Meet Brian Grams: Inside the Collection
It's time to put it in drive! Ride shotgun as we take you on a road trip through Brian's collection.
Jun. 12, 2023
The cars of TV and movies are interesting, sometimes futuristic, often flashy and typically reliable. There is no shortage of iconic Hollywood cars, which is why Brian Grams has so much fun collecting them.
Many of us have dreamed of owning an iconic car from our favorite piece of pop culture. Whether you begged your parents for a Batmobile, or have always dreamed of owning the Greased Lightning car; Brian actually owns them.
He combined his love for Hollywood and his background as the director for his family-owned car museum in order to build this incredible collection of around 300 cars. Brian has brought Hollywood history to a Midwest museum.
Brian has been collecting since the late-'90s and has made it his personal drive to have the best collection of Hollywood cars. Ride shotgun as we take you on a road trip through Brian's collection. Enjoy!
1. Miami Vice car
This is an incredible screen-used Corvette turned Ferrari featured in the series Miami Vice. According to Brian, two of these cars had been built for the series, but this model is the only one available for public viewing.
This car was filmed in scenes for Miami Vice, so close your eyes and imagine you're driving through the streets of Miami.
Today this car would be worth around $300,000, but Brian will never sell it.
2. Greased Lightnin' Car
Spoiler alert: The car used in Grease (1978) was a prop, and had no driving or maneuvering capabilities. This version of Greased Lightnin' is a licensed replica.
This same car was also used in the series Glee, so it has two Hollywood credits to its' name.
Today this car would be worth around $95,000.
3. 1966 Batmobile
Can't you just hear the Batman '66 theme song in your head? Go ahead, hum along.
There was only one original screen-used Batmobile used in the TV series, and that car sold for: $4.6 million.
This is not that Batmobile, but this one is incredibly special. The original Batmobile was built by George Barris. This model was built by Barris and is a licensed copy. Barris is a friend of Brian and wanted to have it displayed in Brian's car museum.
This car is even signed by Barris and star Adam West. We are sending up the Bat-Signal in hopes Burt Ward signs it too! Today this car is worth around $350,000.
4. National Lampoon's Animal House Corvette
Can you believe Lisa's never seen this cult classic film? The car used in National Lampoon's Animal House was someone's personal car that was rented to the production team for filming.
The original owner sold this car to Brian. Brian had to travel to Oregon to finally get this Hollywood car. The car hadn't been running since the late-'70s, but Brian restored it, re-built the mechanics, and left the cosmetics untouched.
This iconic piece of cult movie history is now worth around $200,000. It's not just a TV and film collector's dream, but it's also any Corvette collector's dream.
5. National Lampoon's Vacation Station Wagon
National Lampoon's Vacation came out in 1983, and became an instant hit. The station wagon used in the movie was the star of the show, and it was the centerpiece to the comedy.
This model is a replica of the screen-used version. According to Brian, none of the cars survived from the original movie. The car is decked out with all the props from the original movie.
Brian has even driven this classic car a few times; The dog wasn't still attached to the leash, but Aunt Edna was still hanging on.
This car was originally only $50,000, but today this item is worth around $100,100.
6. Elvis's personal Cadillac Station Wagon
You're looking at The King of Rock 'N' Roll's original Cadillac Station Wagon. Brian found an ad for this car while browsing eBay. According to Brian the last line of the eBay ad said: "Previously owned by Elvis Presley."
Brian has all the original documentation to prove this station wagon's Hollywood history. Elvis was known to have purchased many cars, and a lot of them were given away.
Brian believes this car came from a batch that Elvis gave away, but instead kept this one for himself. It was even customized and driven by Elvis himself.
Today this car would be around $150,000.
7. The total value of Brian's Hollywood cars collection:
17 Comments
And yet they focused on the Batman car (replica), the rebuilt Vacation Station Wagon, granted a unique Elvis Station Wagon, and endless time on Miami Vice. What about Nash Bridges??
The trade at the end was lame! The journalist-appraiser was throwing out numbers, but who knows. Except the actual collector.
They should've included George Barris, a true original. With some really interesting stories.
As a contributor once said here on the site, that's 30 minutes I'll never get back in life!
(In my original post, "was" should be "once." Sheesh.)
