In profile: Famous movie and television cars - News

As car fanatics, and with the annual Oscars approaching, we at TrackDays.co.uk do not hide the fact that we keep a keen eye on the cars of any movie or television show we watch (at times, perhaps even more than the film itself!).

But you can't blame us - cars on the silver screen often transcend the film and become just as much of the spectacle as any protagonist or gripping storyline. This applies whether the car is simply used as a tool to get the characters from A to B, as a hero's wheels in a dramatic car chase or even as a gadget-laden time machine on wheels.

After all, where would agent 007 James Bond be without his Aston Martin DB5? Would Michael Caine have managed to escape the police in The Italian Job without his Mini Cooper? And Doc and Marty McFly certainly wouldn't have managed to go Back To The Future without the stainless steel-bodied DeLorean DMC-12!

So, to honour the cars of the big screen, we've decided to take a look at some of the best movie and television cars – all of which are available to drive with TrackDays.co.uk.

Aston Martin DB5

The Aston Martin DB5 is a well-known car thanks to special effects expert John Stears, who modified the already stylish DB5 for use by James Bond in the 1964 box office hit, Goldfinger, which starred Sean Connery. Even though Ian Fleming had placed Bond in a DB Mark III in the novel, Stears persuaded the company to opt for the DB5 prototype.

Dodge Charger

The Dodge Charger is perhaps one of the most famous car in television history because of its appearances in the action-comedy series The Dukes of Hazzard.

Did you know, for its famous jump – the one in the opening credits – the 1969 Dodge Charger "General Lee" had several hundred pounds of cement in its boot as several earlier jumps had gone badly because the Charger was too front-heavy.

Ford Gran Torino

"Zebra Three, come in." Do you recognise that call sign? Of course, it belonged to one of the coolest shows of the '70s - Starsky and Hutch.

The show catapulted the two main characters played by Paul Glaser and David Soul into superstardom, but there was one character that eclipsed them both – the police car. A Ford Gran Torino with its distinctive red with white stripe paint scheme.

However, Starsky and Hutch producers were not initially keen on the Gran Torino. In fact, the main character was actually supposed to be a green and white Camaro. Who knows, if the show went ahead with using the Camaro, would the dynamic duo have been remembered so fondly today?

Shelby GT500

Forget Nicolas Cage, it was the Shelby Mustang GT500 that stole the show in Gone in 60 Seconds. The plot of the film follows the theft of 50 cars in one night including stylish and speedy Lamborghinis, Ferraris, and Porsches.

However, it is the Shelby Mustang, called 'Eleanor' that received the most attention. Boasting a powerful 5.8-litre engine and a throaty exhaust, the car has caught the imagination of viewers, just as the first movie did some 25 years before.

You too can bring out your inner Bond, Charlie Croker or even Daisy Duke by booking your Famous Movie Cars experience at TrackDays from our regularly updated Events Calendar or through purchase of our open Gift Vouchers.