Forgotten movie cars: the Triumph TR 250 from "The hearbreak kid"
Rarely has a main character's car been seen sooner in a movie than in this black comedy from 1972. In the very first second – even before the opening credits – the Triumph TR 250 in sunny "Jasmine Yellow" roars into the picture on its Cosmic alloy wheels, stops – and is promptly fined for parking in a no-parking zone. The roles are now clearly assigned.
When gym equipment salesman Lenny and his newlywed wife Lila set off on their honeymoon a little later (with a single suitcase on the luggage rack), the bright yellow Triumph almost becomes the third main character. The drive along the US East Coast from New York to Miami is probably the most prominent staging of a Michelotti TR in a feature film after "Backfire" from 1964.
We don't want to give too much away here, even if the title already gives you an idea of where the story is heading. In any case, it doesn't just refer to the fact that Lenny first switches to a Greyhound bus and finally to a 1971 Chevrolet Impala after two thirds of the film, leaving his – as he emphasizes – very well-maintained sports car to Lila.
The film is actually not as silly and raunchy as one might expect and is even reminiscent of "The Graduate" at times. There's the omnipresent European sports car, the insecure male protagonist, the music and the somewhat thought-provoking ending with the question of whether a hasty decision was really the right one. In our eyes, swapping the pretty Triumph for the fat Chevy was certainly not.
