The extraordinary private collection spans vehicles, aircraft, props, wardrobe and memorabilia, forming the foundation of a new global experiential entertainment platform.
LOS ANGELES, Sept. 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Maybe it was the Lamborghini Countach poster on your bedroom wall. Maybe it was Jake Ryan’s Porsche 944 in Sixteen Candles. Maybe it was the Thunderbird from Thelma & Louise.
Somewhere along the way, a car stopped being transportation and became part of a memory.
For the past three years, Reel Wheels Entertainment™ (“Reel Wheels”) has been assembling those memories in physical form.
Now, the company is stepping into the public spotlight with a private collection spanning hundreds of vehicles, aircraft, props, wardrobe, memorabilia and entertainment assets connected to some of the most recognizable movies, television shows and moments in popular culture.
At a time when almost anything can be generated, streamed or digitally recreated, Reel Wheels is building around something increasingly powerful: real community formed around physical objects people can see up close and experience together.
But Reel Wheels is not being developed as a traditional museum, and the cars themselves are only the beginning.
“The cars are the gateway,” said Aaron Phillips, CEO of Reel Wheels. “They open the door into an entire world of film and television. The characters, scenes, props, music and memories people already carry with them.”
Phillips describes the vision as a cultural time tunnel, reconnecting audiences with what they loved growing up, surrounding them with what they love today, and creating anticipation for what comes next.
FROM COLLECTION TO EXPERIENCE
The collection includes original screen-used pieces, production-related artifacts and recreations, with provenance identified individually.
Among its holdings is the original screen-used cockpit from Airplane! Co-writer and co-director Jerry Zucker recently sat down with Reel Wheels for an interview about the film, the cockpit and why physical pieces of filmmaking still matter decades later. Reel Wheels plans to release that conversation soon.
“These objects also carry memories that belong to the audience as much as to us. People tell me they watched Airplane! with their dad, or on a first date, or at a sleepover where they laughed until they couldn’t breathe. Seeing something real from the film brings that moment back. It connects people to a time in their own lives, not just to the movie,” Zucker said.
Other highlights include an aircraft used in M*A*S*H, a screen-used mid-engine Dodge Charger from F9: The Fast Saga, a production aircraft fuselage associated with Sully, an original production stunt proton pack from Ghostbusters, The Cannonball Run ambulance, and vehicles, props and wardrobe connected to Men in Black and other celebrated film and television properties.
The assets currently visible publicly represent only a portion of Reel Wheels’ holdings. Additional vehicles, aircraft and significant entertainment memorabilia continue to be documented and introduced.
A WORLD-CLASS TEAM OF INDUSTRY VETERANS
Reel Wheels has assembled a world-class design and production team capable of helping brands, studios, resorts, hospitality groups and destination developers integrate Reel Wheels assets into their own creative vision, from a single high-impact activation to a fully developed immersive environment.
Rick Carter, advisor to Reel Wheels, is a two-time Academy Award-winning production designer whose credits include Avatar, Lincoln, Jurassic Park, Forrest Gump and The Fabelmans.
“What could be more real than Reel Wheels?” Carter said. “These are the cars we all dreamed of driving and owning, the cars that made us want to be those characters and ignited our sense of speed, adventure and imagination in the ‘reel worlds’ of classic movies.”
Doug Meerdink, Chief Creative Officer of Reel Wheels, has spent more than two decades working in feature-film art direction and production design.
“Reel Wheels gives us the opportunity to extend cinematic storytelling beyond the screen,” Meerdink said. “By placing extraordinary physical assets at the center of immersive environments, we can transport audiences directly into the stories they love.”
Veteran picture-car specialist Dennis McCarthy, founder of Vehicle Effects and advisor to Reel Wheels, brings decades of experience across more than 100 motion pictures, including extensive work throughout the Fast & Furious franchise, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Avengers: Endgame.
“Cars in movies and television are more than transportation, they’re characters,” McCarthy said. “The right car can tell you who someone is before they ever say a word.”
BUILT AROUND A PARTNER’S VISION
“We don’t expect a partner to build their vision around our collection,” Phillips said. “Our job is to understand their vision and use our assets, designers and production capabilities to help make it extraordinary.”
Potential applications range from brand activations and resort programming to touring entertainment, studio collaborations and permanent destination-scale attractions.
Reel Wheels is also exploring opportunities internationally, including in Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, as investment in tourism, hospitality and location-based entertainment creates opportunities for ambitious physical experiences at scale.
“A recognizable car may be what gets someone through the door,” Phillips said. “But the destination is the world it came from.”
AN INVITATION TO CREATE
Reel Wheels is inviting filmmakers, production designers, technologists, global brands, hospitality leaders, studios, destination developers and storytellers to imagine what can be built around the collection.
“After three years of collecting, preserving, building and imagining what Reel Wheels could become, we’re ready to open the door,” Phillips said.
The cars are the gateway. The stories are the destination.
ABOUT REEL WHEELS
Reel Wheels is an experiential entertainment company built around a private collection spanning hundreds of vehicles, aircraft, props, wardrobe, memorabilia and entertainment assets connected to film, television and popular culture. The company is backed by a world-class team of industry veterans spanning production design, art direction, picture cars and experiential entertainment, bringing decades of experience from major motion pictures and global entertainment projects.
The collection includes assets with differing provenance, including original screen-used pieces, production-related assets and recreations. Reel Wheels identifies provenance individually and does not represent every asset as an original screen-used piece.
The publicly displayed collection represents only a portion of Reel Wheels’ holdings, with additional vehicles, aircraft and entertainment memorabilia continuing to be documented and introduced.
reelwheels.com
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