“That’s thirty minutes away. I’ll be there in ten”. Nine minutes and thirty-seven seconds later, Mr Wolf’s car pulls up to the kerb to ‘clean up’ a bloody mess. The car – a charming silver Acura NSX – making its debut on the silver screen with Quentin Tarantino’s cult classic – ‘Pulp Fiction’.
A remarkable blend of non-linear storytelling, highly quotable dialogues, neo-noir violence and a borderline unhealthy fixation on feet, the movie has long been a topic of fascination for almost all the right reasons, including the iconic lineup of cars featured in the movie.
The Acura NSX arrived in the U.S. as a 1991 model. A singing 3.0-liter V6 engine with Honda’s VTEC technology, along with 284.76 Nm of twist and 270 horsepower is birthed by the beautiful interplay of opportunity and violence. That made it hit the ceiling of speed at a very impressive 168 mph.
With its aluminium body and titanium connecting rods that made it both lightweight and dependable, the car retailed at a hefty yet befitting price tag of around $60,000. A 0-60 mph time of 5.7 seconds, the stunning design by Pininfarina and notable development inputs from the otherworldly racing talent that was Ayrton Senna – made Acura NSX one of the most coveted sports cars of its time.
Launched two years prior to the release of ‘Pulp Fiction’, Acura positioned the NSX as an exotic, high-performance sports car that was relatively more affordable than others on the market, establishing a new luxury segment. Since the car practically flew on the screen, the screen presence of the Acura was fairly limited, but that did not stop it from leaving a lasting impression on the audience.
Picture this – Jules Winnfield, portrayed by the magnetic Samuel L. Jackson and Vincent Vega, played by the charismatic John Travolta, with their associate Marvin in the backseat are driving in the quiet suburbs of Los Angeles in a green 1974 Chevy Nova. Their attires are slick, their dialogue — a titillating blend of philosophical musings and hard-hitting one-liners. And then, out of nowhere – BANG! – the gun in Vincent’s hand accidentally goes off smashing Marvin’s brain out. Before you know it, the car and everyone in it are drenched in a brilliant shade of red and Marvin’s pulpy brain.
The choice of a 1974 Chevrolet Nova SS in the film is notable because it’s a somewhat unassuming car, not what you might typically associate with hitmen in a movie. This contrast between the car and the violent events that transpire inside it is part of the film’s ironic humour. The Nova serves as a symbol of the juxtaposition of everyday life and extraordinary circumstances that is a recurring theme in the movie. Another thing to note about the Nova – it doesn’t get rid of blood very easily.
While Jules and Vincent awkwardly wait with a blood-soaked headless body in the backseat of their car, they need a quick fix. And a quick fix is what they get when Winston Wolf or ‘The Wolf’ played by Harvey Keitel, fashionably enters the scene in his Acura NSX to ‘clean things up’.
A particularly badass dialogue from the movie that demands to be recalled has to be the one where the Wolf says – “Now boys, listen up. We’re going to a place called Monster Joe’s Truck and Tow. I’ll drive the tainted car. Jules, you ride with me. Vincent, you follow in my Acura.” And then he continues in his trademark style, “Now I drive real f***ing fast, so keep up. I get my car back any differently than when I gave it, Monster Joe’s gonna be disposing off two bodies.”
In 1995, the NSX underwent a significant transformation, introducing a Targa top and an upgraded engine. The 3.2-litre VTEC V6 now unleashed an impressive 290 horsepower and 398.61 Nm of torque. Fast forward to 2002, and another round of enhancements came into play, with all models featuring T-Tops, and the iconic pop-up headlights were replaced by safer and more modern bi-xenon headlights. However, in 2005, the NSX bid farewell and took a decade-long hiatus from the market, only to make a return in 2016 as a new model.
Another car that enjoyed immense popularity was the cherry red 1964 Chevrolet Chevelle Malibu convertible driven by John Travolta.
The Chevrolet Chevelle made its first appearance in the automotive scene during the 1964 model year, representing Chevrolet’s mid-size car offering. It maintained its presence throughout the 1960s and 1970s and proved to be a standout success within General Motors’ vehicle lineup. The Chevelle lineup catered to a diverse audience, encompassing both affordable family cars (considering the standards of that era) and high-performance coupes and convertibles like the Malibu that started off as an upscale variation of the Chevelle, but it eventually evolved into a distinct model of its own.
The charisma of this car was not lost on even the director. So much so that the red Chevy actually belonged to Tarantino himself. It is believed that he purchased it from a friend back in 1989 upon selling the script for ‘True Romance’. But, did you know that it was stolen right off the set of Pulp Fiction in 1994? Crazy.
If Vincent Vega had the last words on this curious case of ‘Pulp Fiction’ cars, they would probably have been “Don’t f**k with another man’s vehicle. You don’t do it”. The story doesn’t end there, in an interesting turn of events, the car resurfaced 10 years ago in 2013 after it had gone missing for 19 long years. According to the reports, the car was located by a San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Deputy in Victorville, California, who upon running the VIN found out that the car in fact belonged to none other than Quentin Jerome Tarantino.