WARNING: SPOILERS ahead for Duster season 1, episode 1.

Jim's classic muscle car in Duster is a highly stylized joyride of a TV series that matches old school mentalities and hairdos with pristine modern visuals and storytelling. Behind the wheel of the titular star vehicle is Jim Ellis, an ex-military man turned getaway driver for the notorious Ezra Saxon. Saxon is the head of virtually all underground crime in the Phoenix, Arizona area and has history with Jim, his dad Wade, and his deceased brother, Joey.

Josh Holloway leads the cast of Duster as Jim, along with Keith David's Saxon and Rachel Hilson's FBI agent Nina Hayes. Duster season 1, episode 1 premiered exclusively on HBO Max on Thursday, May 15, 2025. New episodes of the 8-part Duster season 1 will be released weekly on Thursdays at 9 PM ET. Following the events of the Duster series premiere, Jim will work with Nina to uncover the truth about his brother Joey's death, which was labeled as an accidental explosion. After Nina finds video evidence that Joey's death could have been a hit by Saxon, Jim agrees to become her informant to get to the bottom of it.

Jim Drives A 1970 Cherry Red Plymouth Duster

Josh Holloway Actually Drove (And Crashed) Several Vintage Dusters

Agent Awan, Nina's FBI partner, reveals that Jim drives a 1970 cherry red Plymouth Duster in the new HBO Max series. Although the series takes place in 1972, Jim's exact model of the Plymouth Duster is confirmed to have been made in 1970. In an interview with Esquire, LaToya Morgan stated that she and Abrams "wanted a car that was iconic." She added, "We circled the Duster, which had its heyday for only six years. It was a car that had a reputation for being fast and good, but not a lot of people knew about. We wanted that as our hero car, a car that had personality."

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Josh Holloway reveals that he crashed quite a few Duster models while filming Duster season 1. "I do a lot of my stunts, which is so much fun. It adds such adrenaline to your day because these are 1972 pristine cars. You can't crash. And I have — I've broke 'em." Holloway continued, "One time, on the first day, I came sliding out of a dirt road onto a highway and broke all four tires. They all just splayed out and the car just was like, 'I quit,' down. So we were like, 'Oops.'" As many as four similar Duster vehicles were used for filming Duster season 1.

Plymouth Dusters Stopped Being Manufactured In 1976

The Duster Was Initially Popular But Was Replaced With Higher-End Models

The Plymouth Duster was a two-door coupe version of the Plymouth Valiant. The duster was manufactured from 1969 to 1976 at the Dodge Main Plant in Detroit, Michigan as well as plants in Los Angeles and St. Louis, with model years from 1970 to 1976. Several varieties of the Duster were made during its relatively brief production run, including the Feather Duster, Space Duster, and the Duster 360. The Duster was ultimately replaced in 1976 by the Dodge Aspen and the Plymouth Volare to compete with more high-end vehicles from competitors like Ford and Mercury.

How Rare Plymouth Duster Cars Are Today

There Are Still Plenty Of Duster Variants Out There

Plymouth Dusters aren't necessarily rare nowadays, but finding one in great condition with low mileage is surely a challenge. Plenty of Duster variants are available for sale online, with some high-mileage models going for as low as $8,000 to $13,000. Dusters in working condition with decent mileage are more in the $30,000 to $40,000 range on sites like Autotrader. Just like it had been upon its 1970 release, the Plymouth Duster remains relatively mid-budget when it comes to classic cars. For Duster viewers who want to hit the road like Jim Ellis, it's certainly possible.

Source: Esquire, Entertainment Weekly