Art by Jon Hunsinger
When I was preparing to write Crossing Bedlam, I put a lot of thought into what type of vehicle they needed for the cross-country trip. I needed something strong, durable, off-road ability, and not too slow. Some people suggested a Humvee because those things are one step below a tank, but reading up on them nixed that idea. They aren’t very fast and don’t have a lot of space. Think they’re no longer made for civilians too, which means it’d be hard to find one so far after the collapse. Eventually, my hunting led me to the jeep that is now Cassidy’s most prized possessions.
It’s also becoming it’s own character in a way like the Impala of Supernatural, the Charger of Burn Notice, and all the other famous vehicles. Not that it’s at that level, but the Jeep has such an important part to play in the story. This isn’t just the transport that takes Cassidy and Lloyd from New York to San Francisco. It acts as their home because it has all their stuff and they live in it. More importantly, our heroes bond within the car, so it achieves a special significance for them. So whenever it gets damaged, I feel the same way I do when I had to write about one of the heroes getting hurt. At least my hope is that the readers want to see the Jeep get to the end of the road along with its passengers.
Something else that I realized after I wrote the book, Cassidy is extremely attached to this car. At first, I thought I unintentionally made it a Mad Max connection that doesn’t have much beyond ‘this is mine’. Then I realized how she got the Jeep and her connection to it goes deeper. Without putting in spoilers, she sacrificed something important for this vehicle, which means it has replaced that which she lost. Yes, this has to do with her mother. So the Jeep is actually another reminder of her loved ones, which makes it very dear to her. God help anyone who tries to steal or damage this thing because Cassidy will come down on them like the Angel of Death. If you were wondering, Lloyd is fine with the Jeep, but his connection to it is entirely platonic.
So, have you ever used vehicles in your stories and found that they take on a bigger role than transportation? Do you have a favorite fictional vehicle? I’m betting on there being a few General Lee’s and Kitt’s in the comments.
Legends of Windemere 
I grew up in an era in which cars in movies and on TV either were main characters or at the very least were accessories crucial to the identity of the protagonist: KITT, the General Lee, the A-Team van, Ecto-1, the Batmobile, the black Trans Am from Smokey and the Bandit, the V8 Interceptor from Mad Max, the DeLorean from Back to the Future, the Wagon Queen Family Truckster from Vacation, the Mystery Machine from Scooby-Doo. I think it’s been far too long since a new iconic vehicle was introduced for a new century!
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It’s surprising that there haven’t been any new iconic vehicles. Especially with movies like Fast & Furious being around. Though I think people are looking at vehicles more for destruction than anything else. Closest thing I can think of is the Impala from ‘Supernatural’.
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I guess the cars in Fast & Furious are more candy than characters, but what would one expect from a franchise in which the “heroes,” such as they are, are sociopathic meatheads who openly celebrate socially irresponsible behavior like reckless driving through heavily populated streets? (At least the General Lee raced through the open countryside!) The writers of F&F haven’t endowed the flesh-and-blood protagonists with believable or empathetic characteristics, so asking them to do so for a car is clearly beyond their talents…
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I think they did their best with that during the first movie. Vin Diesel had that one car, which was dear to him, but it didn’t really go much further. The series seems to have become more action heist than car movie.
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I don’t have a vehicle that’s a protagonist, but Brandi’s oversized military green canvas bag that she calls her purse is a character in and of itself.
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Funny how inanimate objects can gain character status.
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Well, the UES Pearseus is the spaceship that brought everyone to the planet of same name, so it can be argued it is the protagonist of the entire series 🙂
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Planets as protagonists or antagonists? Sounds very sci-fi.
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Well, the planet was named after the ship, so… 🙂
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Got it. 🙂
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Herbie the VW
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Forgot about Herbie. Think it’s because of that Lindsay Lohan movie.
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I think it’s a great idea, and it’s been a while since anyone did much with it. Harry Dresden has his VW that’s continually losing pieces. I wrote an iconic vehicle into The Playground, but it doesn’t reach character status. Lisa had a motorcycle in her story, and I was a little saddened when Daryl Dixon lost his motorcycle in Walking Dead.
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I heard about the motorcycle. Found it a little funny when I saw the mourning messages go up on FB. Definitely need more vehicles as characters instead of expendable transports.
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Sean P. Carlin named all of the ones I was going to name! I’m really dating myself, but Starsky and Hutch drove a Ford Gran Torino. 😀 Very iconic.
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Well, nobody mentioned Flinstones car or James Bond. 🙂
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Wow. I didn’t even think of either! Or the Simpsons’ car.
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Forgot about that one. 🙂
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John Cannon has a 1978 Toyota FJ40 Landcruiser. This is a very special car and one I also owned. John still has his but I had to sell mine so John’s Landcruiser is by default my Landcruiser.
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Living through your characters. Smart move. Saves on gas and you don’t have to pay any speeding tickets that he wracks up.
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Or have to repair bullet holes.
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Those are so hard to explain.
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So true.
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In my detective books, my main character drives a Lexus IS 300. This car is special to me because I owned one (until my teenage daughter totaled it). They don’t make them anymore and mine was in pristine shape after 11 years (until my teenage daughter totaled it).
Jonathan Kellerman’s Alex Delaware character drives an ancient Cadillac Seville that has been through engine changes over the 20 years of stories in which he is featured. I’m trying to establish something like this with my Lexus even though the books are outliving the car (did I mention my teenage daughter totaled it?)
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So did your teenager daughter total it? I have to admit that I’ve heard that happens a lot. Nice choice of cars. I never got into specific brands since my knowledge is limited. So it’s really cool to see what people have chosen.
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It sort of chose me. Yes she totaled it. I remind her every chance I get. It’s my duty as a parent.
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Need to remember that for when my son starts driving. Thankfully, he’s still trying to figure out a bicycle.
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