Greased Lightning

Greased Lightning

If you've seen the 1978 movie Grease, you know Greased Lightning. It's car that John Travolta and his pals restore over the course of a rousing musical number and turn into a...well, we won't use the term from the song, we'll just call it a "chick magnet". One of the rides used during the filming of the "Greased Lightning" scene recently became available, and Illinois' Volo Auto Museum has purchased the car for its collection.

According to TMZ, the car was in the process of being restored at a shop in California when its owner died. Through various legal channels, the shop took possession of the vehicle and offered to sell it to the museum, which had been wanting to add a car from Grease to its collection. The museum agreed, and even had the shop finish the restoration job.

It's ironic that this news came to light last week -- the same week that actor Jeff Conaway died.

The "Greased Lighting" musical number is one of the high points in Grease, a movie that was arguably the high point in Conaway's career. Conaway, however, wasn't completely enamored of the vehicle: he said that accidents during the filming of the "Greased Lightning" number ultimately led to his long-term back pain, which in turn led to his addiction to prescription painkillers.Conaway was still fighting those demons when he appeared on Celebrity Rehab years later.

Conaway was found unconscious on May 11, after what may have been an overdose of painkillers. He was taken off life support on May 26 and died May 27.

For a brief ride down memory lane, here's a look at the "Greased Lightning" musical number, starring a very pre-Battlefield Earth John Travolta. (Kinda makes you wonder what Justin Bieber is going to look like in 30 years, after the alleged remake of Grease.) If you're having trouble spotting Conaway, he's the one between Travolta's legs at the end:

[TMZ via Marty]