VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - The Griswold family station wagon with an uprooted tree and Cousin Eddie's rusted-out RV are two iconic items from the movie "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation."
"It is one of the most nostalgic Christmas movies of all time," said Mike Palacious, creative consultant with Lawyer Garage, a rare car collectible company.
You can see the decked-out replicas for yourself in Virginia Beach starting this week.
"2020 has been a rough year for everybody, so we tried to figure out a way to come up with holiday cheer," said Palacious.
The holiday display also includes Clark Griswold on the roof putting up thousands of twinkling lights and cast cutouts for all to enjoy.
"This is a free, COVID-friendly drive-thru," he said.
The display is just a taste of Lawyer Garage's secret collection. Monday, they allowed News 3 to get a glimpse of the rare finds. Red carpet lines the secret location, lined with bizarre rides and hard-to-find items.
They include things like a restored 1959 Chevy Apache Good Humor ice cream truck, the original Batmobile, the Joker's motorcycle, a life-size Tonka Truck and the Mystery Machine, to name a few. There are more than 60 collectibles that make up Lawyer Garage’s unbelievable display.
"Cars are a language for everyone everyone can relate to a certain type of car, whether it be from childhood or a TV car you grew up watching. Cars are an international language," he said.
But the language this year is Christmas cheer – in a time we all need it the most.
"Having all these out here is bringing so much joy and happiness to everyone," said Palacious.
While the display is sure to bring joy, those at Lawyer Garage are all about charity. Kids can bring their wish list to Santa's mailbox, and the company will pick three families they'll buy gifts for this year.
This article was written by Chelsea Donovan for WTKR.
