The hood ornament stolen is an Emmy award of which Futurama has been awarded.
The story is similar to Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes (1605, 1615) where Don (former name Alonso Quixano) decided to become a knights-errant and does not see the world as it is but prefers to imagine he is living out a knightly story. Many later books were directly influenced by Cervantes (e.g. The Three Musketeers and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn). The book is considered a founding work of Western literature and often labelled the first modern novel, and is considered one of the greatest works ever written.
Among the vehicles competing in demolition space derby are Space 1999 moon lander, NASA Liner Lander, and 2 Star Trek Enterprises.