Metallicar

The Metallicar

Dean's car, affectionately dubbed the "Metallicar" by fans, originally belonged to John (see 1.01 Pilot, where John sits with his children on the hood of the car while his house burns, and 1.20 Dead Man's Blood, when John mentions that he gave the car to Dean).

The nickname "Metallicar" originated on the fanboard Television Without Pity. The actual comment where the term term was first used by Cyb is on this thread on October 11, 2005. It was coined because Dean enjoys listening to classic rock music like Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin and, of course, Metallica while driving.

The car is a 1967 Chevrolet Impala, which you can find more information on here.

Impala Information

• The Metallicar's license plate is KAZ 2Y5 and they are Kansas plates.
• Contrary to the design of the official Supernatural website, the Metallicar has a bench front seat and its gearshift is located on the steering column.
• The Metallicar has an automatic transmission (source).
• It has a cassette player and radio, no CD player.
• There is a weapons compartment built into the trunk, with a combination lock on it. The combination is 11-02-83.

• At the beginning of 2.20 What Is and What Should Never Be, Dean asks Sam if he has "ditched the plates" referring to the Imapla's license plates (a necessity as they know the FBI are tracking them after the events of 2.19 Folsom Prison Blues (episode)). During the episode we see the usual plates KAZ 2Y5 have been replaced in the real world with CNK 80Q3(Ohio plates) and in Dean's fantasy with RMD 5H2(Kansas plates).

• At Comic Con in 2007:

when asked why Sam had not driven the Impala in Season Two. Jensen answered "Because it's my car", followed by Eric Kripke reinforcing it with "Yeah, it's Dean's car!

when asked about the engine specifications of the Impala, Kripke looked lost, but Jensen was able to describe it in detail.Jensen talks about the Impala YouTube clip

Origins Controversy

In the teaser for the Pilot, John, Sam and Dean are clearly seen huddled together on the hood of the Impala as their house burns. In the Origins comics, Peter Johnson had John acquiring the Impala after Mary's death. Following a Q&A session with Cynthis Boris on Jack Myer's MediaVillage sitePeter Johnson returned with the following response (Source):

I've given a huge amount of thought to the Impala issue and have arrived at a conclusion.

As you may know from previous posts, I felt early on that there would be creative and character-driven value to seeing John get the Impala during his journey in the aftermath of Mary's death. It was a decision, and Kripke and I talked about it. However, I'm in violent agreement with many of your comments that the car is the third character in the show, and that it represents a sanctuary for this family following the death of Mary. I like it as the constant that remains after her death - as Mousitsa (Anna) puts it: 'baby' was there to support her three men after the fire.

These comments have made profound impact, and I agree wholeheartedly with the thematics they represent for the SN universe - for both TV and comics. So, despite the fact that #1 and #2 have both been published, I am going to propose making adjustments to revert to John already having the Impala from the get-go when the issues are collected into the trade paperback. I would like to restore this notion to the comics.

I believe in my heart and gut that it would be the correct version, not just to match the shot of John and the boys of the hood of the Impala in the pilot teaser, but much more importantly, for what the car represents in the continuity of the family -- before and after Mary's death. I'll be talking to DC about this on Monday.

Links

• An article on the Metallicar from an Australian Car Sales website.

• Dean's emotional state and the condition of the Impala Season One and Season Two Picspam metas by anteka.