Sunday, November 17, 2019

Car Movies

I've been thinking about this subject quite a lot in the past few weeks, as the "FORD v FERRARI" movie was being advertised. I'm planning on seeing it myself in a couple days, and I'm looking forward to it. That got me thinking of the other car movies that have been special to most car enthusiasts over the years. There have been many.
The first one I want to mention is "Bullitt", and its now famous chase scene between the Mustang and Charger. That car chase was the best part of the movie.  Steve McQueen and Jacqueline Bisset  did a great job in that, other wise, slow moving movie.
Another classic that meant a lot to me, as a long-time "street racer", is "American Graffiti". I identified with a lot of what was going on in that movie, and I loved it, . . . even though the final street race ended badly for Harrison Ford in the Chevy.
Many of the car movies have had a lasting effect on our "car culture" over the years, but none more to the Mustang crowd than "Gone in 60 Seconds". As a Mustang fan from its introduction, I loved that movie. But, the use of a modified Mustang "movie prop" car as "Eleanor" has had a lasting effect on the classic Mustang culture. Now a whole generation of enthusiasts think that "Eleanor" is what a real 1967 Shelby GT500 looks like. Now, after 20 years, "Eleanor" clones are everywhere. That was my only disappointment with the movie, because they changed many of the most beautiful styling details of the actual 67 Shelby.
Another car movie that had a special meaning for me was "I Am Legend" in 2007.  The new Shelby GT500 that Will Smith drove in the first few scenes was identical to the 07 Shelby that I owned at the time (red with white stripes).
Anyway, I do enjoy car movies, and I'm looking forward to seeing "FORD v FERRARI".
Car enthusiasts can follow this link to check out my book; Grab Some Gears
The  "American Graffiti" movie car race    (Google image)

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