Nineteen-seventy nine’s The Muppet Movie featured a star-studded cast which included Hollywood legends Bob Hope, Milton Berle and Mel Brooks along with younger stars such as Steve Martin, Richard Pryor and Carol Kane. A number of vintage automobiles appear in the film, but none more prominently than a 1951 Studebaker Commander which took Fozzie Bear and Kermit the Frog to California to fulfill their show business.
The production team was very specific in wanting a bullet-nose Studebaker and two 1951 models were secured for filming. One was used for long shots while the other was heavily modified to show Fozzie Bear driving. The trunk’s floor pan and fuel tank were removed to install a remote cockpit. A tube framework was built to accommodate a seat, pedals, and steering wheel. When operated, the trunk cockpit’s remote controls activated hydraulic rams on the corresponding linkages. A CRT monitor fed by a camera in the “bullet nose” was the stunt driver’s only line of vision. As the original fuel tank was removed, a small fuel reservoir was fitted inside the passenger side front fender. Refueling was accommodated by a small hatch on the fender’s crown.
When shooting wrapped, the car was sold and eventually ended up in the hands of Stan Holcomb, a Studebaker enthusiast from El Monte, California. In 2004, the Holcomb family donated the car to the Studebaker National Museum in South Bend, Indiana.
Restoration work began in 2023 by RazorFly Studios, a firm in Sylva, North Carolina that specializes in television and movie car and prop restorations. While the Commander was relatively sound, its conversion for movie work and subsequent years of disuse had taken their toll. The first order of business was to thoroughly document the car. After an exhaustive cleanout (several pounds of mud were extracted from the chassis and floor pan), it was photographed from stem to stern with special attention paid to diagramming the psychedelic paint scheme. Data points were cross-referenced with stills from The Muppet Movie. Film-visible dings and dents, interior flaws and glass divots were noted for preservation. At one point in the film, Gonzo’s Citroën ended up on the Studebaker’s roof. To facilitate this stunt, a scaffold was built in the car’s interior with rigging running up through the roof. The scars and structural remnants from this stunt have been preserved as part of the restoration.
The car was then completely disassembled. The engine and driveline were dispatched for rebuild while chassis and body work were undertaken at RazorFly’s shop. To ensure accuracy, body panels were initially painted black, the car’s original factory color, followed by silver, the movie paint scheme’s base coat. Aerosol can and airbrush work came next using the same materials and procedures as employed by the studio. RazorFly’s team methodically verified the location of each swirl, stripe, bubble, star, and confetto prior to application. A clear “gloss killer” matte finish coat, frequently used on movie and tv cars to reduce on-camera lens flares and reflections, came last.
The interior was reupholstered with film-visible flaws preserved or re-created. A small seat tear near Fozzie’s shoulder is clearly visible on-screen and was duplicated in the new material and reinforced for long-term stability. RazorFly crews also paid special attention in replicating imperfect areas of the headliner and door panels.
A number of challenges surfaced during restoration. The stress from carrying Gonzo’s Citroen tweaked the body shell and frame which made fitting glass and body panels extra labor-intensive. Several original parts had been altered or discarded during movie prep and needed extensive repair or replacement. Fozzie’s Studebaker had not run since the 1980s and while the Studebaker 232 V8 was salvageable it was in tough shape. Thirty-over pistons proved difficult to find but were eventually rounded up courtesy of four different vendors. A NOS crankshaft replaced the original due to thrashed journal.
The restored “Muppet Car” made its public debut on July 12 at the 2025 Concours d’Elegance at Copshaholm in South Bend, Indiana. The unveiling was greeted with cheers and thunderous applause.
The Studebaker National Museum extends sincere thanks to Studebaker International, the Muppet Car restoration’s primary parts supplier, and to parts vendors Stephen Allen’s Studebaker, Westmoreland Studebaker, Studebaker’s West, Lark Works, East Eckman Motors, and Midwest Studebaker for their generous support. Additional thanks are also due to the Studebaker Drivers Club Restoration Club and the project’s many donors and supporters.
See it at MCACN 2025 in the Studebaker Legends Invitational Hosted by Ed George