Was Cruella De Vil's Car Modeled After A Real Car Or Just Something ...

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Q: Was Cruella de Vil's car modeled after a real car or just something Disney came up with?

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Select ratingPoorOkayGoodGreatAwesome Author: Adam Thomlison / TV Media

The answer depends on which Cruella de Vil you're talking about.

If you're talking about Glenn Close's portrayal of Cruella de Vil -- in the 1996 live-action film "101 Dalmatians" and its 2000 sequel -- then there's an easy answer: it is a real, albeit heavily modified, car -- a Panther De Ville.

For the original animated film it's a little harder. It can definitely be said that her cartoon car wasn't based on the Panther, as that car didn't go into production until 1974, 13 years after the film was released.

Auto experts suggest that the car she drove in the animated film was actually based on the much older Duesenberg car.

Auto blog Jalopnik.com lists Cruella's car as one of the "10 greatest cartoon cars" and said it was based on the Duesenberg due to its "mean, classic look."

The fact that it was not based on one of the many cars called a "de Ville" is a bit problematic for this theory, however. In fact, her name is supposed to be a play on "devil," rather than reference to her car. For further proof of this, French versions of the films call her Cruella d'Enfer, which translates as "Cruella From Hell."

There's also another version of the character to contend with. Cruella de Vil also appears in ABC's "Once Upon a Time" TV series, and she drives neither a Duesenberg nor a Panther.

Actress Victoria Smurfit, who plays the notorious puppy-hating villain, told "Access Hollywood" that the car she gets to zip around in is a Zimmer Golden Spirit.

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