In a show packed with chaos, explosions, and eccentric drivers, Twisted Metal nailed one detail fans didn’t expect-the Subaru WRX that feels as real and customizable as the car gamers have obsessed over for years.
“We were dealing with: Well, what is actually our starting vehicle?” Victoria Paul, Twisted Metal‘s production designer, said. “And then once we have that, we did so many illustrations – like, Is it white with a blue stripe? Is that this, is it that? How have we modified the hood? How have we modified the back? What are the rims? What are the guns?“
The conversation (even when they spent a “lot of time thinking about which guns attached to which vehicles”) always came back to practicality – and how that balanced against a game franchise as frenzied and wild as Twisted Metal.
“There were some very specific beats about the interior that we had a match. You know, like where certain buttons were, that was very clear from the game,” Paul says. “But mostly, I think it was just us trying to say, OK, what’s the most badass car we can give this guy given he’s been driving this car for 20 years?“
In Paul’s mind, Evelyn had to be a car that John conceivably found on the side of the road; in all likelihood, someone’s everyday car that was in constant use before the apocalypse hit. Ty Guidroz, Twisted Metal‘s car coordinator, came onto production a little after they decided the style of Evelyn. But in his mind, the look and makeup of Evelyn makes perfect sense.
“The choice of the Subaru WRX was because this is an action-packed show. These cars were going to be expected to do a lot of things,” Guidroz says, noting that there were four different Evelyns, all souped up to do what they needed the car to do. “Part of it was [that] it was a car that was age appropriate, pre-2002. But also [it] could do and perform the things with the type of car that these kids would actually drift – even today! They take these cars, and they drift them on the drift track. So [the cars] will perform the way we wanted them to perform.”
Evelyn is John Doe’s baby, the central car in a series full of them, so of course she got a little bit of special love and attention. She was the longest process, particularly since, as Paul says, there was “no real role model for her from the game.” But as Guidroz and Paul note, Evelyn is just representative of how they wanted every car to feel, whether they were looking at the big Tahoe that Agent Stone (Thomas Haden Church) drives or the infamous ice cream truck that Sweet Tooth (Joe Seanoa) maniacally drives around in.
“Each car has its own character,” Guidroz says. “We had to do that selection process for every character, for every vehicle along the way: What do we want it to do? What does it have to do? Are we going to jump it over something? Are we going to flip it over something? Are we going to slide it around? And so all those things had to come into play when they were selecting the perfect car.”
How was Evelyn’s Subaru WRX custom built for stunts and drifting
Evelyn’s Subaru WRX Build Process
Evelyn, John Doe’s Subaru WRX in the Twisted Metal TV series, was custom-built as a pre-2002 “bugeye” model for superior drifting and stunt performance. Production chose it for its lightweight frame, ideal for the show’s high-speed chases and post-apocalyptic maneuvers.
Selection for Stunts
Car coordinator Ty Guidroz and stunt coordinator Clay Cullen picked the WRX because it naturally drifts well, supporting jumps, flips, and combat scenes without major unreliability risks. A base model represented its “found in the woods” origin, evolving through visible damage and upgrades to reflect John’s journey.
Build Variations
The team fabricated five WRXs: one hero car for close-ups with detailed patina, gold rims, modified hood, and weapon mounts; two stunt cars reinforced for impacts; and a pod vehicle with a roll cage for safe actor filming during drives. Interior matched game aesthetics, prioritizing functionality like stunt breaks for seamless action.
Drifting Modifications
Focus stayed on keeping it fast and light, with scavenged patchwork aesthetics-no heavy engine swaps detailed, emphasizing OEM-plus reliability for real-world drifters. Iterative designs ensured it “died” dramatically on-screen while tracking decades of survival use.
What safety modifications were added for stunt driving
Evelyn’s WRX Safety Modifications
The Twisted Metal TV show’s Subaru WRX, Evelyn, included targeted safety mods on its stunt variants to protect drivers during high-risk action.
Pod Vehicle Features
One key build was a pod vehicle with a full roll cage, allowing actors like Anthony Mackie to film “driving” scenes safely without controlling the car. This setup isolated the actor in a secure cockpit while stunt drivers handled drifts and jumps remotely.
Stunt Car Reinforcements
Two stunt WRXs received reinforced chassis, heavy-duty suspension, and impact padding to endure crashes, flips, and collisions with vehicles like Sweet Tooth’s truck. Racing harnesses and fire suppression systems were standard, prioritizing driver survival over visual perfection.
General Production Safety
All five WRXs followed industry protocols: frame stiffening to prevent crumpling, override of electronic aids for controlled chaos, and helmets/suits for performers. These ensured realistic drifting-featuring the bugeye model’s natural handling-without compromising crew safety.
