Somebody call Dean Wormer because the infamous Deathmobile was spotted in Lake Orion on Halloween.
A replica of the menacing vehicle featured in the 1978 movie classic National Lampoon’s Animal House was part of last week’s parade through the village.
But this Deathmobile was not built by the fictional Delta Tau Chi fraternity brother known as D-Day.
It was constructed by longtime Orion resident Matt Henry, who works in advanced power-train engineering for Delphi
‘It was just a bucket of monkeys to build this thing, it was so fun,? he said. ‘If you have anybody that owes you money or something, you need to borrow my Deathmobile because they’ll cough it up if you pull up in that thing.?
Henry said he built the Deathmobile because he wanted to have something for the Woodward Dream Cruise that would stand out in the typical sea of polished classic cars one usually sees.
‘It’s about having something different than everyone else has,? he said.
The Deathmobile featured in the movie was constructed from a 1964 Lincoln Continental that belonged to Kent ‘Flounder? Dorfman’s brother, but got wrecked during a road trip.
It was modified by D-Day and used by the misfit Deltas to wreak havoc and ‘take no prisoners? at the fictional Faber College’s Homecoming parade.
Henry’s Deathmobile was constructed from a 1968 Lincoln Continental. Both feature suicide doors.
‘They’re pretty much the same,? he said.
When he bought it for $500, Henry said it had definitely seen better days.
‘She was no prom queen when I picked her up, I’ll tell you that,? he said. ‘The car wasn’t running at all.?
Living up to his nickname, ‘the engine whisperer,? Henry got it running ‘in a matter of hours.?
But the engine wasn’t the only problem.
‘The interior was shot,? Henry said. ‘I had to cut the roof off of it and then use the steel from the roof to patch the floor because it was so bad.?
‘It really wasn’t enough of a car to restore to its former glory,? he noted. ‘I started hackin? on it and a month later we had the Deathmobile.?
It’s most prominent and distinctive feature, the turret, is made of wood and has an escape hatch on top just like in the movie.
Henry’s favorite part was building it with his sons, Lucas, 6, and David, 2?.
Besides teaching them ‘engineering basics? and ‘problem solving,? building the Deathmobile showed his sons that ‘with a little creativity and half a brain you can do anything,? he said.
He sold the vehicle last week for an undisclosed amount.