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The value of photographs of the Blade Runner vehicles is that they help with the research of what the vehicles looked like inside and out. All the details cannot be seen in the film. Gene Winfield, builder of the Syd Mead designed vehicles, labored long and hard to create what we see and love about the film today. It was Ridley Scott and Syd Mead that had the vision of the near future, but it was Gene Winfield that put those visions into reality. Enough cannot be said about his craftsmanship and the fit and finish of the vehicles he built for Blade Runner.
After the vehicles appeared in the film, almost all of them were destroyed. The three Spinners and one police sedan and one Deckard sedan survived. We all have wishful feelings that there are other vehicles hidden somewhere, but read on and your questions will be answered.
After most of the vehicles were destroyed it is not clear as to how the three Spinners, the one Deckard sedan and the one police sedan escaped and was placed in storage at the "Filmways warehouse". The vehicles were forgotten for some time, later to be discovered when Filmways needed more space. Since Gene Winfield had built the vehicles he was contacted. He purchased the vehicles and signed all necessary paperwork.
For about two years Mr. Winfield had the vehicles exhibited at various car shows. Then little by little he sold them. Some through the George Barris auction. They then appeared in Japan at car shows like the Osaka Expo Land show in October 1987. At one event in Game-maker TAITO's video game center one of the spinners was auctioned the asking price was 1,800,00. YEN or about $15,400. The spinner I believe is the aluminum "flying spinner" it has disappeared into a private Japanese Automobile collection, last seen on the street near "MAGOME".
In the mean time Robert Butts had procured the Deckard sedan and the third Spinner. In 1990 he sold them to the American Police Hall of Fame. On the way to the museum the third Spinner fell from the flat bed truck and was totally destroyed. The Deckard sedan continued and was safely delivered to the museum where it is on view and can be seen today.
The other spinner that was exhibited in Japan and the white police sedan returned to the United States. Where they changed hands and finally went on view at the MGM/ Disney theme park in Orlando Florida where they could have been seen until a few years ago. Due to their neglect at the MGM/Disney Park the vehicles fell into disrepair. They were taken from the theme ride area and placed in a holding area (graveyard) where cars and vehicles of all types and even a few planes where placed when they could not be displaced because of condition. Later it was discovered that the Park unceremoniously disassembled (cut up) the Spinner and the Police sedan and placed them in a dumpster.
There is a hope that the Spinner on it's way to Florida was purchased by some collector where it could be restored or used for molds to create another Spinner.
The photographs you see in this article are the Spinner and White Police sedan. They appeared at the "Movie Prop Car Exhibition" rented from Jay Orhberg for the show thus you'll notice "Jay Orhberg Show Cars" on the rear of the cars. The cars appeared at the exhibit in October 1987. The second set of photographs are the same vehicles a few years later, January 1992 at the MGM/ Disney Park. The Japanese photos were on a yahoo auction in Japan and a friend Hiroshi Matsui helped me bid and buy them for me. The Florida photographs were given to me by Terry Doktor, and also from Ronald Stiebolt. I would like to thank all three men for their help with finding these "Forgotten Photographs".
Police Sedan and Spinner in Japan
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Photos taken at "Movie Prop Car Exhibition" in October 1987
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Police Sedan
The Last Days of the Police Sedan in "The Boneyard"
at the MGM/Disney Park in Orlando, Florida, January 1992
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Police Spinner
The Last Days of the Police Spinner in "The Boneyard"
at the MGM/Disney Park in Orlando, Florida, January 1992
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I do hope this answers any questions that any of the fans have concerning the whereabouts of the vehicles in Blade Runner.
Gary Willoughby
*** UPDATE #1 ***
More Florida Pictures
Additional thanks go to Troy Hayball who has kindly sent in four photos that he took from the tour tram on two seperate trips to MGM studios in Orlando Florida.
The MGM studios in Orlando, Florida
Photos taken by Troy Hayball
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*** UPDATE #2 ***
More Florida Pictures
Shawn Spradling has also sent in these four photos that he took of the sedan and spinner in 1988. Thanks go to Shawn for sharing them with us.
The MGM studios in Orlando, Florida
Photos taken by Shawn Spradling in 1988
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