Hardcastle and McCormick - Coyote X

Coyote X

The car that McCormick drove, the Coyote X, was built from custom molds based on the McLaren M6GT. The original Coyote X was molded, modified and assembled by Mike Fennel. The nose, windshield doors and lower body (minus the ventral intakes) are faithful representations of the McLaren; the cut down rear deck, however, was a custom component that became a feature on many Manta Montage kits with damaged or removed rear windows. The most noticeable differences between the Coyotes and Mantas are the wheel wells, roll pan height and shape, and the fact that the Coyote has a one piece front clip that terminates about an inch before and surrounding the windshield.

Most of the cars made for the show were molded and assembled by either Mike Fennel or Unique Movie Cars. Like many kit cars of the time, the car uses a chassis from a Volkswagen Beetle and its engine from a Porsche 914. For the second and third seasons, producers used a different Coyote which was based on a De Lorean DMC-12, as Brian Keith had difficulty getting in and out of the original Coyote.

The Season 2 and Season 3 Coyote does not resemble the Manta, as the front is larger than the original, making the car resemble a front-engined car. A Season 1 car that was used in the production of Hardcastle and McCormick is owned by a private owner in southern New Jersey. The stunt car was reconfigured for the Knight Rider 2000 television pilot, then consequently turned into Jay Ohrberg's show car "Taz-Mobile". In April 2011, the car was sold and shipped to Texas where it will be re-bodied back to its Coyote configuration, retaining as many of the original Coyote pieces as possible. A Season 2 car appeared briefly on the sixth episode of Season 5 of the sitcom Married... with Children.

• Season 1 car

• Season 1 Coyote at home in New Jersey

• Season 1 car rear quarter

• Season 1 car front