The Bluesmobile was not one indestructible car: the 1980 film used a fleet of modified 1974 Dodge Monaco sedans, and most were wrecked, dismantled, or otherwise consumed during production. The best-known account says one intact original survived and went to Dan Aykroyd’s brother-in-law, but its current owner and location have not been publicly verified.
Cars identified as Bluesmobiles today may be replicas or later promotional vehicles, not surviving film cars. As DMV.org’s production history and other accounts note, published fleet counts differ, so it is safest to describe the production as using a dozen-plus cars rather than claim an exact total.
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What was the original Bluesmobile?
The central chase car in The Blues Brothers was a 1974 Dodge Monaco sedan made up to look like a retired Mount Prospect, Illinois police vehicle. Accounts say the production used retired California Highway Patrol cars, whose black-and-white paint made them suitable for conversion. The film’s “cop motor” and 440-cubic-inch engine description is dialogue, not proof that every production car had identical equipment; preparation varied by stunt and role. DMV.org describes the production vehicles and their police-car origins.
The Dodge should not be confused with the Cadillac mentioned in the movie’s fictional backstory. Elwood says he traded the brothers’ earlier Cadillac Bluesmobile for a microphone before buying the Monaco at a Mount Prospect police auction. Those are two different cars in the story.
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How many Bluesmobiles were used?
Published accounts commonly give a count of 12 or 13 cars. Because sources differ and the count can depend on which stunt vehicles or partial cars are included, “a dozen-plus” is the more careful description. The production also bought more than 60 additional police cars for the surrounding chase sequences, according to DMV.org.
The cars had different jobs: some appeared in close-ups or ordinary driving scenes, some were prepared for speed or jumps, and a specially rigged car performed the final collapse gag. Director John Landis told the Library of Congress that the major car stunts were performed practically, with real vehicles rather than computer-generated effects. The Library of Congress interview discusses the production’s car stunts.
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- Runtime: 133 minutes
What happened to the cars after filming?
Most of the production Bluesmobiles were destroyed, badly damaged, dismantled, or otherwise lost during filming. The movie’s vehicle destruction was widely reported as reaching 103 vehicles, a figure commonly associated with a record at the time. Treat that as a reported production total, not a precise inventory: the count depends on what is considered destroyed or consumed. DMV.org recounts the widely cited figure.
The most repeated survivor story is that one intact original Monaco was given to Dan Aykroyd’s brother-in-law. This account appears in multiple secondary sources, including DMV.org. However, the research available for this article did not establish a documented VIN, continuous chain of ownership, or verified present-day location. It is therefore a reported historical account, not confirmation of where the car is now.
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![The Blues Brothers – 4K Ultra HD [Blu-ray] [2020] [Region Free] [4K UHD]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51g972OV4BL._SL160_.jpg)
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Which Bluesmobiles are replicas?
Many cars seen at events, in collections, or in promotional appearances are replicas or later builds. Chicago’s well-known “official” Bluesmobile, owned by Brian Scanlon, is a replica: he found a 1974 Dodge Royal Monaco in 2016 and converted it into a Mount Prospect-style car. The Drive describes its build and event appearances.
A later promotional car or a display vehicle should not be called an original film car without production documentation. For example, a site associated with a Monaco displayed in Sweden and Florida describes its promotional history, but that does not establish that it was used in the 1980 film. A convincing paint scheme, spotlight, or police equipment is not proof of screen use.
What about the Bluesmobile in the sequel?
Blues Brothers 2000, released in 1998, used a different car: a former-police Ford LTD Crown Victoria, generally identified as a 1990 model. It was not one of the 1974 Dodge Monacos from the original film. Universal Pictures at Home identifies the sequel as a separate film.
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Did one Bluesmobile survive the original film?
One intact original Dodge Monaco is widely reported to have survived and been given to Dan Aykroyd’s brother-in-law. Its current owner and location have not been verified by the sources reviewed here.
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- Runtime: 90 minutes
Was the Chicago Bluesmobile used in the movie?
No. The Chicago car owned by Brian Scanlon is a replica built from a 1974 Dodge Royal Monaco, not a documented original production car, according to The Drive.
How many original Bluesmobiles were there?
Published counts vary, most often between 12 and 13. “A dozen-plus” reflects that disagreement without presenting an uncertain number as definitive.
Was the sequel’s Bluesmobile the same Dodge Monaco?
No. The sequel used a former-police Ford LTD Crown Victoria, generally identified as a 1990 model, rather than an original-film Dodge Monaco.
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