Metallicar

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Character
Name: 1967 Chevy Impala aka Metallicar (in fandom)
Occupation: car
Relationships:
Fandom: Supernatural
Other:
In some fans minds, the Impala will be the only home Sam and Dean will ever know. Title: On the Road Again. Artist: beata101. [1]
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Metallicar is the nickname fans have given the Winchesters' 1967 Chevy Impala. According to the Super-wiki the name originated on Television Without Pity fanboard in 2005.[2]

In canon, Dean cares about the Impala a lot.

In fanworks, the car is often treated like a character. Sometimes the car is anthropomorphized, usually as a woman.[3]

She is sometimes paired with Dean (see the Dean/Impala pairing page), though in some fic she rejects Dean.[4] She is occasionally paired with both Sam and Dean.[5]

There is also bodyswap fic with the Impala (even before the episode with the Sampala -- Season Five's Changing Channels in which the Impala briefly turns into a Knight Rider-type car with Sam being its consciousness).

Sometimes the Impala is paired with other cars, such as Metallicar/Truckzilla (John Winchester's truck) or cars in car shows, which may lead to crack car pregnancy fic.[6][7][4]

The Role It Plays In The Season 5 Finale 'Swan Song'

In the final episode of Season 5 ("Swan Song") the Impala plays a pivotal role in pulling Sam free from Lucifer's possession. According to the Supernatural Wiki: "While Sam is possessed by Lucifer, and confronting Michael, Dean arrives at Stull Cemetery in the Impala. He confronts Lucifer, who starts beating him. However it's the Impala, the boys' home and place of so many memories (particularly of his relationship with Dean) that finally helps Sam fight back and take control from Lucifer."[8]

After the episode aired camui-zuuki put together a series of screencaps summarizing the episode and the role that the Impala played. The full series of screencaps can be viewed here; however a small selection appears below, along with quotes from her essay. Click on the images to see more detail.[9]

  • The episode uses flashbacks to establish the importance of the Impala in Sam and Dean's lives: "During another flashback we see several things, that made the Impala special....."

  • "....The toys Sam and Dean crammed into the ashtrays or vents, their initials on the cars interior."

  • camui-zuuki writes:"In another flashback we see the brothers in the past... playing pool, driving around the country and just being together."

  • A line from the episode: ""It never occured to them... that sure, they never really had a roof and four walls... But they were never, in fact, homeless..."

  • A possessed Sam begins to offer a death blow to Dean who is lying beaten against the Impala

  • At this moment "Lucifer sees his own reflection in the shiny roof of the Impala... images start appearing in front of his inner eye... memories of Sam and Dean and the Impala... the brothers, who sacrificed so much for each other, who love each other so much, that they would give anything for one another."

  • And Sam, now free of Lucifer, sacrifices himself and saves the world.

Vids

  • Brick House is an Impala-centric vid by deirde_c. (link) (See also the vid commentary by yourlibrarian here) [10]
  • Hey Pretty by astartexx. A vid told from the Impala's POV: ‘Hey pretty, don't you wanna take a ride with me? Through my world.’ The Impala is more pissed at Sam’s bitchy attitude, dad’s grumpiness and generally less forgiving than Dean.

Fan Art

  • Sometimes the Impala is seen in human form. Artist: doublestart

  • And not always fully human: "I didn't want her to be one of those big-boobed, long-haired beauties Dean prefers to fuck. His car girl needed to be someone different, someone with whom Dean would want to hunt, who he'd protect with all his heart, with whom he'd share a long-lasting, very devoted bond." Artist: Gileadine.

  • One fan on tumblr wryly observes that the Impala is "The Only Surviving Female On The Show".[11] Artist: nargynargy.[12]

  • Dean's connection to the Impala runs deep. When the car is totaled in the accident and their father dies, Dean channels his grief and anger into restoring the car. Artist: reitawolf[13]

  • Sometimes the Impala is the witness to Sam and Dean's "erotically co-dependent" relationship. Artist: ElTheGeneral.[14]

  • "Illustration of Sam pressing Dean up against the Impala, Sam is his kissing Dean's neck and pushing Dean's shirt up with his and one leg inserted between Dean's leg. Dean is looking away from Sam, with one hand on the hood of the Impala. In the background if the sign "Singer Auto Salvage""

    Sometimes the Impala plays a more....active role in Sam and Dean's relationship. Artist: loonylucifer.

  • Even angels find themselves drawn into the "Impala Love." (Dean/Castiel). Artist: quimvaa.[15]

  • The Impala is not only a place for sex. here Dean and Castiel enjoy a moment of comfort and tenderness with the Impala. The artist labeled the Dean, Castiel and the Impala as her OT3. Artist: cafe-de-labeille.[16]

  • illustration of teenage Dean and child Sam embracing and sleeping upright in the back seast of the impala

    For Sam and Dean the Impala is the only home they've ever know. Title: Sleeping in Impala. Artist: 來球.[17]

  • tote bag handed to attendees of the 2007 Wincon convention featuring the convention logo: the Impala

  • A fan made book bag. Artist: A-starfish

  • Fan made felt Impala. Artist: Ldhenson.[18]

  • Art by myfriendfredric created for the fic Home's Face (Baby's Story), for the Dean's Baby Mini Bang

  • wayward sons by itsvondell, showing Dean, Sam and Cas relaxing on the Impala, the wings behind the sun indicate Castiel is an angel, but also, depending on when exactly the image was created in 2013, may be inspired by the Season 9 title card for the series

  • A fan imagines what the Impala would look like if it were a Tardis. Doctor Who has a similar close relationship with his 'vehicle'. Artist: sirgeorgprime.

Meta and Further Reading

External Links

References

  1. ^ WebCite for On the Road Again
  2. ^ Metallicar article
  3. ^ stereowire. Impala as woman fanart, Archived version
  4. ^ a b Vintage by ljs-lj, "Pairings: unrequited Dean/Impala; Impala/Dodge Challenger"
  5. ^ Works tagged Impala/Dean Winchester/Sam Winchester at AO3.
  6. ^ Derryderrydown. Grandcars
  7. ^ Epeeblade. What to Expect When Your Impala's Expecting
  8. ^ Impala entry on the Supernatural Wiki.
  9. ^ WebCite for camui-zuuki screecaps.
  10. ^ WebCite for "Brick House by deirdre_c, commentary by yourlibrarian" post, 18 July 2010. (Accessed 3 December 2010)
  11. ^ WebCite.
  12. ^ WebCite.
  13. ^ reference link.
  14. ^ WebCite.
  15. ^ reference link.
  16. ^ reference link.
  17. ^ reference link.
  18. ^ Additional images are here, Archived version.
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