If you’re a fan of the classic Christmas movie ‘Christmas Vacation,’ you may have wondered where they got the RV that the Griswold family takes on their disastrous holiday trip. Well, wonder no more! We’ve done some research and found out all the details.
First off, the RV used in ‘Christmas Vacation’ is a 1983 Ford Tioga Arrow. This particular model was only produced for a few years in the early 1980s, making it somewhat rare today. The filmmakers had to find one in good enough condition to use for filming, which wasn’t an easy task.
Once they found the Tioga Arrow they wanted to use, the filmmakers had to modify it slightly to fit their needs. They removed some of the interior walls and furniture so that they could film inside more easily. They also added a fake air conditioning unit on top of the RV since the real one was too small for filming purposes.
So where did they find this elusive Tioga Arrow? It turns out that it belonged to John Hughes, who wrote and produced ‘Christmas Vacation.’ Hughes was known for his love of classic cars and owned several unique vehicles, including the Tioga Arrow.
Of course, using Hughes’ personal RV for filming meant that it had sentimental value to him. In fact, when filming wrapped up, Hughes gave the Tioga Arrow as a gift to Randy Quaid (who played Cousin Eddie in the movie) as a token of appreciation for his work on set.
In conclusion, while finding and modifying an RV for ‘Christmas Vacation’ was no easy feat, it turns out that they were able to use one owned by none other than John Hughes himself. And now you know not only where they got the RV but also some interesting behind-the-scenes trivia about this beloved holiday movie.