", to which Clark replies "Yeah, we had a little trouble in St. Louis". 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 fuel, Clark accidentally rips off the rear license plate, thinking that the filler cap was behind the license plate, where it was often located on 1960s- and 1970s-era American cars. Instead, the cap was located in the front passenger side, just behind the antenna, meaning that the tank was either in the front of the car or there was a long tube leading to the tank in back.
• In Arizona, Clark gets lost en route to the Grand Canyon and is too busy arguing with Ellen 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, popping 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 (Mickey Jones), who also happens to be the County Sheriff.