Early this morning, the hot rod world lost one of its masters, the legendary Boyd Coddington. Boyd has always been a well-known figure in the custom hot rod world, designing custom cars for rich and famous car nuts like ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons and Alice Cooper, but he became famous to the rest of the world just a few years ago with his reality tv show "American Hot Rod". He was seen as the sometimes hot-headed owner of the custom car company he started decades ago. He has also starred in commercials that have aired nationwide, including one during the Super Bowl.
A true car movie should put a significant focus on cars, whether they be past, present, or future models. Not all of the following movies are about cars, but they all depict the thrill of driving, whether it be a race, chase, or just cruising.
10. The Gumball Rally An illegal cross-country road race featuring some of the fastest production cars of the day (the film was released in 1976). It spawned sequels and rip-offs, most of which featured hammy acting and cheesy storylines, but the original is still a road-racing masterpiece.
9. Death Race 2000 Set in a dystopian future world with some oddball car designs, Death Race 2000 depicts cars being used as weapons. Points are awarded for running down people, and these cars are customized for just that task.
8. Gone in 60 Seconds While the modern Gone in Sixty Seconds remake with Nicolas Cage was a showcase for, well, Nicolas Cage, the original Gone in 60 Seconds was a true car movie, made by a true car nut. H.B. Halicki (aka "The Car Crash King") made this masterpiece with almost no money and a lot of help from his friends. No one in this movie is a professional actor, and it shows. That's not really the point, because the star of this film is the cars. When they ran out story, they just filled the final 40 minutes with one of the most elaborate car chases ever.
7. Grand Prix A stylistic masterpiece, Grand Prix often feels like a documentary as it shows the golden age of Grand Prix racing. James Garner stars in this Formula 1 epic.
6. Vanishing Point A drug addict named Speed tries to evade police across hundreds of miles as locals cheer him on. This cult classic could have easily been a 90 minute commercial for the 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T.
5. Bullitt More of a cop film than a car movie, Steve McQueen pushes a 1968 Ford Mustang to the limit against a 1968 Dodge Charger in what many people consider the top car chase scene of all-time.
4. Smokey and the Bandit Like some other car movies, Smokey and the Bandit would spawn sequels that were pure trash, but the original remains a fantastic showcase of a heroic car. The 1977 Pontiac Trans Am became an instant hit after this movie reached theaters, although I doubt many could handle as well as the one Burt Reynolds drove... or fly over broken bridges.
3. Dazed and Confused Perhaps the only movie on the list that doesn't seem to care about cars, but still manages to feature them in a beautiful light. All the hit cars of the early-to-mid 1970's were here, from the Chevelle SS to the Trans AM SD455. 70's boozin' & cruisin is epitomized in this nostalgia trip.
2. American Graffiti Where were you in '62? That's what the press for American Graffiti was asking in 1973. Although it was filmed just a decade after the year in which the movie was set, it seemed like a different century. The early 60's was the official cruising era, when gas prices were low and the main strips seemed to go on forever. People drove without a need to go anywhere, and "hanging out" was done at 15 miles per hour. The race between John Milner's Deuce Coupe and Bob Falfa's 1955 Chevy is the peak of automotive cinema.
1. Two-Lane Blacktop Although Dennis Wilson (from The Beach Boys, also Brian's brother) and James Taylor's names were on the poster, the star of this movie was the 1955 Chevy Bel-Air. The car was such a hit that it would be used again a few year's later as Bob Falfa's car in American Graffiti (although it received a fresh paint job). Two-Lane Blacktop is an existential car movie featuring both the art and philosophy of automobilia. The plot involves a race to Washington D.C., and there are several drag race scenes, but it's not a race movie. It's more like a filmed version of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, except with cars.
Top 10 Most Expensive Cars 2007 - 2008 Video Edition
It's time for another car video list. Last time, I did the worst cars ever, so I think I'll choose a slightly less-dreary topic this time: the most expensive cars in the world. These are the cars that most of us will never be able to afford, but thanks to the power of YouTube we can at least watch videos of the rich bastards who do get to enjoy them.
10. Maybach 57 S Retail price: $367,000 I don't care what anyone says, these Maybachs look like large Hyundais to me. They look smooth and luxurious, but nothing about them says "I need to make up for my own insecurities by being seen driving a car worth more than your house."
9. Maybach 62 Retail price: $385,250 Once again, this is a Hyundai mating with a Mercedes. I'm really not sure what the appeal of these cars is, other than uber-luxury features on the interior.
8. Porsche Carrera GT Retail price: $440,000 Now we're talking. The only modern Porsche supercar, the Carrera GT has a top speed of nearly 210 mph.
7. Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Retail price: $457,250 Despite the fact that this was a car preferred by the likes of Paris Hilton, I like the SLR McLaren. It's a little quicker than the Carrera GT, but with a slightly lower top speed. The stance on this car is second to none, perhaps one of the best-looking cars ever built.
6. Koenigsegg CCX Retail price: $545,568 Some may not like the curved box design of the CCX, but this isn't a car made to be seen. The CCX is built for pure speed. It can do 250 miles per hour, which will help you get away from your angry wife when she finds out you blew half a million dollars on a car.
5. Saleen S7 Twin Turbo Retail price: $555,000 It's the 4th fastest car in the world, and one of the best-looking to boot. The Saleen S7 is quick and fast, and it's cool enough to be featured in movies like Bruce Almighty.
4. LeBlanc Mirabeau Retail price: $645,084 You don't hear much about this car, likely because it lacks any luxury features. This is a pure race car, although it is street legal.
3. SSC Ultimate Aero Retail price $654,400 This is the fastest street legal car in the world. It reaches a top speed above 257 miles per hour. It's quick too, with a 0 to 60 time of 2.7 seconds. Only about 25 of them have been produced so far, but each one can beat the Bugatti Veyron.
2. Pagani Zonda C12 F Retail price: $667,321 It's not the fastest car, but it's not slow either. It can reach speeds above 215 miles per hour. What I really like about the Pagani Zonda is the design. From the quad exhaust that is positioned in a circle in the middle of the rear to the lights, mesh screens, and carbon fiber touches, this is a car that looks like it took a millennium to engineer.
1. Bugatti Veyron Retail price: $1,192,057 The Bugatti Veyron is a monster of a supercar. It combines design, speed, and luxury in a car that many consider to be the best ever. With a top speed above 253 miles per hour, it's one of the fastest street legal cars, and it comes loaded with performance features to help it corner and stop quickly.
