1966 IMPERIAL
“Black Beauty”
Customized by Dean Jeffries

The "Green Hornet" radio program debuted in 1936. Thirty years later, television revived the characters in a series starring Van Williams as the Green Hornet and martial arts legend Bruce Lee as Kato. Built by legendary customizer Dean Jeffries, a specially modified 1966 Imperial called "Black Beauty" was driven during filming by Lee and served as the crime-fighting team’s on-screen transportation. The car put a wide array of apparatus at the driver's disposal: it could create a smoke screen or spread tacks on the road to puncture the tires of pursuing vehicles, and it was fitted with a television camera that could see many miles ahead.

Collection of the Petersen Automotive Museum