AMERICAN GRAFFITI brought back memories of love, new adventures, musical memories - and most of all, it brought back cruisin' down the boulevard in some of the coolest cars ever to roll out of Detroit!

Who could ever forget those cars? That white T-Bird? Or how about that yellow coupe? Well, it seems that Route 66 Rendezvous didn't - they loved the cars so much that the organization decided to induct AMERICAN GRAFFITI into the 1998 Cruisin' Hall of Fame! Pat Caffrey, Chariman of the Board for the San Bernadino Convention and Visitors Bureau (the producers of the event) explains why the film was inducted: "AMERICAN GRAFFITI was different in that it covered both the rebellious and the innocent sides of cruisin' and presented a more complete picture of it as a cultural phenomenon. We believe that the film truly deserves a place in the Cruisin' Hall of Fame."

This event, by the way, attracts a wide array of classic cars, hot rods, and custom cars - and well over 250,000 at its annual gatherings.

But what did happen to that T-Bird and Coupe anyway?

Well, the T-Bird is still in existence and its proud owner is Clay Daly. Believe it or not, he purchased the car for a mere $1,000.00! Okay, so it had a dead battery - but he was able to get it off the used car lot and back home. He fixed the battery, cleaned it off and parked it. Then, one day, a note from a production team member of Graffiti left a note on the car saying the production would like to rent the car. Daly thought it was a joke, but decided to call anyway - and the rest was movie history. A side note - the original engine was in such great shape that it went over 110,000 miles without an overhaul. It averages 17 miles per gallon of gas and the transmission went over 115,000 miles before needing repairs. Not too bad for a purchase price of a thousand dollars!

The other famous car - the yellow Deuce Coupe - is also still in existence. The proud owner of that car is Graffiti fan Rick Figari.

The Coupe was originally selected by George Lucas because he said that it was similar to the cars he used to drive around when he was younger. So, when the car was spotted, it was snatched up right away. But, unlike the T-Bird, the Coupe was a "movie car" - meaning that what you saw was what you got. It looked great on the outside, but did not have all that much on the inside.

The Coupe was modified for filming - to give it more of a chopped, custom feel - and it worked because the car stole every scene it was in. After the movie was completed, the car was put up for sale for the whopping price of $1,500! And no one bought it! Universal had to keep the car, which it did - and used for promotional purposes until it was sold at auction in the early 80's.

A gentleman by the name of Steve Fitch acquired the car and kept onto for a few years. Rick Figari tracked him down and finally, after several years, got Fitch to sell it to him. Graffiti fans will be pleased to hear that the car's engine has been overhauled and that nothing has been to the outside of the car.

The legacy of Route 66 and AMERICAN GRAFFITI lives on….