Finding the "Wilhelm" of Car Starters

"Urambo Tauro" (urambotauro) 02/12/2017 at 19:00 • Filed to: sfx, movies, ad watch, music videos

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Hey Oppo, I have a favor to ask of you, and it involves watching TV!

!!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! reminded me of a sound that I keep hearing from time to time. I heard it just the other night while watching The Pelican Brief , but I know that there are many more places where it’s used. It’s the sound of a particular starter motor attempting (and sometimes succeeding) to start a car. I figure it must be some stock sound effect file that keeps getting used over and over again.

Because the sound is so ubiquitous, I’m tempted to refer to it as the “ !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! Start”, even though the sound file probably has a name already, like “car_start_01.mp3” or something. Have you heard it? Sure you have:

Here it is in a Geico ad:

And again in a Bigbang music video:

Those dubs aren’t exactly identical, but they sure seem like they were created during the same recording session (or edited from the same larger file).

I don’t know if we can locate the source file, but we can at least begin compiling a list of movies, television shows, ads, and music videos that use it. Why not start now? Keep your ears peeled and let me know what you find!

(Example: The Pelican Brief - 1966 Ford Mustang @ !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , 1993 Ford Taurus @ !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! )

Oh, and you get ALL THE INTERNET POINTS if you can figure out what engine was used for the original recording.

LongbowMkII > Urambo Tauro 02/12/2017 at 19:09

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I tweeted it to Torch. As far as I can tell, arbitrary car trivia is like crack to him. Might want to add a beetle start just to be sure. Let him point out how it doesn’t make sense because air cooled engines sound different on startup.

The trap is set.

Urambo Tauro > LongbowMkII 02/12/2017 at 19:12

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Haha this is right up Torch’s alley! I was gonna contact him after adding some more to the list.

Spoon II > Urambo Tauro 02/12/2017 at 19:20

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Oh man, those really do sound like the same starter. I am super curious about this now!

merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc > Urambo Tauro 02/12/2017 at 20:09

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Why would they dub that canned sound over the real R8 starter is beyond me.

gmctavish needs more space > Urambo Tauro 02/12/2017 at 21:13

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It sounds like an old Chevy to me. 60s or 70s. That’s all I’ve got.

Urambo Tauro > gmctavish needs more space 02/12/2017 at 21:22

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A bit vague, but you’re on the right track, IMO. Whatever it is, it’s been used in movies for over 20 years, and since the sound effect includes a hesitation to start, it was probably meant to sound old at the time of its initial recording.

Dusty Ventures > Urambo Tauro 02/13/2017 at 15:58

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This is all I have to contribute

CalzoneGolem > Dusty Ventures 02/17/2017 at 15:33

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We just watched this movie last night. It made me laugh.

Tohru > Urambo Tauro 11/05/2017 at 14:04

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The Wilhelm starter I always hear (that my dad pointed out to me) is Chrysler gear reduction starters. It’s one of the go-to starter sounds in Hollywood.