Dean Martin Trashed This Expensive Vintage Car At A McDonald's Drive-Thru

While we might not associate the glitz and glamor of A-list life with greasy fries and burgers, plenty of celebrities indulge in fast food, from Britney Spears' McDonald's love affair to Ben Affleck's famous dedication to Dunkin'. Unfortunately, not every celeb has a good experience with fast food, like when singer and actor Dean Martin wrecked his Stutz Blackhawk in a McDonald's drive-thru. Why was the King of Cool in the mood for some Mickey D's? He was buying burgers for Bing Crosby's grandson.

Martin usually preferred his meat from slightly classier environments, like the vintage Vegas steakhouse and celebrity haunt, Golden Steer. However, he was dating Peggy Crosby at the time, ex-wife of Bing Crosby's son Phil, and mother to Phil Crosby Jr. In conversation with Fox News, Crosby Jr. said of Martin's Stutz Blackhawk, "These [are] very classic, very, very valuable collectors, vintage automobiles, but they are wide." Crosby Jr. was too young to remember that destructive drive-thru run in 1976 (the story was retold to him), but admitted, "I was a bit of a spoiled kid. I did not like to eat a lot of different types of food, but I loved McDonald's." 

Drive-thrus were a somewhat recent innovation, and as the story goes, Martin suggested they try one out. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the McDonald's drive-thru was not designed for large luxury vintage cars, and Martin's Blackhawk was absolutely crunched by the narrow opening. Ain't that a kick in the head.

So, Dean Martin has destroyed his valuable, luxury vintage car in front of his girlfriend and her son. His reaction? Pretty tame, all things considered. According to Crosby Jr., the Stutz's major body damage was "nothing" to the stage and screen legend, as he wasn't a materialistic man — a stark contrast to the high-flying Hollywood personas of the Rat Pack crew. Besides, the King of Cool may not have needed all his composure to stay calm, as the wrecked Stutz Blackhawk was one of three he owned in the 1970s. Limited-edition Stutz models were popular with celebrities around that time. According to Graceland, it was the favorite car of none other than Elvis Presley. 

He may have steered his Stutz clear of fast food drive-thrus after that, but Martin did dabble in the restaurant industry earlier in his career. In the late 1950s, he opened an Italian-American eatery called Dino's Lounge before engaging in a restaurant war with his former comedy partner, Jerry Lewis, which led to him abandoning the venture. Mishaps aside, Martin delighted fans across the world with his silky vocals and charming persona. And let's face it, the drive-thru workers at McDonald's probably got the biggest surprise of their lives when he and his Stutz came barreling through on that fateful day. Memories are definitely made of this.