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EndTHE BACK PAGECATCHIN
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RALPH
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EIBERHow did you acquire the actual
Ford Super Deluxe convertible
Mr. Miyagi gifted to Daniel in
the original film?
RM: Before I started shooting “The
Karate Kid Part III,” I sat down with
[the late] Dawn Steel, the head of
Columbia Pictures. “Maybe at the
end of this film I’d love to buy that
car.” On the day [that movie] was
released, the car was on a flatbed
in front of my house, a gift from
Columbia Pictures.
When did you first imagine
owning the “wax on, wax off”
car?
RM: I always kept something from
every project I’ve ever done. “The
Outsiders,” I kept the Converse high
tops and the jean jacket. “My Cousin
Vinnie,” I kept the can of tuna. I will
not open that can of tuna. With
“The Karate Kid,” it was the original
headband, the trophy, and then I
said, “Boy, would I love to have that
’47 Ford. How cool would that be?”
What condition has it been in
over the years?
RM: For a couple of years, I kept it up
and we had to do a little work to it.
And then I got married, had kids, and
the car was in storage for decades. I
called it the yellow elephant instead
of the white elephant. When I got
the call to hear this pitch about
“Cobra Kai,” I said to myself, “Well,
I don’t know what the show is, but
maybe at the end of the day, I can
get this car up and running.”
And now we’ll see it in season
two ...
RM: Little did I know the show would
be beautifully crafted and turn into
a critical and fan success. Everyone
sort of took it on themselves to
restore the car so we could drive it
in the show.
What exactly was done?
RM: We could have restored the old
engine. When you do these auto
shows, you don’t want to change
anything from original, but that
wasn’t necessarily the case for us.
I just wanted to make sure the car
[looked right]. They put in a new
Ford 302 crate engine with Holley
Sniper fuel injection—probably more
engine than this car needs, so I have
to be really careful. It’s got a little
bit of a jump to it. They also put in
a Ford C6 automatic transmission.
[It’s] way low on the floor because
originally it was a three-speed and
reverse on the steering column.
We still left that all on the steering
column. Also a custom front
suspension and rack-and-pinion
power steering.Everyone who worked on it
must’ve gotten a kick out of it.
RM: They were all so excited. They
were working on a car that meant a
lot to them. I guess when you look
at the famous picture cars, besides
“Herbie the Love Bug,” I guess
[there’s] the DeLorean in “Back to
the Future,” the “Smokey and the
Bandit” car. I’m dating myself. And I
guess all the James Bond cars. But
this one is up there. It’s a little piece
of Americana cinema pop culture.
Have you been able to trace the
car’s full history from new?
RM: I have not. I did learn, though,
that it was [likely] a California car.
Or it seemed to be ’cause whenever
someone inspected it, underneath,
just based on the rust and the stuff
from the [East Coast or Midwestern]
winters and the pitting of the metal,
it was kept as a good-weather car.
Did you ever figure out why
Miyagi had so many cars in
his yard?
RM: It’s part of the magic of Mr.
Miyagi. I guess it’s part of the fact
that he could clap his two hands and
rub them together and make injuries
go away. It’s a piece of the soulful
magic that only Miyagi has. But
yeah, where did all those cars come
from? You will see those cars again
at Miyagi’s house this season.
Has anyone in real life ever
caught you waxing the Ford?
RM: That hasn’t happened yet. But
one of the pieces in the first episode
of season two is [Daniel is] going to
open up Miyagi Dojo, and it’s him
dusting it all off and then going back
to that place in his life and shining up
those cars because that’s all part of
the training.
If this car represents the chi
of Miyagi and Daniel, what
car best represents longtime
nemesis Johnny Lawrence?
RM: Ha! That’s funny. Well, he gets a
pretty cool one early in season two.
He has a little bit of money to make
it look the way he wants. It is exactly
what you would want Johnny
Lawrence to have: some bad-ass car
that somehow always has AC/DC
blaring out of the radio.
Speaking of various original
characters, fans ask a lot about
others appearing on the show.
What’s on the table?
RM: Everyone’s on the table that
makes sense. Everything is possible
that works organically in the story.
You’re going to see some things that
hearken back to that nostalgia—I
just can’t say what they are. AMRALPH
MACCHIO
THE ORIGINAL KARATE KID
AND STAR OF “COBRA KAI”
by MAC MORRISONCATC
HING
UP
WITH“THE KARATE KID” is one of those
rare film franchises that, along with its
characters, not only lives on today but
has also been able to reinvent itself to
attract new generations of fans. Last
spring, YouTube Premium launched
10 episodes of “Cobra Kai,” which
chronicles the 1984 summer hit’s main
rivals, Daniel LaRusso and Johnny
Lawrence, 34 years after their infamous
championship bout in the All-Valley
Karate Tournament. The series became
an overnight sensation, scoring a 100
percent approval rating on Rotten
Tomatoes and the first episode boasting
more than 55 million views. On the eve
of season two’s April 24 premiere, we
chatted with Ralph Macchio—Daniel
LaRusso himself—about a certain 1947
Ford Super Deluxe convertible about to
reprise its own star turn.