[The-wheels-museum] WHEELS - This Weekend's Events

[The Wheels Museum]

Two Musical Events at WHEELS This Weekend (Saturday and Sunday) and “Better Call Saul” Car on Display:


Steve Cormier - Western and Country Music



Saturday, July 20, 2024  at 12 Noon
At WHEELS Museum 1100 2nd St SW, Albuquerque, NM 
Admission is $10 per person
Reservations required. Call WHEELS at (505) 243-6269 
 
Steve Cormier’s music is informed by nine years as a day work cowboy in the Flint Hills of Kansas and Eastern New Mexico, and a Ph.D. in American Studies specializing in ranch history and culture. He sings and tells the stories of the west before Hollywood movies glorified what is hard, often thankless work. He sings of horses, cattle, love and loneliness, old age, young age, real heroes and heroines, and discovery, all wrapped up in story and song, including a song or two that he has written.
 

Albuquerque Drum Jam




Sunday, July 21, 2024  at 11 AM
At WHEELS Museum 1100 2nd St SW, Albuquerque, NM 
Admission is $10 per person
Reservations required. Call WHEELS at (505) 243-6269


WHEELS Museum welcomes the 1998 Suzuki Esteem that appeared in the “Better Call Saul” Television series to our collection of vintage cars.  

Come celebrate with us on Saturday, July 20 between 10:00 AM and 2:00 PM 
 
 


This is one of four 1998 Suzuki Esteems sourced by Sony Pictures for use in the hit tv show Better Call Saul. Somewhat of a rarity these days, a nationwide search went on for enough Esteems to play the role of James McGill’s trusty (most of the time) transportation. 
 
Head of the show’s Transportation Department Dennis Milliken was instructed by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould to “start looking for this vehicle in the mid to late 90’s range.” They even toyed with the idea of having the word Esteem written along the bottom part of the side of the car. Milliken said “in my almost 40 years in this business, I have never searched so far and wide for multiples of the same vehicle.” The final design was the color scheme of Dennis’ college roommate’s ‘70s Ford Pinto, mismatched red door and all. Eventually cars were found in Denver, Phoenix, Houston, and the Pacific Northwest where this car was found. 
 
Of the 4 cars used in production, 1 was cut up to be into a camera process car, one was scrapped, the nicest condition “hero car” was retained by Sony, and the one in front of you which met its fate in Season 5. In the episode titled “Bagman”, a simple cartel money pickup job turns deadly when Bob Odenkirk’s character is ambushed by a rival cartel in the desert.(which is why the car is riddled with bullet holes) Eventually, the car breaks down for good, and is pushed off a ledge in the desert (filmed in real life in To’hajiilee about 35 miles west of Albuquerque.) The car would appear again in a teaser for the series finale with the car in an even further state of decay. 
 
In an interview with Esquire magazine in 2021, Bob Odenkirk who played James McGill/Saul Goodman stated if he could keep any souvenir from filming it would be the Suzuki Esteem car that he drove. He said “I really, truly enjoyed driving that little hunk of metal. I did tell my son I was going to get him one of those for his first car, and he thought that was pretty cool, so I’d like that.”
 
After a recent overhaul by the private owner, the car miraculously cranked right up after being dormant since the show wrapped. It still runs and drives great despite looking like it’s ready for the scrapyard. Say what you will about the Suzuki Esteem, but after a cartel shootout, being pushed off a cliff and over 150,000 miles logged, it doesn’t show any signs of slowing down soon.


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