Wax on, wax off. The Karate Kid taught a generation how to do cool karate moves while doing house chores, and the importance of patience, discipline, and respect. And even though it's a film with fighting at the forefront, it taught kids how to go about it in an honorable way, and how to use karate to defend oneself rather than inflict harm on others.
But this isn't a movie review website or a write up on morality and humility, this is a car page. And there's plenty of classic cars in Mr. Miyagi's collection that still stick with us car people today, and serve greater purposes in the film.
Let's look back at some of the iconic vehicles in The Karate Kid, and find out what happened to them and where they may have ended up.
These Cars Were In Mr. Miyagi's Collection
While it's never spelled out, one could guess that Mr. Miyagi is a closeted car nut, stashing his collection of old American steel in his yard. And while some of the vehicles just sit there for the whole film, collecting dust for Daniel to clean, plenty of them have a shining role in the film.
Dead center, for all to see, is Mr. Miyagi's 1942 Chevy pickup, the oldest car in his collection. This is the truck that took the student and the master to all their training locations and acts as the main vehicle of the flick. Though there is some debate on the significance of its model year, 1942.
The bombing of Pearl Harbor happened only a year prior and made civilian cars scarce for years to follow. So not only is it rare, it's symbolic, especially since 1942 is the year Mr. Miyagi and real-life actor Pat Morita were sent to a Japanese-American internment camp. It could've been a bold and emblematic choice or just a coincidence.
Then there's the dusty, yellow 1947 Ford Super Deluxe Convertible, which is the car Daniel is tasked with cleaning up in the famous "wax on, wax off" scene. And while he did have to wax all the other cars in Mr. Miyagi's fleet, Daniel grew particularly fond of the Ford, and for good reason.
At the end of the film, as the two celebrate Daniel's birthday, Mr. Miyagi brings Daniel outside and points to his polished collection of classics, and lets Daniel take anyone he'd like out on the town. Without much hesitation, Daniel goes for the Super Deluxe and ends up using it to impress his sweetheart, Ali.
Then there's the red herring, or blue herring, of Mr. Miyagi's collection. Hiding behind the larger hunks of steel is a much smaller, still American made, 1956 Nash Metropolitan. While it never has as much screen time as the Chevy Pickup workhorse or the Ford Super Deluxe chick magnet, the Metropolitan is significant because it was the first car Daniel had to wax and served as the genesis of his karate training.
The reason for using this car is unclear. Some speculate the producers wanted it in Miyagi's collection to keep his character's motives slightly inconsistent, but the running theory is that it was easier to shoot around the Nash because it was smaller, as was Mr. Miyagi.
And then there's the other two cars, a 1950 Cadillac sedan and a 1951 Pontiac Woodie Wagon. Neither one of those cars ever moved from Mr. Miyagi's lot, but both of them were deep cleaned by Daniel as he trained for the tournament, and played an important role in developing his character offscreen.
Where Are They Now?
Mr. Miyagi's collection of cars was used throughout the three Karate Kid movies, and with Cobra Kai reviving the timeless classic, many were pleased to see most of the collection come back. But the new collection it isn't exactly like the old one, despite the fact that the show did a great job bringing back any of the actors from the original films.
For starters, anyone with a trained eye will notice the distinct lack of a Pontiac Woodie wagon. That's the one car the producers just couldn't get their hands on and ended up being written off. The car didn't have too much significance in the franchise anyway, so they could afford to let it go.
The Cadillac Sedan, the Nash Metropolitan, and the Chevy Pickup are all the right make and model, but they're not the exact same cars that were used 20 years prior. The majority of Mr. Miyagi's collection is made up of replicas, all except for one.
The beautiful Ford Super Deluxe Convertible, the one Daniel ended up being gifted, actually ended up being gifted to the actor who played him, Ralph Macchio, way back when the second movie had just released. True to character, Ralph pitched the idea of buying the car from Columbia Pictures once shooting was finished, so that it could live on as more than just a prop. Columbia Pictures never got back to him, but on the day Part II released, the car was parked outside Ralph's home.
Like Mr. Miyagi, Ralph ended up leaving the car to collect dust in his garage due to getting married and having kids. He'd considered getting rid of it from time to time, but when the idea for Cobra Kai was pitched to him, he insisted that the Ford had to be in it. A complete restoration was done to make sure the car was actually running. The engine was swapped with a Ford 302 racing engine, the transmission changed from the old three-speed manual to a C6 automatic, and some new brakes and suspension.
It may not be exactly the same as the car first waxed in 1984, but the chassis and the spirit of the car sputter on today, and we hope it makes an appearance or two in the third season of Cobra Kai, set to release in January of 2021.