Dallas Drives: the cars used in the series

[Miss Texas 1967]

The car was the least of Sue Ellen's worries, but this had to hurt. She drove around in that awful station wagon and put up with JR's constant crap and Pam got this car plus a loving husband lol

 

[Sarah]

Yeah but Pam crashed her car in the end and disappeared and dumped her loving husband.

Just sayin'.

 

[Ms Southworth]

The car was the least of Sue Ellen's worries, but this had to hurt. She drove around in that awful station wagon and put up with JR's constant crap and Pam got this car plus a loving husband lol

I never understood why Sue Ellen ended up with a station wagon! It would have made sense, if Sue Ellen had had several children (and their friends) that she had to car pool around town, but that wasn't the case, so ...?

Yeah but Pam crashed her car in the end and disappeared and dumped her loving husband.

Just sayin'.

And when Sue Ellen finally had had enough of JR and Southfork, she moved to good ol' England with the most boring guy in the world!

 

[Sarah]

Yup and she came back to the man she loved in the end. I'm out.

 

[Miss Texas 1967]

I never understood why Sue Ellen ended up with a station wagon! It would have made sense, if Sue Ellen had had several children (and their friends) that she had to car pool around town, but that wasn't the case, so ...?

I wouldn't be surprised if it was a ranch car that she adopted, JR was a cold bastard in the beginning, it's not much of a stretch to imagine him brushing her requests off and telling her to just make do with what was around. (Though surely he wasn't so neglectful in the very beginning of their marriage so idk).

Alternatively, the station wagon was the pushy "it'll be great for when you have kids" car.

Orrrr, no one considered how weird it would be to have the Sue Ellen character driving a utility vehicle and by the time anyone did consider it, it was already done (anyone being production people).

What's more strange is the fact that Jock is Ewing 1 and Sue Ellen is Ewing 2. Logically you'd think Miss Ellie (if she could drive back in the first few seasons) would be Ewing 2, then JR Ewing 3, Gary Ewing 4 (if he was around long enough to get a Ewing car), Bobby Ewing 5, Sue Ellen Ewing 6 etc. In the order they would have acquired personal cars.

 

[Ms Southworth]

Yup and she came back to the man she loved in the end. I'm out.

@Sarah; I watched very little of TNT's version of "Dallas", so that's my excuse! But somehow I don't recall Sue Ellen and JR being a couple when he died! Being in the same city as the biggest love of her life when he passed, doesn't really count now, does it?

Anyway, TNT's Dallas was erased from my memory a long time ago, so as far as I'm concerned, JR and Sue Ellen are now living happily together in a newly built wing of Southfork! And Sue Ellen is driving the hottest car on Southfork! She really does deserve it, I think! :wink@

 

[Miss Texas 1967]

@Sarah; I watched very little of TNT's version of "Dallas", so that's my excuse! But somehow I don't recall Sue Ellen and JR being a couple when he died! Being in the same city as the biggest love of her life when he passed, doesn't really count now, does it?

Anyway, TNT's Dallas was erased from my memory a long time ago, so as far as I'm concerned, JR and Sue Ellen are now living happily together in a newly built wing of Southfork! And Sue Ellen is driving the hottest car on Southfork! She really does deserve it, I think! :wink@

Have you seen the movies? They're not a couple, but they're so a couple if that makes any sense lol

 

[Sarah]

They were almost a couple. Linda had read a script that had them going into a bedroom together and shutting the door. So sad it didn't happen. It makes me happy talking and thinking about them together - it's one of the few pleasures I have at the minute.

I'll not say anymore about it. I don't want to rub anyone up the wrong way and I just feel I am at the minute. I really like your idea about the new wing of Southfork though!

 

[Mel O'Drama]

What's more strange is the fact that Jock is Ewing 1 and Sue Ellen is Ewing 2. Logically you'd think Miss Ellie (if she could drive back in the first few seasons) would be Ewing 2, then JR Ewing 3, Gary Ewing 4 (if he was around long enough to get a Ewing car), Bobby Ewing 5, Sue Ellen Ewing 6 etc. In the order they would have acquired personal cars.

This confused me too, but I came up with a rational explanation which also explains why Sue Ellen drove an estate car and fits in with your logic about who would have which plate:

What if - in the early days of the show - "EWING 2" was Miss Ellie's car? Miss Ellie never drove at that point, so Sue Ellen - as the dutiful daughter-in-law - drove Miss Ellie anywhere. It does seem like the kind of car Ellie would have chosen: practical, no nonsense and able to take her over the Southworth land.

By the time Ellie was seen driving, Jock had died so she got "EWING 1". In other words Sue Ellen got that plate by default.

As to why Sue Ellen drove Miss Ellie, I've decided it was mostly at JR's insistence to ensure Sue Ellen was always occupied and he knew where she'd be (I think that was implied in scenes showing the day-to-day routines in the Mini-Series). But perhaps it also showed Sue Ellen's desire for status in hopeful preparation for becoming the reigning queen of Southfork in the long term. That plate must have seemed like a real prize to her.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Ray


Some of these may be Southfork runabouts rather than Ray's own vehicle. And there are a couple I'm not sure about. But it goes something like...







Chevrolet C-10
1970+ model
Seen in: Mini-Series

Chevrolet C-10 Silverado Fleetside
1975+ model
Seen in: Mini-Series

International Harvester Scout II
1971+ model
Seen in: Season One

Ford F-Series
1979 model
Seen in: Season Two

This is cute:

​

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Ray







Jeep Pickup Laredo Townside
1979+ model
Seen in: Season Three

Jeep Pickup Honcho Townside
1981+ model
Seen in: Season Eight

GMC Suburban Sierra Classic
1985+ model
Seen in: Season Ten

 

[Karin Schill]

I agree that it seems logical that the Ewing 2 plate originally belonged to Miss Ellie. It would have made sense for her to have picked out that station wagon or as some of the fans on this board used to call it "the grocery getter!"

Also I find this thread very informative. I've never noticed when they've just updated the model of the cars and I seriously thought Bobby had the same car from the mini-series until Pam crashed it into that tanker. But I see now I was wrong!

 

[Ms Southworth]

I used to drive a station wagon similar to Sue Ellen's years ago! There's no doubt that it's a "grocery getter", @Karin Schill ... ... ... ... It's such a big car to drive! Just the front of it (i.e. where the engine is) is about the same size of today's mini cars! It took me a while to learn how to park a station wagon, but eventually I got the hang of it!

In terms of size, a station wagon can come in handy not only in regards to groceries! I spent quite a few nights sleeping in the back of a station wagon with a friend of mine in order to save money on a hotel! ... LOL ... Quite spaceous vehicle once you put the backseat down, I must say! But thinking back, I can't believe that we even dared sleeping in a car on the back streets of L.A.!

 

[Karin Schill]

Well yeah the things you do when you are young.

 

[Lastkidpicked]

Jock's Lincoln seems so perfect for him. EXACTLY what an executive in Texas would drive in the 80's.

I remember that when you would see one go by, you knew it was the vice-president of a big company.

 

[Michelle Stevens]

In contrast to Jock's Lincoln Mark V and JR's Mercedes' we had Digger Barnes and his '70 Mustang with the torn off vinyl roof and aftermarket side exhaust.

 

[Swami]

I used to drive a station wagon similar to Sue Ellen's years ago! There's no doubt that it's a "grocery getter", @Karin Schill ... ... ... ... It's such a big car to drive! Just the front of it (i.e. where the engine is) is about the same size of today's mini cars! It took me a while to learn how to park a station wagon, but eventually I got the hang of it!

In terms of size, a station wagon can come in handy not only in regards to groceries! I spent quite a few nights sleeping in the back of a station wagon with a friend of mine in order to save money on a hotel! ... LOL ... Quite spaceous vehicle once you put the backseat down, I must say! But thinking back, I can't believe that we even dared sleeping in a car on the back streets of L.A.!

To be fair, estates nowadays are much more steamlined and quite a few do a good job in disguising their size. Back in the late 70s there weren't too many estates/station wagons that you could have called stylish!

Swami

 

[Lastkidpicked]

Thank you for posting the picture of the 'Burb, Mel O'Drama.

I remember after Ray started driving it and making it cool, every dealer in Texas sold out of Suburbans.

 

[Christophersmom]

Bobby's first benz from season 1 and Pams Vette were always my favs.
I got the matchbox vette that they put out in the Dallas series cars bought it at Toys R US

 

[Swami]

Bobby's first benz from season 1 and Pams Vette were always my favs.
I got the matchbox vette that they put out in the Dallas series cars bought it at Toys R US

Jock's Lincoln - although it perhaps looks dated now - did have considerable presence.

Swami