The biplane Marty gets flying again is a rare Hawker Tomtit. Only 35 were built as trainers for the RAF from 1928 to 1931. This one is ex-RAF K1786, civilian registration G-AFTA. It was flown by RAF No. 3 Flying Training School from 1931 to 1939, when it entered the civilian registry. In 1960 it was acquired by the Shuttleworth Collection, Old Warden, Bedfordshire, England, UK and restored to its RAF colors by 1967. As of 2019 it remains in the collection as the only Tomtit in flying condition in the world.
The German monoplane Sophie flies in to go get help is a reproduction of a Fokker E.111 Eindecker. There is only one known original Eindecker and it is at the London Science Museum.
Herbie gets picked up from prison at the beginning of the film in a 1968 Chrysler Imperial Crown. MSRP was $5,654 (over $42,500 in 2019). In top condition in 2019 this car could fetch about $30,000.
Ronald Truffet, the French impressionist painter mentioned, does not exist in reality.