If you’re a lover of cars then boy, do we have the movies for you! You’ll automatically steer towards anything with even a hint of cars, rather than YET ANOTHER re-run of The Holiday or Love Actually (oh who am I kidding, Love Actually is AMAZING!). Did you also know that you can enter competitions where the prize draws are to win a car too, or maybe even win a holiday? That might actually be better than watching a movie!
We digress! While we wistfully reminisce about the best movie and tv cars, and go down memory lane, you might also think about your next dream car!
THE FALL GUY – GMC TRUCK
Colt Seavers was a stuntman, but moonlighted as a bounty hunter, helping people along the way. However, the star of the show was his GMC pickup truck – a 1982 GMC K-2500 Sierra Grande Wideside with a chunky lift and many spotlights. It had a beefy V8, was wonderfully brown and gold and could quite literally jump for days and days. Well okay, I think each truck actually only lasted one jump, but it looked DAMN COOL in the show!!
GHOSTBUSTERS – ECTO 1
HRRERRRR…..HRRERRRRRRR… you can hear the siren now can’t you? It shouldn’t really be cool at all – a 1959 Cadillac Ambulance – but when you add the Ghostbusters logo and all their kit it certainly was. It’s an inspired choice too – when you need to carry four guys, four proton packs and a load of ghost traps, what better to use than an enormous Yank land yacht? HRRERRRRRR…..HRERRRRRRRRR…..
GONE IN 60 SECONDS – ELEANOR
The 1967 Ford Mustang GT500…… grey with black stripes….. GO BABY GO! Anyone with a hint of petrol in their veins knows about Eleanor, star of the fantastic Gone in 60 Seconds remake from 2000. Based on a GT500, it had a custom bodykit by Steve Sandford, with a more modern front bumper with twin driving lights and smaller fogs, along with bigger wheels and a custom interior. It looked amazing, it sounded amazing and rightly held its place as Memphis Raines’ unicorn.
FERRIS BUELLER’S DAY OFF – FERRARI 250 CALIFORNIA SPYDER
Bueller…….. Bueller………… Bueller……… anyone?….. Bueller……. If you don’t love Ferris Bueller’s Day Off you are clearly a) dead inside and b) dead to me. It’s pretty much everyone’s favourite film ever. That has to be at least partly because of the utterly stunning 1961 Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder – the red stunner that meets an untimely end in the film. Even though the Cali Spyder didn’t command the silly prices they do these days (around $25m) they still couldn’t afford to wreck or hoon a real one, so a few replicas were made with Ford V8s.
SWORDFISH – TVR TUSCAN
This makes my list for two reasons. 1) The TVR Tuscan is DAMN COOL. 2) Nobody in the US had any idea what it was, so this film made their popularity skyrocket. Sadly, it wasn’t enough to save TVR at the time, but it was really fun seeing the stunning looking Tuscan in a Hollywood action film, even if it was getting shot to pieces. Of course, rumour has it that the production crew hated the car they used in the film for many reasons – it was stupidly unreliable, it was too noisy to film any dialogue in and was too cramped for actors and cameras. It did look cool though….
FAST AND FURIOUS – DOM’S CHARGER
He lives his life a quarter mile at a time, so what better car to have sitting in the garage than a 1970 Dodge Charger R/T with a huge supercharger sticking through the hood, allegedly putting out 900hp. This car is not only responsible for killing Dom’s father, but also for doing some pretty iconic wheelies when racing. It looks amazing and sounds like thunder, so of course it had to be in this list. The Charger has had a whole load more starring roles in films and TV though, from the Dukes of Hazzard to Bullitt.
BACK TO THE FUTURE – MARTY’S TOYOTA PICKUP
Most people talk about the DeLorean when referencing Back to the Future, but for me I never came away wanting the stainless steel flying car for some reason, I always wanted the car that appeared very briefly in the film – the 1985 Toyota Hi-Lux Deluxe 4×4 Xtracab. This was no ordinary Hi-Lux though, it had ben lifted, had chunky wheels and tyres, roll bars and loads of seriously cool yellow KC spotlights. I’d have that any day!
JAMES BOND; THE SPY WHO LOVED ME – ’77 LOTUS ESPRIT
Oh come on, what do you want me to say? IT TURNS INTO A FREAKING SUBMARINE. If you don’t think that’s cool, you need a word with yourself.
A Cinematic Journey Through Automotive Excellence
From the rugged GMC K-2500 Sierra Grande to the sleek Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder, the world of cinema has introduced us to a plethora of iconic cars that have captured our hearts and imaginations. These vehicles, often serving as more than just transportation, have become synonymous with the movies they star in.
So, the next time you’re watching a movie, keep an eye out for the car that steals the show. It might just spark a lifelong passion for automobiles and inspire you to embark on your own cinematic journey.
