Class: Cars, Off-road / SUV — Model origin:
Vehicle used a lot by a main character or for a long time
Author | Message |
---|---|
◊ 2006-04-19 16:19 |
This car belongs to Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), it first appears in Episode 1.2 "46 Long" and is his everyday car during series 1-4 and appears in nearly every episode. After that he replaces it with a Cadillac Escalade ESV, although after Tony crashes the first one (the black one) in episode 5.05, we see it parked in the Bada Bing car park in the scene where Christopher shoots at it with his gun so he presumably went back to it until he got his replacement Escalade (the white one). It also features as the car he drives during the famous Sopranos title sequence. The main image shows how it appeared during series 1, from series 2 onwards it was upgraded with billbars and those vent things that go onto the tops of side windows. This is how the car appeared from series 2 onwards: The vehicle was eventually auctioned off by the producers after it was retired from the show. From episode 1.1, 1990s Chevrolet/GMC Suburban used by Emil Kolar (Bruce Smolanoff) from the scene where Christopher Moltisanti does his first "hit": -- Last edit: 2012-03-15 23:47:56 |
◊ 2006-09-16 22:23 |
A '99. |
◊ 2006-11-07 05:22 |
man I'd love to own that truck, I think it looks so much better with the grille guard and tail light protectors. |
◊ 2006-11-10 14:37 |
Well it was auctioned off after it left the show. |
◊ 2007-01-03 05:10 |
Why a 1999? |
◊ 2007-01-03 23:08 |
The first series of the Sopranos came out in 1999. Though it was probably filmed in late 1998. |
◊ 2010-06-06 20:37 |
Its at least a 96 or later because it has the passenger airbag above the glove box, as seen in the title sequence. Plus it makes sense that it would probably be a new car when the series began. The pilot was filmed during the summer of 1997, as was the title sequence. That means that that car was either a 96 or 97, but the show was not picked up for a while, so there may be a similar one in the other episodes that is newer. -- Last edit: 2011-04-03 18:18:42 |
◊ 2012-03-12 02:58 |
This isnt a 1999. 1996-1998. The Opening and pilot were filmed in 1997. |
◊ 2012-03-12 07:20 |
It's at least a 1997 model as that is when the passenger-side airbag was added. |
◊ 2012-07-22 21:27 |
Again for Sale: Link to "www.AutoCollectionS.com" |
◊ 2012-09-21 03:01 |
AutoCollections lists it as a 1999 for some reason. |
◊ 2012-10-23 21:01 |
On that site it says the car was purchased in late 1998 (therefore must be 1999 model year) by Movie Time Cars (company that provided vehicles for the show) and was one of 2 identical models (one for exterior shots, one for interior shots). So I think we can call this a 1999 car. Tony's car doesn't actually appear in the pilot (instead he rides in Christopher's Lexus in several scenes). Although the pilot was made a year earlier, it wasn't actually broadcast on TV until 1999, with the rest of the completed first series. So I'm guessing the opening sequence was filmed along with the rest of the series, after the pilot was approved, and added onto it. So the car used in the opening sequence would have been one of those 2 cars. |
◊ 2012-10-23 22:47 |
The Suburban had automatic Autotrac four-wheel drive, which had been introduced for the 1998 model year. So for sure not a 1996 model. The system boasted a two-speed dual range New Venture Gear (NVG) transfer gearbox with variable center multi-disc differential and electronic lock. The push-button controls for the automatic four-wheel drive system were located on the dash, to lower right of the steering-wheel. The center multi-disc differential could be locked to maintain a 50:50 torque split in off road conditions. As an optional extra, an Eaton Automatic Differential Lock (ADL) could be ordered for the read differential. Tony’s Suburban may or may not have had that feature. |
◊ 2013-10-14 04:10 |
THey used a few of these in the filming, as a 1999 version with Sopranos memorabilia was sold at the Barrett-Jackson Las Vegas auction this past September. It had a sunvisor signed by James Gandolfini himself, saying, "Take good care of my car. -James Gandolfini". |
◊ 2019-05-10 16:38 |
K-1500 LT [GMT410]. |
◊ 2022-08-11 17:52 |
Another way to distinguish a 1997 and 1999 Suburban are the interior: The airbag cover is flatter and wider on the 1995-1997 models, whereas the 1998-1999 models had a different style. The column shift on the 1995-1997 was thinner and had an overall different design. You can see these differences in S1E12 during the attempted hit on Tony, where the airbag cover was clearly shown along with the column shift. I agree with Lee Richards. If the Pilot was filmed in 1996-1997, and though it doesn't appear in the Pilot, it would still realistically be a 1995-1997 model year. It doesn't necessarily need to be in 1999 when they started using it or preparing it for production and filming. But of course, they could very well have used a 1999 model AFTER the start of the show. -- Last edit: 2022-08-13 03:27:56 |