Coyote - Custom red Manta sports car seen on the adventure HARDCASTLE & McCORMICK/ABC/1983-86. The Coyote was driven by Mark "Skid" McCormick (Daniel Hugh-Kelly), a former professional race driver who was recruited by Milton G. Hardcastle (Brian Keith), a retired judge with a vigilante complex, to track down persons that had beaten the rap in his courtroom over the last 30 years (because of smart lawyers or legal loopholes). The Coyote car was powered with a small block Chevrolet V-8 engine mounted on a custom, heavy-duty chassis that could burn rubber at 180 mph in a straight line. The word COYOTE (and DE JUDGE) appeared on its license plate and the word "Coyote" and a coyote image were silhouetted in a band of white paint on the bottom of each door. Mark entered the car by sliding through the driver's side window. The Coyote was introduced in episode "Rolling Thunder" wherein Flip Johnson, a car designer, whose 30% ownership in the Coyote project was nullified when his partner, industrialist Martin Cody arranged a car accident which killed both Flip, his lawyer and all contractual evidence of the deal. This gave Martin Cody 100% ownership in the Coyote, a car touted to become "bigger than the Corvette and the Mustang." To avenge Johnson's death, Judge Hardcastle enlisted the aid of parolee "Skid" McCormick to bring Martin Cody to justice. The Coyote was then used for the remainder of the series to chase after the bad guys. Ertl, the toy manufacturer, produced kits and metal toys of the show's Manta car.