One of the cars from the movie “Grease” is coming up for auction at the Mecum Auctions event in Monterey, California, on August 20. The black custom 1949 Mercury known as “Hell’s Chariot” was raced by the villain, Crater Face, against Danny Zuko’s “Greased Lightning” down the Los Angeles River culvert in one of the film’s most iconic scenes. The vehicle was built by movie car designer Eddie Paul, who chopped the top off of a Mercury coupe to create the menacing hot rod, with its classic flames and a set of razor hubcaps that were used to tear through Zuko’s Ford during the race. The car later made appearances in the movies “Streets of Fire” and “Used Cars” before fading into obscurity. It was rediscovered just over a decade ago at a car shop in Huntington Beach in worn and weathered condition and bought by its current owner, Dave DeSure, who had it authenticated by Paul and restored to its onscreen appearance. The car paraded “Grease” star Olivia Newton-John through Las Vegas to the opening night event for her residency at the Flamingo hotel. Newton-John put her signature on the car alongside director Randal Kleiser’s autograph on the dashboard, where it remains today. The pre-auction estimate of the car is $600,000 to $750,000.
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