20 Iconic Cars Featured In “The Fast And The Furious” Movies That Deserve More Recognition
The Fast and the Furious movie franchise makes up for its lack of strong plotlines by featuring some of the most exciting modern and classic cars to grace the big screen in recent years. Whether you head to the theater to see what's going on in the lives of the movie's characters or because you love action sequences, there's no doubt it's the movies cars that make for the most exciting action-filled moments.
The 1970 Dodge Charger and the 1973 F-Bomb Chevrolet Camaro are among the cars that fans have gawked at throughout the series' surprisingly long run.
1999 Nissan R34 Skyline GT-RB Is The Signature Ride For Brian O'Connor
Brian O'Connor's Skyline wasn't the first model to appear in the film franchise. However, the R4 would go on to become the signature ride of Paul Walker's character. It showed up in the opening scene of 2 Fast 2 Furious.
But, the car only lasted ten minutes before it was wrecked, which made it glorious to watch. You can see the GT-R's incredible HICAS rear-steering system at work, allowing it to do some of the most stunning handling maneuvers in the film. Since then, O'Connor has forever been associated with Nissan and the GT-RB.
1970 Dodge Charger Was The Iconic Car For One Particular Character
The 1970 Dodge Charger might not be the fastest car in the series. But, this is the iconic car that Vin Diesel's character, Dom, drives in the first movie. The star vehicle was used for close-ups and had a functionally blown Hemi. Three versions of his popular vehicle were wrecked for stunts.
What made Dom's black Charger special is that it stood out in a sea of brightly-colored buzz-boxes. Without a doubt, it's one of the most beloved cars in the history of the franchise.
The 1995 Toyota Supra Turbo MkIV Is Known As The Muscle Car King
The Turbo Supra remains Japan's muscle-car king. Aside from the wheelies, the last race near the end of The Fast and the Furious is pretty intense. Just as long as you don't look at the car's rear tires.
With a set of drag slicks, two stages of nitrous, and a standard engine, this model could keep up with Dom's Charger. The Supra Turbo shattered the stereotype most Americans held about Japanese iron or aluminum as it was.
The 2013 W Motors Lykan HyperSport Is Very Expensive
The Lebanese Lykan's $3.4 million price tag is the result of the 420 fifteen-carat diamonds featured in its headlights. Yes, those are real diamonds in the headlights. The manufacturer, W Motors also sells this vehicle's interior with a combination of sapphires and diamonds.
The vehicle receives its 720 horsepower from a RUF-tuned Porsche flat six. With that being said, the Lykan is provocatively gorgeous, especially in red. Not a bad option if you can afford its massive price tag.
The 1967 Nissan Powered Mustang Was A Controversial Choice
Lucas Blacks' Nissan Power Mustang was featured in The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift. The franchise has been controversial among gear heads as this car was the most contentious car of the series.
Many were appalled that the classic Mustang was powered by a Nissan RB26DETT, the same engine in Brian O'Connor's R34 Skyline. Viewers couldn't believe that the series would use the American muscle car with a six-cylinder and turn it into a "drift car." It was only later that Mustangs were adapted into V8-muscle cars.
The 1995 Mitsubishi Eclipse Was The Non-Civic In The Series
As the first non-Civic depicted in the series, Paul Walker's original lime green 1995 Mitsubishi Eclipse was special. Brian O'Connor's Bomex-equipped GS created the modern body kit industry in the United States, a valid credit to the Eclipse name.
On the other end of the spectrum was Tyrese Gibson's awful looking Spyder. No disrespect to Mitsubishi, but all the product placement in the world won't convince car fanatics that the third-generation Eclipse wasn't a terrible car. It was discontinued at the end of August 2011.
The 1993 Mazda RX-7 Only Showed Up In The Series Twice
The Mazda RX-7 shows up two times in the series which is actually rare for the franchise. The Mazda is a bit out of its element in the drag racing scenes but it has long been known as one of the best-handling cars ever produced.
However, it's a shame that viewers only got to see it turn two corners before Dom parked it. It might have been for the best, considering how likely RX-7's are to fall apart when pushed to the limit.
The 1970 Dodge Challenger Is One Of The Many Mopars In The Series
Tyrese Gibson's Challenger from 2 Fast 2 Furious is one of the many brutal Mopars in the series. Fans of this beautiful vehicle first witnessed it racing in the audition race hosted by Carter Verone. The car featured a 7.0L 426 Hemi big block naturally aspirated V8 and put out 425 brake horsepower.
Along with the Yenko Camaro in the same movie, the model receives higher props simply because it started one of the funniest recurring gags of the entire series: Tyrese's deadpan expressions after he gets played by his opponents.
The 2010 Koenigsegg CCX-R Only Has Four Models Produced In The World
The CCX-R from Fast Five is a 1,000 horsepower beast that runs on ethanol. The film franchise did a good job of selecting this car since it was designed to comply with environmental regulations.
After their heist in Fast Five, Roman stops by Tej's garage in Miami to show him his Koenigsegg that he recently purchased. Furthermore, Roman claims that he the only one in the Western Hemisphere. Odds are, he's telling the truth as there are only four CCX-Rs in existence.
The Acura NSX Has Shown Up The Most
The Acura NSX has shown up in most of the films in the franchise. However, it got the most screen time as Mia's ride in the fourth and fifth installments. Along with Dom's Charger, and Jesse's Jetta, the NSX stands out as one of the best examples of car character casting in history.
It's beautiful, delicate, and surprisingly capable. It's one of those cars that stands out for its inner beauty above all else. But, when things get real, the NSX is just one badass car.
The 2001 Nissan Silvia S15 Is Known As Something Else
The Nissan Silvia is referred to as the "Mustang of Japan." Referred in the film as the Mona Lisa, this car was Han's prized possession and the second car Lucas destroys in the third installment of The Fast and the Furious franchise.
Letty, played by Michelle Rodriguez, pulled into Toretto's Market stepping out of a red S15 Silvia. Since the S15 was never released in the United States, the production team used a few 240Xs to act as doubles.
The 2002 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution Introduced EVO To America
Gran Turismo and 2 Fast 2 Furious were responsible for introducing EVO to America with the Lancer Evolution. For years, car enthusiasts have begged Mitsubishi to bring the EVO to America, which they did in 2003.
The EVO VIII wasn't available at the time of filming, so they used the EVO VII with a different fascia. Most of the cars in the movie were simply Lancers spruced up to look like the real thing. At least one of the cars was a legitimate left-handed-drive EVO imported from Europe.
2006 Mitsubishi Drift EVO
The Mitsubishi Drift EVO was a purpose-built, rear-drive drift machine in Tokyo Drift. The few scenes featuring the car contained some of the best uncut and non-CGI-enhanced drifting of the entire movie. The EVO was driven by Japan's real-life drift king, Keiichi Tsuchoiya, who provided realism to the film that isn't often witnessed in blockbuster movies.
While he's not seen in the car, he makes a cameo as a fisherman with the blue jacket who sees Lucas spinning out while drifting. By the way, that footage was originally an outtake of Keiichi himself in one of his rare drift fails.
The 1969 Chevrolet Yenko Camaro Is A Replica Of The Original
The 1969 Yenko Camaro SYC featured in The Fast and the Furious is actually a replica of the original Yenko Camaro. The replicas used in the production of 2 Fast 2 Furious used a 427 Cubic Inch 7.0-liter V8 engine and maintained a steady 425 horsepower.
In the real world, this "supercar" likely wouldn't stand a chance in a drag race with O'Connor’s nitrous EVO VII. The 1969 Camaro used in the movie was donated to the Paul Walker Charity ROWW as a tribute to the actor after his untimely death.
The 1973 F-Bomb Chevrolet Camaro Was Built By David Freiburger
The 1973 F-Bomb Chevrolet Camaro did a wheelie in the desert from Fast & Furious. The twin-turbo, 1500 horsepower beast known as the real F-bomb, was built by David Freiburger of Hot Rod Magazine fame.
Freiburg was responsible for salvaging Car Craft, Hot Rod. For that reason alone, his car, as well as its brief cameo, deserved to be mentioned. It was too rare and valuable of a car for the film crew, which is why they built 6 F-Bomb impersonators.
The 2014 Audi R8 Possess Qualities From Two Different Cars
The Audi R8 from Furious 7 possess qualities from both a Bugatti Veyron and a Lamborghini Huracan. Letty Ortiz goes up against the R8 with her 1970 Plymouth Baracuda. However, the R8's pistons fry and its transmission gives out during the quarter mile race.
Unlike either of those overpriced cars, the Audi has a legit racing pedigree at LeMans and on the GT3 racing circuit. Unfortunately, it doesn't have the power of its Lamborghini sibling in stock form.
The 1987 Buick GNX Was Used In A Hijacking Scene
The appearance of the 1987 Buick GNX from Fast & Furious was used in a hijacking scene. It looks sinister who those black NASCAR steel wheels, which look like they were lifted from Lucas Black's Monte Carlo.
Despite the model being referred to as a Grand National GNX, the car in the film is not the trim of the vehicle, but the Grand National. The production team built eight cars and installed CNC slide brakes with Wilwood calipers in the rear. That would help facilitate stunt demands.
The 1971 Chevrolet Monte Carlo Was As Real As The Old NASCAR Vehicles That Inspired It
Lucas Blacks' 1971 Chevy Monte Carlo is the second to appear in the series. However, it had more character with its appearance in Tokyo Drift. In a series rife with over-the-top cars, this Monte was as raw and real as the old NASCAR vehicles that inspired it.
When the movie was being filmed, the production team used 11 of these cars. The engine was a Bill Mitchell 632ci big block with a Holley 4-barrel carb on a World Products intake manifold.
The 1970 Ford Escort RS1600
The 1970 Ford Escort from Fast & Furious 6 was not an RS2000. The actual RS2000 was the Escort RS1600 from decades before.
The production team bought five of the right-handed-drive RS1600s in Great Britain and completely rebuilt them in a British shop. The engines were renovated and a new five-speed manual transmission went in behind them. New roll cages were fitted and each car was equipped with a pair of racing seats.
The 1971 Jensen Interceptor Was The First Car To Use All-Wheel Drive
The 1971 Jensen Interceptor featured in Fast & Furious 6 features a powerful 440 Chrysler big block. The Interceptor was the counterpart to the Jensen FF, the first production car in the world to feature a full-time all-wheel drive. The vehicle used in the film is a left-handed version of the original model.
The vehicle had to be shipped from California because there was a lack of useful Interceptor models in England, where the movie was being filmed. The Jensen Interceptor is Europe's most direct equivalent to Dom’s beloved Dodge Charger.
