The Junkman is an action film that was released in 1982 by H. B. Halicki, it was the second part of his trilogy that started with the original Gone in 60 Seconds and was then followed by Deadline Auto Theft.
While filming The Junkman over 150 cars, trucks, motorcycles, and planes were wrecked, today the movie still holds the Guinness World Record for the most vehicles destroyed in a single film.
Fast Facts – The Camaro From The Junkman
- This 1979 Chevrolet Camaro was one of over 200 cars used while filming “The Junkman,” however most of the vehicles didn’t make it to the end of the film, with over 150 being wrecked in total.
- Many of the sheriff deputies and police officers that appeared in the film weren’t professional actors, they were real law enforcement personnel that had been hired, mostly from San Luis Obispo County, Paso Robles, and Atascadero.
- After the film was released, this 1979 Chevrolet Camaro was acquired by the California Highway Patrol Museum where it would remain on display for decades, only recently passing into private hands for the first time.
- This car is fitted with the 305 cubic inch V8 paired with a 3-speed automatic transmission, it has 15″ wheels, bucket seats, sirens, spotlights, period-style communication equipment, and California Highway Patrol livery.
H. B. Halicki And “Gone In 60 Seconds”
Henry Blight “Toby” Halicki, better known as H. B. Halicki, was an American director, writer, stunt driver, actor, and filmmaker of Polish ancestry who started out working on vehicles as mechanic before starting his own impound and towing business in California.
Above Video: This is the original trailer for The Junkman, the full film is also available to watch on YouTube.
In 1974 Halicki wrote, directed, produced, and starred in the film Gone in 60 Seconds, it became a cult classic that was loved for its unusual style and its extensive chase scenes.
During filming he would end up with 10 compacted vertebrae after performing the film’s 128 foot long (39 meter) jump finale, it left him with a limp for the rest of his life.
Halicki’s next film would be The Junkman in 1982, he wrote, directed, produced, and starred in the film, it took place in the same cinematic universe as Gone in 60 Seconds, and the earlier film was referenced in the plot.
A year later in 1983 Halicki released the third film in the trilogy, Deadline Auto Theft, which he also starred in, wrote, produced, and directed.
Tragically, Halicki was killed in a stunt while filming Gone in 60 Seconds 2 in 1989. He was preparing for the film’s main stunt sequence in which a 160 foot tall (49 meter) water tower was going to collapse, however a stabilizing cable attached to the water tower snapped unexpectedly, sheering off a telephone pole that fell and killed Halicki instantly.
This is the original Japanese movie poster for The Junkman, it highlights the 1974 Bricklin SV-1 and the Goodyear blimp, which both appear prominently in the film.
The 2000 “Gone In 60 Seconds” Remake
Six year later in 1995 Halicki’s widow, Denice Halicki, began working with Jerry Bruckheimer and the team Touchstone Pictures to produce a remake of Gone In 60 Seconds.
The film was released in the year 2000, it starred Nicolas Cage, Angelina Jolie, Giovanni Ribisi, Robert Duvall, and Vinnie Jones – it would go on to make almost a quarter of a billion dollars at the global box office.
Years after his death, Denice Halicki began dating Robert Kardashian, best known for representing O. J. Simpson and for being the father of Kourtney, Kim, Khloé, and Rob Kardashian.
The CHP Chevrolet Camaro Shown Here
The 1979 Chevrolet Camaro was one of over 200 cars that were used while filming The Junkman, the vast majority wouldn’t survive, with over 150 being wrecked before filming wrapped.
This 1979 Chevrolet Camaro was given period-correct California Highway Patrol livery, as well as a front nudge bar, lights, sirens, and a radio aerial.
Once the production of the film was completed, this car found its way into the California Highway Patrol Museum where it would remain on display for decades.
The car was modified for filming with a new white and back paint scheme to replicate CHP livery, “Highway Patrol” emblems were added to each door and it was also added in script form along the rear spoiler. Red and white A-pillar mounted spotlights were fitted, as well as a front nudge bar, and a large radio aerial.
Given this car’s history as a member of the Gone In 60 Seconds cinematic universe it’s likely to attract a fair amount of attention now that it’s being offered for sale on Bring A Trailer out of Emeryville, California.
If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can click here to visit the listing.
Images courtesy of Bring A Trailer.
Articles that Ben has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
