The 1970s ushered in a healthy interest in the 1950s, with television shows and movies such as “M*A*S*H,” “Happy Days,” “Laverne & Shirley” and “American Graffiti” taking viewers back a couple of decades. Likewise, original programming like “The Honeymooners,” “I Love Lucy,” “77 Sunset Strip” and “Perry Mason” remained popular with audiences. Arguably, that nostalgia was sparked by the play “Grease,” which was a stunning success in many ways beyond the obvious. Debuting in 1971, the romantic comedy was released in June 1978 by Paramount Pictures as a blockbuster movie that not only grossed nearly $9 million but fell to the second position behind “Jaws 2,” a position it would only hold briefly. “Grease” grossed $100 million in 66 weeks, becoming Paramount’s second-highest grossing film, bettered only by “The Godfather” with more than $132 million in 1972. However, the “Grease” soundtrack, subsequent releases and anniversary editions continue to make Paramount money. Of course, part of the popularity of “Grease” was that there was something for everyone, including car guys. While the movie was overflowing with cool cars in the background, one of the main cars was Hell’s Chariot, a 1949 Mercury Convertible customized to tug at the greaser nostalgic of the era. Built by Eddie Paul of Customs by Eddie Paul, Hell’s Chariot was piloted by the school bully, Craterface, played by Dennis Stewart. Painted black and donning flames and a radically chopped roof with wicked razor hubcaps, Hell’s Chariot was also known to be exceedingly fast, a car that needed to be taken down a few notches by Greased Lightnin’, which would be piloted by Danny Zuko, played by John Travolta. Featured in the opening scene of “Grease Live,” this 1949 Mercury Custom Convertible is the Hell’s Chariot originally built and customized by Eddie Paul and is accompanied by a notarized letter signed by Paul identifying this car as the one built for Paramount Studios and used in the motion picture, “Grease.” A factory hardtop coupe converted into a convertible, Hell’s Chariot is powered by a 255 CI flathead V-8 engine and a column-shifted 3-speed manual transmission with Touch-O-Matic overdrive. Rolling on Firestone Wide Oval tires, the razor hubcaps are part of the package. Interestingly, Hell’s Chariot was used in an ad campaign for OPI Nail Polish commemorating the 40th anniversary of the film, a campaign for Simon Miller clothing, which dedicated a line of clothing sold through Nordstrom to the film, and the car was featured in the Season 2 episode of “Americarna” entitled “Million Dollar Movie Cars” and in an episode of “Pawn Stars.” The dashboard has been signed by Olivia Newton-John, who played Sandy in the movie, and by the film’s director, Randal Kleiser, as well.
