2023 brought out fantastic new movie cars, like the John Wick 4 Cuda and Fast X Dodge Charger. However, people’s attention is also drawn to one particular pink Corvette appearing in the Barbie movie which comes out July 21st. We did a deep dive and found out it’s not actually a 1956 Corvette.
The movie producers really had fun with this one. They could have just bought any Corvette from the 1950s and called it a day. However, they chose to make a completely custom vehicle that’s approximately 3/4 the size of the real deal.
One quick look at Barbie’s car reveals the proportions are off. Margo Robbie’s head appears to be sticking out a full foot higher than it’s supposed to in a regular Corvette. In a real car, this wouldn’t be practical or safe. Your neck or head would hit the windshield in a crash, plus it wouldn’t deflect the air away from your head.
Director Greta Gerwig and her production team wanted to capture the vibe of playing with dolls in a car. It’s worth noting that Barbie had her first (toy) Corvette back in 1968. Her first car was a pink Austin Healey in 1962, three years after she was created, and over the years, she’s owned Porsches, Ferraris, VWs, and Mercedes roadsters.
True size of Barbie car
The optical illusion of Barbie sitting so high is achieved in two ways. First, Margo is basically sitting on the car instead of in it. Her hips appear to be lined up with the top of the door. Secondly, the car is much smaller than it should be.
Based on the height of the actress, 5-foot-6 or 66 inches, we’ve calculated that the vehicle has a wheelbase of approximately 75 inches. A real 1956 Corvette would have a 102-inch wheelbase. The movie car also has rows of bench seats making it the 4-seat Corvette that Chevy never built. To make room, the windshield has been pushed further forward.
Another way to calculate it is to look at the “Barbie the Movie Collectible Car, Pink Corvette Convertible,” which is the official replica/toy sold by Mattel. It’s supposed to measure 22.83 inches long, and the matching Barbie collectible is 13 inches long. That would mean the movie car is 1.76 times longer than Margo or about 124 inches if you include heels and high hair (which the doll comes with). Multiply that by 3/4 and you get quite close to the 168-inch total length of a C1 Corvette.
Several units have clearly been built, including ones for her friends in different colors. We believe it’s made similar to a golf car, which makes sense considering a lot of the action is filmed on an indoor set. Also, Margo Robbie is looking back while driving in several scenes, which means she’s not actually driving; it’s remote-controlled, just like the Barbie toy cars you played with.
Barbie Corvette in Forza Horizon 5
You can have the car in Forza Horizon 5, as well as Ken’s Hummer EV, if you log in until August 15th and open My Horizon. It’s worth noting that some details have been polished to match the quality of the game, as with Hot Wheels cars.
In the game, the Barbie Corvette is described as having one electric motor at the back which makes 302 horsepower and 332 lb-ft of torque. A motor and battery upgrade available in the game allows Barbie’s car to make 603 hp and 663 lb-ft of torque.
