Proving there is no film car too obscure to to save, the 1949 Buick Roadmaster convertible featured in Rain Man will be restored and debuted at the 2016 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance.
Although Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman may have been the leading men of the 1988 film Rain Man, for us car enthusiasts, the star was the '49 Roadmaster.
For those who don't quite recall, in the film, Cruise's Charlie Babbitt inherits only his late father's Buick (along with some prized rosebushes) while his older brother, Raymond, played by Hoffman, is bequeathed their father's fortune.
While on a cross-country road-trip in the Roadmaster, the two men rekindle their bond while we (or at least I) fell in love with the Buick slathered in Sequoia Cream paint and finished with a red leather interior.
Thankfully, rather than being left to rust in some out-of-the-way studio backlot, the car is being given a full restoration for the film's director Barry Levinson by Wayne Carini of the Velocity Channel’s “Chasing Classic Cars” show.
In the '80s, car's rear suspension was modified before filming in order to support the bulky film equipment. It's likely, however, Carini will undo the suspension stiffening in order to improve ride quality.
Regardless, it'll be nice to see a car that not only inspired Buick design clear through to today but also delighted film and car fans for decades.
Now all it needs? An excellent driver.