Iconic Cars: Wayne’s World AMC Pacer

Don’t worry if you haven’t seen Wayne’s World, you haven't missed out – NOT!

The oddball comedy is one of a kind and actually defined popular culture during the early 1990s, with unforgettable jokes, catchphrases, and one-liners.

Some of these are still used today, more than 20 years later. Don’t believe me?

Originally a sketch on NBC's Saturday Night Live (SNL), Wayne’s World became an unexpected hit following its release on Valentine's Day in 1992. It eventually ended that year as the tenth-highest grossing film after raking in more than $120 million worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing film based on a SNL skit in the process.

The story follows Wayne Campbell (Mike Myers) and his metal-head friend Garth Algar (Dana Carvey) as they attempt to take their local public access TV show from a basement, to the fame and fortune of network television.

But, after Benjamin Kane (Rob Lowe) gains creative control and starts to change everything, Wayne and Garth have to battle to rescue their show, and Wayne’s new girlfriend Cassandra Wong (Tia Carrere), from the sleazy TV executive’s clutches.

The two slackers wouldn’t have made it very far without Garth’s trusty 1976 AMC Pacer (‘the Mirthmobile’) - a car which has become iconic in its own right.

This legendary scene not only catapulted Queen’s "Bohemian Rhapsody" back to the top of the UK charts almost 20 years after its first release, it also secured a permanent place in film history for Wayne’s World and the Mirthmobile.

The AMC Pacer was not by any stretch of the imagination, a good looking car. The Mirthmobile, in particular, was a faded sky blue colour with mismatched wheels and some sort of custom painted flame down the side. It was ugly and clapped-out, but still managed to seem cool.

Most of us can relate to this though, having also spent countless evenings driving around for the sake of doing something during our teenage and twenty-something years. Our cars were also older than us, cost more in repairs than they were actually worth, had unusual nicknames and were not as cool as we thought at the time (even if they had a roof-mounted liquorice whip dispenser like the Mirthmobile).

The Pacer was actually considered iconic long before Wayne’s World. The “first wide small car" was a rear-wheel drive hatchback with extra width at the back, so that it could comfortably sit four people. Its rounded "jellybean" styling was described by some as the “Flying Fishbowl” during the 1970s.

Surprisingly, Wayne’s World did wonders for sales of the Pacer, even though the American Motors Corp (AMC) stopped selling them in 1980, while the original car from the film sold at auction for $15,000 back in 2004. Schwing!

The Pacer made cameo appearances in a number of other films, music videos, television programmes and video games, but nothing compares to its starring role in Wayne’s World. The infamous Grand Theft Auto series even introduced an AMC Pacer into one of their games, and aptly named it "Rhapsody" in reference to that timeless scene.

Party on, Mirthmobile!