12/01/2025
The Bluesmobile is a 1974 Dodge Monaco sedan that was prominently featured in the 1980 film The Blues Brothers. In the film, it is described as a decommissioned Mount Prospect police car, purchased by Elwood Blues at an auction after he had traded the previous Bluesmobile (a Cadillac) for a microphone. The new Bluesmobile is equipped with the "440 Magnum" squad car package, an option offered by Dodge for the Monaco in 1974. It bears an Illinois license plate reading "BDR 529," a tribute to the Black Diamond Riders motorcycle club of Toronto, Canada at 529 Jarvis Street. Dan Aykroyd, co-writer of the film, stated that he chose the 440 Dodge Monaco because he considered it to be the hottest car used by police during the 1970s.
In describing the car to his brother Jake, Elwood says, "It's got a cop motor, a 440-cubic-inch plant. It's got cop tires, cop suspension, cop shocks. It's a model made before catalytic converters so it'll run good on regular gas." The Bluesmobile has the ability to perform seemingly impossible stunts, such as jumping over an open drawbridge, flipping backward in midair, and even "flying" for very brief periods. However, its cigarette lighter does not work, as discovered by Jake early in the film.
