In the book, the Torrance family drive a red VW Beetle. In the film, they drive a yellow VW Beetle. At one point in the film, there is a crashed red VW Beetle on the side of the road. This was Stanley Kibrick's way of saying the film was his and not Stephen King's book version. In the mini-series, the Torrance family drive a red VW Beetle, like they do in the book. This Stephen King's way of saying this was his version.