When a vehicle eclipses the flesh-and-bone actors and becomes the superstar of a film—that’s when it’s a great movie car. There are dozens of memorable cars in film that have influenced a generation, inspired car culture and become the stuff of every kid’s dreams. As The Transporter: Refueled arrives on Blu-ray and DVD on 26th December, we take a look back at the best cars to have graced the silver screen.
The Transporter: Refuelled (2015) – Audi S8
Frank Martin (Ed Skrein), a former special-ops mercenary, is now living a less perilous life – or so he thinks – transporting classified packages for questionable people. When Frank’s father (Ray Stevenson) pays him a visit in the south of France, their father-son bonding weekend takes a turn for the worse when Frank is engaged by a cunning femme-fatale, Anna (Loan Chabanol), and her three seductive sidekicks to orchestrate the bank heist of the century. Frank must use his covert expertise and love for fast cars (namely the slick Audi S8), fast driving and fast women to outrun a sinister Russian kingpin, and worse than that, he is thrust into a dangerous game of chess with a team of gorgeous women out for revenge. Frank bleeds cool, always garbed in a smart black suit, complemented by the sleek yet powerful black Audi S8. The S8 features in some mind-blowing chase scenes, with the awe inspiring French Riviera backdrop.
Goldfinger (1964) – 1964 Aston Martin DB5
Sean Connery made the 1964 Aston Martin DB5 the most recognised cinematic Bond car of all time when it first appeared in Goldfinger – to many, the quintessential Bond film – and arguably the most famous car on film in history. A brilliant third entry in the series, Bond gets his Aston Martin, spars with two statuesque British beauties (Honor Blackman’s Pussy Galore and Shirley Eaton as Jill Masterson) and pits his wits against a memorable villain, Auric Goldfinger. Add the first Shirley Bassey theme song and some exciting action sequences and the result is an explosive cocktail. The DB5’s iconic nature meant that it reappeared for cameos in other Bond movies. Among the more memorable moments in recent Bond films was the time Daniel Craig’s 007 used the car to escape Silva in Skyfall, and employed the car’s front-mounted machine guns to defend Skyfall Lodge.
The Italian Job (1969) – 1968 Mini Cooper S
The Mini is one of the most iconic British cars in automotive history, and its reputation was cemented when three Minis starred in the classic movie, The Italian Job. Used as tools for an enormous gold heist in Turin, the red, white and blue Mini Coopers dip and dive through streets, a shopping arcade and even an enormous sewer to escape the police. The fast paced action and amazing capabilities of the little Italian Job Minis only increased the level of cool attached to the production cars.
Back to the Future (1985) – 1981 DeLorean DMC-12
Made in Ireland to be sold in America, the De Lorean DMC-12 looked head of its time with its Giorgetto Giugiaro designed body and gull-wing doors: a perfect ride to use as a time machine from the future. The stainless steel bodywork, wedge shape and gullwing doors cemented it as an icon, as did its starring role in the Back to the Future franchise. In Back to the Future, Doc and Marty used the DeLorean as a time machine to travel back and forward through time, famously having to accelerate to 88mph to activate the ‘flux capacitor’.
The Fast and The Furious (2001) – 1970 Dodge Charger
When a crime brings them back to L.A., fugitive ex-con Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel) reignites his feud with agent Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker). But, as they are forced to confront a shared enemy, Dom and Brian must give in to an uncertain new trust if they hope to outmanoeuvre him. And, from convoy heists to precision tunnel crawls across international lines, two men will find the best way to get revenge: push the limits of what’s possible behind the wheel. Despite a wealth of beautiful and powerful cars on show through the 7 Fast & Furious films, we go back to the very beginning with Dom’s 1970 Dodge Charger. Towards the end of the film, Dom challenges Brian to one final, exhilarating race. Dom’s Charger wheelies from the start line and zooms through the streets of L.A., missing a moving train by a whisker, which would have been sure to flatten them both. However Dom’s luck runs out when he crashes into a truck, spinning the car over Brian’s roof and destroying the Dodge Charger. Rest assured that the car destroyed in the jump wasn’t a real Dodge Charger. Four Chargers were constructed for filming; using a 426 Hemi for close-ups, and other, more readily available (and less expensive) big-block 440s for crashes.
Mad Max (1979) – 1973 XB GT Ford Falcon
In a not-too-distant dystopian future, when man’s most precious resource – oil – has been depleted and the world plunged into war, famine and financial chaos, the last vestiges of the law in Australia attempt to restrain a vicious biker gang. Max (Mel Gibson), an officer with the Main Force Patrol, launches a personal vendetta against the gang when his wife (Joanne Samuel) and son are hunted down and murdered, leaving him with nothing but the instincts for survival and retribution. Max embarks on his revenge mission in his V8 Interceptor, an impressive 1973 XB GT Ford Falcon. The same Falcon model can be seen in 2015’s Mad Max: Fury Road, but it’s been beat up, sandblasted, rusted, and left to rot in the most gloriously cinematic of ways.
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