One of the many successes of the AMC series Breaking Bad was the choice of vehicles. That’s AMC as in American Movie Classics, rather than American Motors Corporation, although Braking Bad would be a suitable title for a documentary on the demise of the former automotive giant.
Breaking Bad starred Bryan Cranston as the chemistry teacher Walter White who, along with a former student (played by Aaron Paul), turns to the production of crystal methamphetamine to secure his family’s future. The series spanned five series and 62 episodes from January 2008 to September 2013 and is worthy of its 9.5 rating on IMDb. More than a decade on from the series finale, it remains one of the greatest shows to grace the small screen.
Walter White drove a Pontiac Aztek. In an interview with Jalopnik, the show’s casting director Dennis Milliken credited its creator Vince Gilligan as the guy responsible for picking the perfect cars. He said: ’As much as I’d like to take all the credit for this, I have to proudly admit that the cars on Breaking Bad have Vince Gilligan’s fingerprints all over them. The process always started with the script. At times he would be very specific about what he wanted for a character. When the description wasn’t defined, I would post a variety of options for him to consider via the internet and he would choose from those options presented him. Our goal was always to try to give Vince what he wanted for a character and to never disappoint him. While many of the cars that made it on screen came from my input or the input of my department, all decisions that lead to what ended up on screen was 100 percent Vince.’
Breaking Bad debuted in January 2008, just two and a half years after the last Aztek rolled off the production line in Ramos Arizpe, Mexico. By then, it had secured a place in the automotive hall of fame for all the wrong reasons. Almost every list of ‘ugly cars’ you stumble across will include the much-maligned ‘Sport Recreational Vehicle’, although whether by accident or design, it was omitted from a 23-strong list published in September 2022 by The Sunday Times. The usual suspects are included – Fiat Multipla, Chrysler PT Cruiser, SsangYong Rodius, etc – but there’s no room for the Aztek. Maybe the writer has fond memories of the car’s many features, which are often overlooked by the purveyors of lazy lists. Although not everything was standard across the range, the Aztek boasted the likes of a removable drinks cooler, slide-out cargo tray, tent, blow-up mattress and Range Rover-style split tailgate, complete with moulded seats and cupholders. The great shame about the Aztek is that beneath the challenging cosmetics, there was a practical and versatile car waiting to get out. It was also the perfect vehicle for Walter White.
Dennis Milliken told Jalopnik: ‘The story that I got was that Vince was presented a few options and fell in love with his ‘Mr Chips’ riding around Albuquerque in this vehicle. And that distinctive green colour was all Vince, as well. Interesting that the Pontiac Aztek was voted as one of the worst cars made. [It] kinda made Mr. White look somewhat pathetic. [But] Aztek owners tend to be very protective of their vehicles, and this just goes to show you that Vince shares the same view of the majority of those taking the aforementioned polls.’ Gilligan described Breaking Bad as ‘a story about a man who transforms himself from Mr. Chips into Scarface,’ hence the reference to the English novel by James Hilton.
According to Below The Radar, General Motors said it would shift 75,000 units a year, but the Aztek’s best year was 2002 when fewer than 28,000 found buyers. By the end, just 120,000 had been built, which would have been enough for the once optimistic GM to reach for the crystal meth. The success of Breaking Bad means that the Aztek is one mistake the company will be unable to forget.
The ugly duckling from Mexico becomes a swan thanks to a chemistry teacher from New Mexico. Who said the truth is stranger than fiction?
This article first appeared in issue 20 of Classic.Retro.Modern. magazine.