For the last of our reviews, we are going to look at the bottom end of the top 30 car movies. 

1.       Mad Max

Set after the Apocalypse, Mel Gibson starred as Mad Max, a futuristic policeman who has had enough of his job.  His boss talks him into going on a holiday, only to find that he is up against a gang of bikers who savagely murder his wife and children as payback for the death of a gang-member. Mad Max seeks his revenge inside a modified 1973 Ford Falcon XB GT Coupe – a souped up V8 monster of a vehicle.

2.       National Lampoons Vacation

This is the first in series of National Lampoon films and features a truly awful looking station wagon – it was originally a Ford LTD Country Squire!  The film follows the Griswolds as they go on a cross-country holiday to a theme park – a holiday which quickly turns into a nightmare as disaster after disaster follows the Griswolds on their travels.

3.       Wayne’s World

Wayne’s World is a mildly funny story about the adventures of 2 metal-heads with no real aim in life. From a basement, they broadcast a dhow called Wayne’s World, a show that is brought to the attention of a network executive who wants to make a higher budget version of the show.  Unfortunately, he also wants the girlfriend of one of the friends, resulting in a battle to save both the show and the woman.  One of the cars that is featured in the film is a 1976 AMC Pacer.

4.       Kill Bill Volume 1

Uma Thurman stars in this Pulp-Fiction style movie about a group of assassins. However, she decides it’s time to leave the group and get married but it doesn’t go according to plan.  After surviving being shot in the head she returns 4 years later to take her revenge against the people who destroyed her wedding.  Featured highly in this film is the 1997 Chevrolet C-2500 Silverado Fleetside.

5.       The Fast and the Furious

This is the first of a couple of movies about an FBI investigation into a spree of hijackings.  The undercover FBI agent soon falls under the spell of the gang of hijackers and finds himself starting to have some sympathy with his suspect Dominic Toretto, played by Vin Diesel. HE also finds himself falling in love with Torettos’ sister. High-speed car chases and races follow, culminating in the FBI agent covering for the gang when a sting operation is launched.  Aside from the souped up cars used in this film one of the most noticeable was the 1970 Dodge Charger used by the FBI agent.

Image courtesy of FrameAngel / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Here we review 5 of the best car movies that have hit the big screens.  Cars are a vital part to movies and indeed, many of the movie plots are centred on the actual vehicle.

1. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

This is the ultimate fantasy film, about a failed inventor who must raise the money to buy his children a wreck of a racing car from the scrap yard.  He tries to sell his whistling sweets, to no avail but finally earns the money to buy the car.  THe car is transformed into a gleaming new car and is driven to the beach on a picnic where a fanciful tale about the car having magic powers starts to take shape.  Adventures follow with the car being floated and flown on a mission to save the children’s grandfather from a fate worse than death.  Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was derived from a customized Paragon Panther.

2. Grease

Grease was, and still is one of the biggest selling movies of all time.  It follows teenagers Danny and Sandy as they embark on a brief summer affair and then meet again at school where Danny denies his love for her. Pep rallies, dances and car races all follow before he can finally declare that she is the one he wants.  The car featured in the car race was a 1948 Ford De Luxe.

3.       Romancing the Stone

Starring Kathleen Turner, Danny De Vito and Michael Douglas, this is a sometimes-funny adventure movie, which takes them on a trip across the world to save her sister from the hands of evil Columbian art dealers. They are following a map that is supposed to lead them to a valuable treasure – unfortunately, they aren’t the only ones!  Of course, none of this could take place without the right car so they came up with the ultimate in adventure vehicles – a Customized 1982 Ford Bronco XLT.

4.    Thelma and Louise

This is the story of 2 friends who decide to get away together one weekend to escape their men – one of whom is overbearing and the other is a commitmentphobe  The road trip starts out well but soon sinks into hell as they encounter a would-be rapist whom they shoot and then go on the run.  The usual police chase ensues right to the edge of the Grand Canyon where it I time to make a decision.  THe car they decided upon for the road trip was a 1966 Ford Thunderbird.

5.       Speed Racer

Speed Racer is based on a Japanese game show and is the story of a racing driver who takes on the challenge of Racer X. The car used is custom made, full of gadgets and high on speed called the Mach 5. THe speed racer leads the life that everyone else wants, winning races and crossing the checkered line first every time.  He is trying to live up to his brother who dies in a cross country race and finds himself having to defend his family and save their business from manipulative business men who buy the outcomes of every race. To save everything he must win the race that killed his brother.

In our quest to look at some of the top car movies, we present the following 5 movies where vehicles play an integral part.

1. James Bond – The Spy Who Loved Me

As with all James Bond movies, this one follows tradition with Bond attempting to save the world from yet another self-centered so-called mastermind and teaming up with the ever-present sexy female agent who swaps sides.  The 1985 Lotus Esprit appeared in this film, the only Bond film it was in, and had the ability to go underwater.

2. The Cannonball Run

A hilarious cross-country race, similar to The Gumball Rally, this film features fast-paced action coupled with moments of disaster and extreme hilarity.  The Cannonball Race starts in Connecticut and finishes in California and, apart from actually winning the race, the sole aim of the drivers is to outsmart and outwit the police who are trying to catch them. This was an all-star film, featuring a multitude of different cars but the one that stood out was the 1980 Lamborghini Countach LP 400S.

2. Batman Begins and The Dark Knight

These films chart the beginnings of Batman, following the story of how a young wealthy man becomes the Caped Crusader after his parents were brutally murdered by muggers.  After 7 years of being tutored in the martial arts and being taught to finely hone his senses to superhuman, he returns to Gotham City and takes on the role of protector and savior.  THe car used in these films was a rocket powered, armor plated assault vehicle, made for the film, although several versions of it were seen on the streets just before the film was released.

3. Risky Business

Joel is left alone for the weekend after his parents go away, leaving himwith strict instructions not to drive the Porsche.  Add into the mix a hooker running from her pimp and the Porsche becomes an attractive getaway vehicle – which is unwittingly given a bath in Lake Michigan.  The main star of the film was not Tom Cruise but the 1981 Porsche 928.

4. Christine

This is an adaptation of Stepehn King’s novel about a haunted car with a vicious attitude.  THe car is sold to a college geek who is bullied everywhere he goes. As he restores the car, it starts to take over life and gains a life of its own as it destroys everybody who gets in its way and who gets between her and the geek – who has sudelny turned into a super-cool sought-after student. His girlfriend has to persuade him that he must destroy the vehicle to regain his life and stop the spree of terror.  Christine herself was played by a 1958 Plymouth Fury.