Here's What Happened To The 1958 Plymouth Fury From 'Christine'

The 1958 Plymouth Fury in John Carpenter's "Christine" is among the most evil cars in cinema history, but what happened to its real-life counterpart might be just as tragic as its fate in the film. In the 1983 cult-classic horror flick, the main attraction isn't an actor, but a sentient red coupe bearing the same name. The eponymous vehicle had a wicked mean streak, leading to the deaths of various characters in the film. However, Christine's murderous rampage finally ended after it was brutally crushed by a backhoe loader.

Christine wound up as scrap in a junkyard, but, in true horror moviefashion, showed signs of life by subtly flinching during the closing scene. The thing is, this iconic car actually did survive post production. In fact, 24 different cars were used in the film overall, with some deliberately crashed in stunt scenes, while others were used for close-ups (via MotorTrend). Although majority of the vehicles were indeed scrapped once filming wrapped, three survived. As for what happened to the rest, well, let's just say they weren't all treated equally.

Of the 24 cars the were purchased for the movie, most of them were actually '57 and '58 Savoys and Belvederes, with just one Fury, according to MotorTrend. Today, there are three remaining "Christines." One was sent to the U.K, while the other, one of the stunt cars, was purchased and restored by Martin Sanchez (via Wired).

The lone Plymouth Fury Christine was originally raffled off and won by Scott Edminster, who eventually sold it. This Christine ended up in Barrett-Jackson's auction, and was bought by millionaire car collector Ron Pratte. It was again sold once more in 2015 before retiring to the Rochester Auto Museum in New York (via MotorTrend). Mecum now has an estimated price tag ranging from $400,000 to $500,000 for the car. While attempts were made to sell her during Mecum Auctions' Kissimmee 2020, that ended up in a fruitless affair.

Eddie Sandlin Jr., whose father worked for Columbia Pictures the year "Christine" was released, built his own version of the Fury after tracking down spare parts individually (via Old Cars). This resulted in a Frankenstein-esque car that almost looked exactly like the Christine in the movie. The car eventually ended up in the ownership of Bill Gibson, who claims that Christine now holds possession of him instead, according to an interview with Count Gore De Vol.

While the flawless 1958 Plymouth Fury from the movie failed to sell in an auction, the amalgam made from fused Fury parts has been out on the road with Gibson, so to speak. According to his website, his version of Christine has been featured at various conventions and car shows, and at one point, a wedding ceremony. It seems like the "Christine" Plymouth Fury is still very much alive even decades after the movie. After all, it would take more than a trash compactor to stop such a resilient vehicle, especially when the burning passion of adoring fans is enough to keep her engine running.