What’s a film without a car
They play huge roles
Ilove a good movie. There’s nothing like escaping for a couple of hours with a bowl of popcorn and a great Hollywood blockbuster.
While I enjoy a good drama or comedy, as a car lover I am also a big fan of action films. There’s nothing like a good car chase to keep me on the edge of my seat.
As the world gets ready to celebrate the Oscars this weekend, I thought it might be fun to reminisce about some of the great car films in Hollywood history. In the interest of space and maintaining a captive audience I’ll stick to a short script!
To me, the most memorable movie car is the iconic DeLorean featured in the Back to the Future movies. Marty McFly, played by B.C. raised actor Michael J. Fox. took a number of trips in that fictional DeLorean time machine created by the eccentric Doc Brown.
Another classic Hollywood car was The General Lee — that orange 1969 Dodge Charger with the musical horn driven by the Duke cousins Bo and Luke from the TV show and later movie, The Dukes of Hazzard. Even if you don’t remember the 1980s TV show or didn’t see the 2005 film remake, you probably know the car.
The James Bond films featured some of the most fantastic souped up automobiles to hit the big screen. Between the Alfa Romeos in Quantum of Solace and the Aston Martins in GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies and Die Another Day — it’s hard to pick a favourite Bond car. And who could forget the underwater Lotus Esprit that drove into the sea morphing into submarine mode in 1977’s The Spy Who Loved Me?
Another classic is the Volkswagen Beetle named Herbie from the Disney film The Love Bug, which came out in 1968 and was remade for release in 1997.
Other cars that have shown up in sequels include the Batmobile from the Batman movies and the 1950s Cadillac from the Ghostbuster films, to name just a few.
Classic cars that shaped moments in film include Mr. Frye’s prized 1961 Ferrari, which crashes through the glass garage window in the comedy Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, and the 1974 Dodge Monaco known as The Bluesmobile in the 1980 movie, The Blues Brothers.
The Mini Cooper has had at least two big Hollywood moments when it was chosen as the perfect getaway cars in the 1969 caper, The Italian Job, and its 2003 remake. One film named after a car was the 2008 Clint Eastwood drama, Gran Torino. The car is part of the main plot, although it was not driven until the credits rolled.
Cars are a part of our everyday lives, which is why it’s not surprising to see them play such a huge role in films that are a reflection of society.
Auto Note:
Hats off to the Motor Vehicle Sales Authority on its ‘Walt the Curber’ public awareness campaign announced last week with the Better Business Bureau. Look for Walt at the Vancouver International Auto Show. Visit vehiclesalesauthority.com