Movie Sports Cars

Five Unforgettable Movie Sports Cars

Actors always get their names in the credits, but cars rarely do. Nonetheless, there have been many films that featured scene-stealing sports cars that probably deserved to have their make and model mentioned as the movie ended. Though there are undoubtedly countless examples of great movie sports cars, at least five truly stand out.

Alfa Romeo from The Graduate

Dustin Hoffman may have been told that the future was in plastics, but he relied on the metal of an Alfa Romeo graduation gift to get him to the church just in time to stop that wedding. The cherry red Alfa Romeo with the personalized plates played a key role in the classic film. It was featured in multiple scenes and was used in the most critical moments of the movie. Everyone remembers the shot of the befuddled kid taken from under the leg of Mrs. Robinson. But everyone remembers that little car, too.

XB Falcon from Mad Max

If you are going to have to patrol a post-apocalyptic Australian wasteland in a car, you might as well do it in style. Mel Gibson, as Mad Max, did just that in the popular movie trilogy's first installment. Zipping across what was left of civilization in a 1974 XB Falcon V8 interceptor, Mad Max was a formidable foe to those villains who survived the nuclear war. Although it was as road-weary and beat up as one would expect in such a dire situation, the XB Falcon still cut a stunning silhouette as it crossed what was left of the land down under.

Astin Martin from Goldfinger and Thunderball

If asked to name a British sports car producer, most Americans will say "Astin Martin." That's directly attributable to James Bond. Sure, having Sean Connery as James Bond behind the wheel is likely to make any sports car look cool, but the Astin Martin DB5 used in the films would have looked great even without Q's notable upgrades. The Astin Martin was as much a character as Bond or either of his nemeses in the two films and remains a popular icon today. In fact, its popularity remained so high that the original used in the films, described by one of its owners as "the most popular car in the world" was actually stolen by a would be agent from a Boca Raton, Florida, airport in 1997.

Delorean DMC-12 from Back to the Future

Even without its time-traveling capabilities and mad scientist owner, the stainless steel DMC-12 was hard to forget. The gull-winged innovator never sold as well as its creator, John Delorean, had hoped, but it certainly became an American icon after its appearance in the Back to the Future films. The successful movie franchise and the DMC-12 have become inseparable in the public's mind. One cannot talk of the movies without making mention to the car Christopher Lloyd built to go back in time.

Mustang from Bullitt

Steve McQueen is still regarded in some circles as the king of cool, and Bullitt is still remembered for its incomparable chase scenes through the hilly roads of San Francisco. McQueen took the famous romp in a 1968 Mustang GT390. That Mustang is still regarded as one of the best built in the franchise's history and will long be remembered for its breath-taking maneuvers in one of America's most interesting-to-drive cities. The car's popularity actually led Ford to name a Mustang produced over thirty years after McQueen's wild ride the "Bullit."

It's not uncommon to find movies featuring cars. The chase scene is an almost ubiquitous feature in modern film, after all. Occasionally, however, cars become a part of the movie. When a key role is given to a vehicle and the movie is a gem, the sports car can become unforgettable. Whether rescuing women from unwanted weddings or giving chase over Frisco hills, some sports cars have had movie roles worthy of Oscars.