The Iconic Character-Building Cars of the ‘Karate Kid’ Franchise

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Car casting can go a long way towards developing character, even in a franchise that ostensibly isn’t about automobiles at all. One of the most enduring examples can be found in the Karate Kid series of movies and TV shows, one of the rare decades-spanning explorations of the lives of characters established in an entirely different era, flourishing—or not—when we check in on them years later.

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Right from the beginning, cars play a central role in Karate Kid, and in surprising ways. Rather than ride trends and simply splash the latest and greatest ‘80s rides on the screen, the writers instead reach deep into the past to put classic vehicles in a foundational role. In the twenty-teens, when the Cobra Kai series picks up the narrative thread, cars are still a driving force in the life of main character Daniel LaRusso—only this time illustrating a very different aspect of a man who’s been changed by time in ways he could not have predicted.

Along the way, antagonists and sidekicks each get their own automotive lore that helps deepen our understanding of who they are, and chart their journey through life. Here’s a look at the iconic character building cars of the Karate Kid, on the eve of the next chapter in this 40-year-old story.

Mr. Miyagi’s Classic Collection

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Mr. Miyagi—the sensei who gets the martial-arts ball rolling when he takes a young Danny LaRusso under his wing in the original The Karate Kid movie—could have easily been a cardboard stereotype spewing Eastern mysticism, a common trope of the era. Instead, a nuanced performance from actor Pat Morita, combined with the decision to give Miyagi a historically accurate back story, helped create a character who has endured despite not being on the screen in more than three decades.

Miyagi’s collection of classic cars plays a key role in establishing who he is, where he came from, and what he has to offer LaRusso. A decorated Second World War veteran in the movie (Morita served as well), it’s only natural that on returning from combat, Miyagi would have been drawn to the material trappings of “success” that drove the post-war American economy. At the same time, as a practical man, his tastes would not have ranged towards the extravagant. Rather than simply keep up with the Joneses and upgrade what’s in his garage with each passing year, Miyagi instead amassed a collection of affordable vehicles that reflected the period in his life that defined him.

This is why his immaculately-kept property is decorated with a set of equally well-kept cars and trucks ranging from the early 1940s to the late 1950s. We see a 1959 Nash Metropolitan, a 1951 Cadillac sedan, and a 1952 Pontiac “woodie” wagon all lined up at Miyagi’s home. More intrinsic to the plot, however, are two other models.

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Miyagi’s daily driver is a 1941 Chevrolet pickup, a vehicle as useful and modest as the man himself. This is the ride that we see the most often, as it represents the core values of Miyagi, and serves as the conduit that brings LaRusso into the new world of karate. It’s the second vehicle, however, a 1947 Ford Super Deluxe convertible, that provides the spiritual portal that transports Danny the rest of the way into Miyagi’s universe.

This is the car on which he learns the immortal “wax on, wax off” technique that lets him drop his preconceptions about what it takes to truly embrace karate as a lifestyle, and become the fighter Miyagi knows he can be. It’s also the reward his mentor gives him for his birthday, allowing him to drive it out into the world as a new person who has reached the full potential of his soul.

When we circle back with Daniel LaRusso in Cobra Kai, we discover that the impact of Miyagi’s lessons have made such a mark on the man that he has kept the property after his teacher’s passing, maintaining it to the same high standard, complete with the original flotilla of automobiles. While it seems as though LaRusso has kept Miyagi in his heart all these years, throughout the course of the show we discover that the Ford and its friends serve better as a representation of how far the adult Daniel has drifted from the teenage Danny’s ideals.

Macchio ended up owning the ’47 Ford personally, as it was gifted to him by Columbia Pictures when the second sequel opened. The studio restored the vehicle and keeps it in driving shape for him, which allows it to be used in its ongoing role on the small screen.

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Johnny Lawrence’s Studebaker Avanti II and Okinawa’s Honda S800

There are a pair of drop-tops in the first two Karate Kid movies that stand out as character-specific choices. The first is the Studebaker Avanti II driven by bully (and eventual redemption project) Johnny Lawrence as a teenager in the original Karate Kid. It doesn’t get a tonne of screen time, but it’s the kind of flashy and weird model (the Avanti was never originally sold as a convertible, which means this was a niche continuation car of which a handful were built) that a child of privilege would have access to. It’s a glimpse into the gilded caged Lawrence lives in, and it helps establish the pain he went through during that existence that haunts him as an adult.

Johnny’s true character is further revealed in the scenes where he and his gang of bullies ride dirt bikes, visual shorthand for scofflaws and juvenile delinquents alike in the 1980s. They’re also a power move versus LaRusso’s bicycle, showing who holds the upper hand in early every one of their conflicts (until the final tournament showdown, of course).

In Karate Kid Part II, LaRusso returns to Okinawa with Mr. Miyagi, and ends up embroiled in a long-running family feud. Danny and others in the cast often make use of a Honda S800 roadster, a car from Miyagi’s past that has seen better days—much like his relationship with the people he left behind when he came to America. It’s a fitting metaphor for the man’s imperfections, which the audience is witnessing for the first time after his hero turn in the opening film.

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Johnny Lawrence’s 1991 Pontiac Firebird and 2011 Dodge Challenger R/T

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When we catch up with present-day Johnny Lawrence, we discover a man developmentally frozen in his teenage “glory” years, such as they were. A big part of establishing his personality is the car he’s driving, a clapped-out 1991 Pontiac Firebird. With the F-Body the universal ride of ‘80s villain-adjacent characters, ranging from deadbeat boyfriends to bad-guy surf bros, the Firebird is a perfect commentary on where Lawrence is in his life.

When the Pontiac is burned to a crisp by a bunch of thugs, Lawrence naturally evolves to the next stage of modern muscle to match his growing confidence as the sensei of his own dojo. The 2011 Dodge Challenger that he ends up with isn’t just the perfect representation of his brash, arrested development personality, but the way he acquires it—given to him by one-time nemesis, now kinda-frenemy Danny LaRusso from his dealership’s trade-in lot—reflects his position in the show’s social and economic pecking order.

Lawrence eventually abandons this car at the beach when he grows enough to realize that the violence his dojo has become embroiled in has far-reaching consequences that he can no longer stomach. Johnny is leaving his old life behind, and the Challenger serves as a fitting representation of his character’s season-long arc.

Daniel LaRusso’s Audi S5

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What happened to Danny—sorry, Daniel—LaRusso in the intervening years between the original Karate Kid trilogy and the Cobra Kai TV show? Unlike Lawrence, LaRusso managed to parlay his tournament glory into a successful business selling cars. From a character perspective, we see how this financial and social rung-climbing from modest roots to an upper-middle-class existence has put Daniel in something of a straitjacket.

Sure, he still loves Miyagi-do karate, but it’s something that exists for him in the past, or as a deeply personal aspect of his personality rather than as an active practice that he shares with others as Mr. Miyagi once did. We also see how uptight and rigid he’s become as a result of the responsibilities associated with his business. All this makes it a natural that his vehicle of choice is an Audi S5, a car that’s got decent power and respectable comfort, but doesn’t really stand out from the rest of the pack in terms of styling or performance.

Perhaps no scene is more indicative of how the S5 represents LaRusso’s place in the world than when Daniel and Johnny try to chase down a Dodge minivan stolen from the car lot. Even with Johnny behind the wheel, the car is somehow barely able to keep up with the underpowered people-mover, his wild side apparently thwarted by the staid competency of the Audi. The S5 ends up getting the two of them into a bad situation where they’re surrounded by chop-shop employees intent on beating the tar out of them. It’s the beginning of the end of the fractured relationship between the two men, who end up fighting each other as they can no longer ignore the tension brought about by their very different social standing.

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