In Jerry Seinfeld’s show “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee,” the legendary stand-up invites a fellow comedian to accompany him on a drive (in a fabulous car) to seek local caffeine, during which they chat about life and comedy. The episodes are lighthearted and funny, and they are polished with that Seinfeldian veneer of tame respectability.

A generation earlier, a different set of comedians was in a car, and the duo’s preferred substance was emphatically out of that era’s respectability spotlight.

Cheech and Chong’s

classic movie

, Up in Smoke, features a wild plot, a lot of pot, and more than a few interesting cars.

A blunt and to-the-point plot summary

Up in Smoke tells the tale of two unexpected (but not unlikely, as we’ll soon see) friends. Tommy Chong plays Anthony “Man” Stoner, a drummer with a predilection for smoking marijuana, whose parents’ military school ultimatum forces him out of the house.

This is where he meets Pedro de Pacas, played by his comedy partner Cheech Marin, who picks him up from the side of the road. A shared interest is quickly discovered, and the two partake of a comically oversized joint.

Hijinks quickly ensue—the two, parked dubiously in the middle of the road, are soon apprehended by the police. They escape thanks to (what else?) someone else’s substance abuse, and decide to keep their pot party going. After a brief interlude at the home of Pedro’s cousin’s home, they find themselves en route to Tijuana, courtesy of the INS.

A couple of misunderstandings later, the duo is once more in possession of a vehicle, which they cheerfully steer back toward Los Angeles. The vehicle in question, it turns out, is a van composed of “fiberweed,” and you can guess what happens when it encounters any sparks.

A couple of accidentally high policemen and distraught nuns later, Cheech and Chong have been convinced by a couple hitchhikers to enter a battle of the bands contest. They wind up winning it, and it’s anybody’s guess if it’s due to talent or the generous helping of “fiberweed” smoke floating through the building.

The final scene finds them back in the car, lighting up once more. Incorrigible.

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A half-baked car movie

Up in Smoke is a movie about two buddies and their drugs, but the events unfold in LA and “Mexico” (actually Yuma, Arizona), so it’s inevitable that it’s a movie about cars, too.

From the get-go, we’re invited to enjoy the beauty of a Cheech and Chong car scene. Pedro picks Man up, says

Autoweek

, in a 1964 Chevrolet Impala Super Sport. The car’s original paint is almost entirely obscured by rust, so it’s a cacophonous patchwork of brown and blue.

The interior is as off-the-wall as the movie’s protagonists. Pedro steers this classic car with a chain-link wheel that would look right at home around the neck of a giant bullmastiff. And if that isn’t enough, the seats, dash, and ceiling are entirely upholstered by multicolored fluff. The two characters do their car scenes as though flying on a giant scarlet macaw.

The Impala is outrageous, and it stands in contrast to the staid police vehicles. The

IMCDB

notes a couple of the classic ‘70s-era cop cars that show up in the movie, including a 1972 AMC Matador and a 1964 Lincoln Continental.

And it’s not just the cars that the characters drive that are of interest.

Autoweek

takes an eagle-eyed look at some of the cars in the background, cataloging among them a 1971 Pontiac Grand Prix, a 1970 Dodge Charger, a Volkswagen 412, a 1969 Toyota Corona, a Fiat 128 Sport Coupe SL, a Volkswagen Transporter, an Opel Manta, a Jaguar E-Type coupe, and possibly a Datsun Sports.

Even if you put on Up in Smoke for the comedy, you can’t deny that the movie is a true car-nival.

MORE: A Retro Classic: The 1978 Corvette

Don’t fry this at home

Up in Smoke is hilarious and absurd, but not recommended for imitation. Cheech and Chong’s car practices would not have earned them any safe driver discounts. Their

car insurance

would have been insanely costly. But yours doesn’t have to be. Try

Jerry

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