The '80s was a decade in which action-packed and sci-fi movies dominated. There were cute Blockbusters like The Ghostbusters and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, frightening movies like Firestarter, Aliens and The Dead Zone, and there were, of course, the action-packed big productions like The Terminator, RoboCop, and Escape from New York. Most of these titles either presented encounters with frightening creatures or they environed an Apocalypse reality in which weird aliens destroy the world.
Evidently, movie producers had an obsession with aliens in the '80s. With that being said, from the good, the terrible, and the odd, the most interesting movie was the sci-fi action blockbuster, RoboCop, where a cyborg police officer protected innocents in a crime-ridden Detroit. While the story is a social and political satire that still finds fans even in 2022, the best feature of the movie isn’t that weird main character or the plot line, but the 4-door 6000 SUX that appeared in the 1987 movie.
If you don’t remember the 6000 SUX, it’s probably because the young generations associate the RoboCop franchise with the Hummer vehicles, since production widely featured them in the RoboCop: The Series. Others will also remember the Ford Taurus, but our favorite remains the 6000 SUX because it was so ugly and weird that it fitted perfectly in the dystopian reality presented in the movie. For RoboCop fans, these are the best features and details of the 6000 SUX.
RoboCop's Car: Production Created The 6000 SUX To Mock The American Automotive Industry
Considering that not everyone understood that RoboCop was a sci-fi action satire, it is not surprising that some fans missed the part that mocked the automotive industry. Time and time again, journalists and movie goers have pointed out that the presence of the 6000 SUX in the movie was intended as a mockery of the Pontiac 6000 and the American automotive sedans. “The car is presented as a humorous take on the American luxury sedan of the future,” says Driving Line.
“The 6000 SUX appears in the movie a couple of times, including this in this commercial where its 8.2 miles per gallon of fuel economy is proudly advertised as part of an "American Tradition”. The movie’s fandom expresses a similar viewpoint on RoboCop Wiki where a post adds that “the 6000 SUX is intended as a dig at the Pontiac 6000.” Meanwhile, the 6000 SUX commercial is the scene that most effectively satirizes the large size vehicle “because bigger is better”, while also highlighting the absurd fuel consumption. Simply put, the movie made passing references to American car preferences and the fixation with large vehicles.
The 1977 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme That Became The Legendary RoboCop Car
The 6000 SUX is obviously not real. And although we can picture a handful of car manufacturers that would choose to build massive gas-guzzling monsters for fun (Hummer), it would be still tough to conceive an automaker that would choose the moniker SUX for a car model. In the most literal sense, the 6000 SUX was nothing more than a 1977 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme revamped by Gene Winfield.
The designer hid the Cutlass Supreme under the fiberglass body panels. He also added contemporary-looking intakes and exhausts. The designing team also kept the chassis from the 1977 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme. Autoweek emphasizes that the quality of the car wasn’t the best, given that in one of the scenes, a mirror falls off. Having said that, production constructed two complete vehicles for the movie and a third body that was blown up by staff during filming.
Autoweek believes that production wrecked the two 6000 SUX vehicles in the first movie; therefore, auto enthusiasts and the movie fans seeking RoboCop collectibles should look into action figures and small statues instead of weird vehicles.
RoboCop's Car: These Are The Best Features Of The 6000 SUX
Just by looking at the 6000 SUX, we already know how bad it is. This large-sized 4-door saloon has no standout features except the absurd size. While the RoboCop fandom points out that the car had “reclining leather seats, cruise control, and a Blaupunkt radio,” this is quite unimpressive, and we expect far more from the cars of the future.
“It's a giant rear-engined land barge with anti-aerodynamics,” says The Drive before adding that in this dystopian future populated by robots and cyborgs, automakers still can’t innovate and create a luxurious vehicle. Meanwhile, the RoboCop fandom focuses on the “unusual” rear fiberglass section of the 6000 SUX, which has two upper air intakes behind the door at the back, a massive triple exhaust in the center and rear brake lights.
Elsewhere, the production didn’t care too much about the cabin and engine as they left them unaltered. Overall, the 6000 SUX has earned a reputation as one of the most hideous movie vehicles, but this hasn't stopped people from admiring it.