Part 3: Hollywood Car Movies
Cars and movies go together like peanut butter and jelly, and for more than a century Hollywood has commingled cars with cinema, each time forcing us to flock to theaters like the obedient lemmings we are. And when affordably priced DVDs started showing up, a lot of us started accumulating collections of car movies that rival our collections of stolen road signs, rubber scraped from defunct drag strips, and Hot Wheels.
There are literally hundreds upon hundreds of films that could fit into a loose definition of “car movie a perfect car movie should first and foremost feature hotrods. But not every movie does that and some have the compensating virtues of compelling storylines and amazing car chases. So the films here range from car-centered to just good action; from car-obsessed to cars incidental; from blockbuster to never-heard-of-it. Some of them are really good movies while others are on the list because of strong elements amid the muck, strong historic significance, or just curiosity factor. And some are pure garbage, but garbage we love. Cars , stars , and the fascination continues.
Having the right car can really make a movie.
So in honour of our four-wheeled friends, below you can see the coolest cars ever to appear in movies. It was a difficult task. Let’s just say, there is a load of movies with cars in them. But just so you know, Driving Miss Daisy does not feature on this list 🙂 Enjoy:
26. 1973 Ford Falcon
Films: Mad Max
25. 1964 Lincoln Continental
Film: Animal House
Great film, great car. Perfect!!
24. 1980 Lamborghini Countach
Film: Cannonball Run
Forget the fact you have to be a particularly flexible dwarf to drive one – the Countach is still a very special car.
23. Shelby Mustang
Film: Gone in 60 seconds
Even Nic Cage looked good in this car – it’s that good.
22. 1977 Camaro Bumblebee
Film: Transformers
Unfortunately, not all of them turn into robots.
21. 1958 Plymouth Fury
Film: Christine
Great car, with a lot of attitude.
20. 1932 Ford Deuce Coupe
Film: American Graffiti
A classic movie car.
19. Lotus Esprit
Film: The Spy Who Love Me
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUxpXy1Oot4[/youtube]
Not only does it look cool, but it can also shoot down helicopters after turning itself into a submarine. Now that’s cool.
18. 1976 Ford Gran Torino
Film: Starsky and Hutch
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwjxATDjosI[/youtube]
The best car ever at driving through trash cans.
17. Aston Martin Vanquish
Film: Die Another Day
The only good thing in this film.
16. 1981 Porsche 928
Film: Risky Business
We almost cried when it ended up in the river.
15. 2002 Nissan 350Z Fairlady
Film: The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift
It takes a lot to stand out in a series of films dedicated to cool cars.
14. 1967 Pontiac GTO
Film: XXX
Beautiful car – shame about the driver.
13. Frankenstein (Modified Chevrolet Corvette)
Film: Death Race 2000
If you ever find yourself in a race to the death, you’d want to be in this car. Or maybe the car from Death Proof. Hmmmm.
12. 1970 Dodge Challenger
Film: Death Proof and Vanishing Point
Brilliant car that was re-used in Death Proof.
11. Ferrari 250 GT California
Film: Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
OK, we did cry when it got smashed up.
10. 1977 Pontiac Trans-Am
Film: Smokey and The Bandit
Burt Reynolds is so cool he can wear a cowboy hat, have a dodgy moustache and play a character called ‘The Bandit’ and nobody questions his sexuality.
9. General Lee
Film: The Dukes of Hazzard
Made the film almost watchable – almost!
8. Batmobile
Film: Batman series
Our personal favourite is the 1989 version, but any would do.
7. 1963 Volkswagen Beetle
Films: Herbie series
Not even Lindsay Lohan could make Herbie uncool.
6. The Mach 5
Film: Speed Racer
OK, the film was pants, but the cars were something else.
5. 1964 Austin Mini
Film: Italian Job
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzJxVRBq0uM[/youtube]
One of the coolest ever films deserves one of the coolest cars.
4. Ecto-1
Film: Ghostbusters I and II
It needed a lot of work, but who wouldn’t want to own it?
3. 1968 Ford Mustang 390 GT
Film: Bullitt
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8z3uaK1iA1Y[/youtube]
This is just another excuse to see the greatest car chase in movie history.
2. Aston Martin DB5
Films: Various James Bond films
Even Jeremy Clarkson could look cool in this car.
1. 1981 Delorean
Film: Back to the Future series
Let’s not beat around the bush here. The Delorean is a terrible car. The Delorean in Back to The Future is the coolest car ever to appear in a movie.
Please check back soon for some more car culture stories. If you have missed Part 1, and Part 2 you can view them here: