Maybe that title is a little extreme. I would never end someone’s life; certainly not over a car. The expression notwithstanding, though, there are some that I would be very… motivated to find a way to pilot, even if only for a few moments.
Movie cars often highlight a big contrast in modern films: what you see on screen looks amazing, but it’s likely that the closest they got to reality was when the first 3D model was made into a film. With a few exceptions, most of the “cars” we see in movies, especially the flashy ones, are not really drivable vehicles.
We’re noticing a shift in that direction, though. The vehicles featured in the latest Mad Max were all real cars, carefully built for their parts. Similarly, Need for Speed relied only on actual cars for its action scenes, requiring the creation of fake cars for crashes and similar effects. Clearly, movie cars are becoming more realistic with each production.
Good news, then, as now I can write a short list of such cars that, if I could, I would drive over any other:
The Tumbler – Dark Knight Trilogy
This is not first on the list because I’ve had an unhealthy obsession with Batman since 1996 — although that did admittedly play a role. This is here because it is, simply, the most bad-ass on-screen car I can think of.
Fast? Yep. Cool? Beyond so. Full of all the necessary Batman-esque gadgetry? Oh yes. Damn nigh indestructible? Yup. Although clearly just “nigh,” since it met a sad fate in the second film — so sad, in fact, that I still shake my head whenever I watch that movie.
And, although some of its antics on the big screen may be a bit exaggerated, there is actually a working, driving example in the real world. Name the place, the time, and pretty much any other criteria you want: I’ll be there with bat shoes on.
Aston Martin DB5 – Goldfinger
This is a pure status pick. As iconic movies go, it would be hard to top James Bond’s cred. The quintessential Bond car? There is only one.
The DB5 is over half a century old, so it is not on this list because of raw performance or high technology. Indeed, a 2015 Honda Odyssey could probably match or better it in most performance categories. The DB5, though, is genesis for spy cars (and for pretty much all the Astons that followed it). It pioneered the idea of on-board “spy” gadgets that we take as a given, and it oozed personality. I bet it also possesses more feel than anything on the road today.
I would love to find out. Anyone have the hook-up for me?
Porsche 917K – LeMans
This is, essentially, saying that I want to drive a LeMans car, which is true. Driving in an endurance race is high on my bucket list, and even sitting in a real, competitive LeMans machine (from any era) would be incredible.
But this one is a little more than that. On its own, the 917K is pretty much the definition of iconic, from its distinctive shape to the instantly recognizable light blue and orange livery. Add to that the chance to pilot one that, at one time, responded to inputs from Steve McQueen himself.
Just once, I want to hear that engine rip and pop, sense the vibrations through my spine, feel the suspension strain, and know the brakes are very nearly on fire coming to the end of the Mulsane straight just the way McQueen did. Pure gearhead nirvana.
So what real movie cars would you (figuratively) kill to drive?