1957 Ford Custom 300 Fordor Sedan [73B]

1957 Ford Custom 300 [73B] in Psycho, Movie, 1960

Class: Cars, Sedan — Model origin:

Vehicle used by a character or in a car chase

Comments about this vehicle

Author	Message
DAF555 ◊ 2006-01-24 21:52	1957 Ford Custom 300
sixcyl ◊ 2006-01-24 21:54	She changed her cars for this Ford, shoosen because of its plate from California les "ennuis ne font que commencer" ...
stronghold ◊ 2007-08-31 09:08
carspoter ◊ 2008-01-28 04:44	This is one of the most famous movie cars ever. I wonder what color it was.
G-MANN ◊ 2008-09-04 21:07	After she is stabbed to death, Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) puts Marion's dead body in the trunk of the car and dumps it in a swamp.
Skid ◊ 2008-09-04 21:47	Apparently the car actually was white, and was also the same car (owned by Universal) that the Cleaver family drove in the first season of "Leave it to Beaver." At least, that's the rumor. -- Last edit: 2008-09-04 21:54:00
Rigormortor ◊ 2010-01-04 03:31	What is cool if you goto Halloween H2O Janet Leigh has a role as Jamie Lee Curtis movie mom and is seen pulling up and getting out of the same type 57 Ford, as the one she drove in Psycho.... pretty cool.
puterboy1 ◊ 2011-01-16 19:54	carspoter wrote This is one of the most famous movie cars ever. I wonder what color it was. In the colorized 1992 comic book adaptation by Innovation Publishing, the car was golden yellow. You should look it up.
tv boy ◊ 2011-02-05 20:53	Skid wrote also the same car (owned by Universal) that the Cleaver family drove in the first season of "Leave it to Beaver." At least, that's the rumor. No kidding? /vehicle.php?id=373429 Looks more like it would've been golden yellow or light blue, if it's the Cleaver car.
EchoBoy ◊ 2011-05-07 04:45	Always loved this car. It really is a beauty!
HunterMan ◊ 2012-07-11 07:54	I think the the movie "Psycho" is the only claim-to-fame for this otherwise plain and uninteresting old Ford (my opinion). But, because this is the car that Janet Leigh drove and ultimately Norman put her body into before pushing it into the swamp, I've tried finding a 1:18 diecast model of one to put with my "Psycho" memoribalia I put out around Halloween time. Bizarre, I know but it would be cool to add to my collection. But, I haven't found one close enough that looks like Leigh's. Supposedly they kept this car on the studio lot (didn't really get ruined in the swamp as portrayed in the movie) and Janet got to once again drive it in her daughter's reunion movie of her scary series "Halloween: H20". Janet played a small part and was sort of a spoof of her former "Psycho" character...complete with driving her original 1957 white Ford Custom. -- Last edit: 2012-10-06 19:49:17
HunterMan ◊ 2012-10-06 19:52	Recently been watching my "Psycho Legacy" DVD set (which is a documentary on the whole "Psycho" franchise) and yes...Janet Leigh's original 1957 White Ford Custom is on the Bates Motel set, and so is Mother's old 1928 Ford Model A, so people taking the Universal tour can enjoy seeing the motel set up like it was in the movie. I've also read that sometimes they have an actor dressed up like Norman Bates/Anthony Perkins, and when the tour goes through he comes out of the motel with a "body" and puts it in the trunk of Janet's Ford. I sooo want to take that tour someday!
Commander 57 ◊ 2012-10-31 03:03	I would love to do that too! Psycho is one of my all-time favorite movies.
HunterMan ◊ 2012-10-31 03:16	Mine too!
puterboy1 ◊ 2012-11-18 00:33	HunterMan wrote Recently been watching my "Psycho Legacy" DVD set (which is a documentary on the whole "Psycho" franchise) and yes...Janet Leigh's original 1957 White Ford Custom is on the Bates Motel set, and so is Mother's old 1928 Ford Model A, so people taking the Universal tour can enjoy seeing the motel set up like it was in the movie. I've also read that sometimes they have an actor dressed up like Norman Bates/Anthony Perkins, and when the tour goes through he comes out of the motel with a "body" and puts it in the trunk of Janet's Ford. I sooo want to take that tour someday! Actually the car at Universal appears to have been replaced with a 1959 model (not a very good cover up in my opinion): http://www.thestudiotour.com/ush/images/jm_psycho2.jpg and http://www.flickr.com/photos/paulbarroga/4390774958/
HunterMan ◊ 2013-11-05 07:01	puterboy1 wrote Actually the car at Universal appears to have been replaced with a 1959 model (not a very good cover up in my opinion): http://www.thestudiotour.com/ush/images/jm_psycho2.jpg and http://www.flickr.com/photos/paulbarroga/4390774958/ Perhaps so...I've just seen more "far away" pictures before, and they've always advertised or stated that it's the car Janet Leigh drove in the movie. But, perhaps that one actually no longer exists, or they have more than one old Ford they use on the set when tours come through. If it is true that it's a 59 model instead, then that is disappointing. -- Last edit: 2013-11-05 07:13:45
Darren_VolvoS80 ◊ 2018-11-11 19:32	This is a classic example of how beautifully built American cars at the time period were. The Custom 300 was considered an “entry level” model for Ford in the late 50s yet it is absolutely gorgeous. I’ve always particularly loved the trim on this car. Such a nice design.
Terra ◊ 2024-10-12 02:25
Stevil101 ◊ 2025-08-30 07:33	The sound effect for this car's horn can be heard at the 1:57 mark of this video. https://youtu.be/46uCBJcNMQM?si=B7g-9mzL--gjQtq2 Now I know I've heard this sound effect many times in other older films and TV shows, but I surprisingly can't find the original source for that sound effect. I'm not sure if the one in the movie actually belonged to this type of car or not, but this 1946 Ford Super Deluxe Station Wagon in this video has a quite identical (if not the same) horn which can be heard at the 0:10 mark. https://youtu.be/-RxtuyZ9fjo?si=5uw4RVouj2vRhO3w -- Last edit: 2025-08-30 07:34:33
62imperial ◊ 2026-09-02 07:40	Just discovered something about this car: From the California license plate NFB 418, I checked old ads and found the car was for sale as a used vehicle at Frank Taylor Ford in Los Angeles. It's listed in their ads from September 24, 1959 to November 20, 1959, which lines up with the production dates of October 1959 to February 1960. The studio apparently paid $1195 for it: (Los Angeles Times, November 20, 1959)

1957 Ford Custom 300 Fordor Sedan [73B]

1957 Ford Custom 300 [73B] in Psycho, Movie, 1960

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