Movie Cars That Outshine the Stars
Kristin Shaw
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Cars + movies = ultimate entertainment.
If you love cars, like I do, you might also love to watch movies that feature beautiful cars, like Gone in 60 Seconds, or The Fast and the Furious, or American Graffiti. When I was a kid, the TV show Knight Rider was all about a dreamy car and a young David Hasselhoff. And Magnum PI wouldn’t have been the same without a Ferrari 308 GTS.
Movie cars are often the real stars.
1. Thelma and Louise’s Ford Thunderbird
When it comes to sexy celluloid cars, one of the first that comes to mind is the 1966 Ford Thunderbird convertible in the 1991 movie Thelma and Louise. Five identical Thunderbirds were used throughout the film, including two stunt cars. The surviving T-bird sold at a Barrett-Jackson auction for $65,000 in 2008. Watch Thelma and Louise here.
Related: Want to see what the stars drive in real life?
2. Indiana Jones’ Citroën 11 Légère Cabriolet
Indiana Jones’ 1934 Citroën 11 Légère Cabriolet from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade has that elegant, devil-may-care attitude cars had in the 30s, and perhaps because it’s a French car, that makes it even more alluring. Indiana Jones and Henry Jones, Senior, stole the car from an elderly gentleman who was finishing up a tire change and sped off down the road with an airplane in pursuit. The car used in the film was a mock-up of a convertible made using a 1954 Citroën Légère sedan, but it looks legitimate as a 1934. Confession: Indiana Jones is my favorite movie character of all time, so he could be driving a Gremlin and I’d still think he was smoking hot, but it helps to see him in a gorgeous car, too. Watch the Indiana Jones movies here.
3. Danny Zuko’s Greased Lightning
I grew up in the 70s, and Grease is still one of my favorite movies from my childhood. You can guess which scene is my favorite: the drag race, of course! Danny drove a 1948 Ford DeLuxe that the gang dubbed “Greased Lightning” and they dreamed about its animal magnetism and hoped to attract girls in their machine. Did you cringe when Leo’s black and red flame-painted car snuggled up to Greased Lightning and bored a hole in the side panel with the hub cap adornments? You just can’t help but cheer at the end. Watch Grease for this and more movie cars here.
4. Martin… Aston Martin
Let’s not debate which James Bond is sexiest (Pierce Brosnan, Sean Connery… I can’t decide). Let’s talk about James Bond’s Aston Martin V12 Vanquish in Die Another Day. The Vanquish, manufactured from 2001-2005, was fitted with two shotguns, two machine guns, four rockets, and multiple missiles and torpedoes and among Bond’s many outrageously equipped movie cars. And that doesn’t even include the “adaptive camouflage,” which made the car invisible when activated. The Vanquish was a powerful car, with a top speed of 190 mph. Mmmm…. tasty. Catch up on James Bond and all his movie cars here.
5. Cameron’s Dad’s Ferrari California Was the Ultimate in Movie Cars
Cameron in the classic Ferris Bueller’s Day Off: “The 1961 Ferrari 250 GT California, less than 100 were made. My father spent 3 years restoring this car. It is his love, it is his passion…”
That’s a true statement, actually. Fewer than 100 of the California Spyders were made, which means that the car in the movie was not really a Ferrari. It was, in fact, an MG MGB dressed up with a fiberglass Ferrari replica body and a Mustang 5.0 engine. Watch Ferris Bueller’s Day Off here.
Related: Here’s a true beauty–and her amazing personal car collection
6. Memphis Raines’ True Love, the Shelby Mustang
When you hear “1967 Shelby Mustang GT500,” the name Eleanor should come to mind. The real star of Gone in 60 Seconds, Eleanor is believed to be cursed, but also coveted and desired above all of the other vehicles Memphis Raines is commissioned to steal. There wasn’t just one Eleanor, of course – there were 12, all designed by hot rod designer Chip Foose. And five of them were destroyed in production. Watch Gone in 60 Seconds here.
7. Sally: Beauty and Brains Stand Out Among the Many Featured Movie Cars
The sexiest car of all time, however, is smart, gorgeous, sleek, and feisty. Sally Carrera, star of Cars and based on the actual Porsche Carrera, is a true beauty, inside and out. Watch Cars here.
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