Three, Two, One, Explosion!
Blowing up cars, buildings, and national landmarks is a staple in any action film, so it’s no surprise that these high-budget movies want to destroy high-budget cars. There is something special about watching a car catch on fire, get crushed by a train, or be broken by a slurry of gunfire. Check out this list to learn more about these film-tastic rides.
1. The Porsche 917K
A real Porsche 917K was used in the 1971 racing film Le Mans, meaning a real Porsche 917K was obliterated after a tire blowout caused the vehicle to crash. The cost of the car was likely around $30,000 USD in 1971, which is around $245,000 USD today.
2. Aston Martin DB10
The Aston Martin DB10 was a popular choice of car in the 2015 James Bond film, Spectre. Sources say that 7 out of 10 of these vehicles were destroyed over the course of filming, amounting to over $20 million USD.
3. 1989 Lamborghini Countach Silver Anniversary
Two 25th anniversary Countachs were used in the critically acclaimed 2013 film The Wolf of Wall Street, with one ending up as the result of abusing substances and getting behind a motor vehicle. Martin Scorsese used a real Countach for this movie, as he needed the metal frame to bend more realistically than a fibreglass copy.
4. 1967 Ford Mustang Fastback
The 2000 film Gone in 60 Seconds had three total working Fastbacks during production, of which two were destroyed. The film used a total of 11 Mustangs, but 8 of them were more decorative.
5. Lamborghini Huracan LP 610-4
Nine Huracans were destroyed to achieve some Marvel movie magic in the 2016 Doctor Strange. Each car was completely totaled, with the total cost of the damaged vehicles passing well over $2 million.
Rutger van der Maar on Wikimedia
6. Ferrari Enzo
Film producer Daniel Sadek used his personal Ferrari Enzo for the 2007 film, Redline. Unfortunately, actor Eddie Griffin crashed the car after colliding with a concrete barrier. Also, the film got 0% on Rotten Tomatoes, so Sadek had no car and no commercial success.
7. Lamborghini Murcielago LP640
This insanely fast car is featured in The Dark Knight and was totaled after Bruce Wayne crashed his vehicle into a truck. The car cost $311,000 at the time of filming, and it definitely still sits around that price today.
8. Rolls-Royce Phantom
A singular Phantom cost around 438,000 in 2009, and the team of Iron Man 2 totaled two of them during their shoot of the Monaco Grand Prix.
9. Dodge Challenger RT
In this 1971 action film, Vanishing Point, five Dodge Challengers were destroyed over the course of the film’s production. In the early 70s, a Dodge Challenger cost around $3,300, but likely would’ve sold for over $100,000 at auction today.
Vitali Adutskevich on Unsplash
10. Porsche 928
The Porsche 928 is a gorgeous 1979 grand tourer that was used in Risky Business. While a copy of the vehicle was used, it still hurt to watch this gorgeous model take a bath in the lake.
Kieran White from Manchester, England on Wikimedia
11. Lykan Hypersport
The Lykan Hypersport was the first sports car produced in the UAE, and is considered one of the most expensive cars worldwide. Ten copies of this vehicle were used in Furious 7, and only one made it to the end of filming.
12. Ferrari 250 GT
This gorgeous red car is the centerpiece of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, and is featured multiple times during the film. Unfortunately, the car met a sad end after being sent through a glass wall and down a ravine. Luckily, the car was a replica, as destroying an actual Ferrari would’ve cost the film millions of dollars.
13. Bentley Continental GT
This gorgeous vehicle is shown in the 2005 comedy film The Longest Yard. Adam Sandler crashes this car during a police chase scene. While the car cost well over $100,000, the budget for this movie was over $82 million, so they had some change to spare.
14. Ford Falcon XB Hardtop
The Mad Max series is well-known for dressing up and destroying many, many vehicles. Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior used two Ford Falcon XB Hardtops during the making of the film, one of which was destroyed. Fun fact: this 1981 film only had a budget of $4.5 million AUD.
Jeremy from Sydney, Australia on Wikimedia
15. Chevrolet Corvette
A 1967 Chevrolet Corvette was used in the 1997 film, Con Air. It was pulled up into the air by a cargo plane, before disconnecting and falling back to the ground, hard. This '60s staple would go for over $100,000 at auction today.
16. Ferrari F355 Spider
Used in the 1996 film, The Rock, a fake yellow Ferrari Spider is thrown through a window before being crushed by a derailed trolley car. While not real, the Spider still cost $130,000 at the time of launch, which would cost almost $273,000 USD today.
17. 2004 Maybach 57
Okay, not technically a movie, but we’re counting it anyway. The 2011 music video for Otis, featuring both JAY Z and Kanye West, uses a 2004 Maybach with the ceiling, doors, and rims torn off. The 2004 Maybach cost around $40,000 USD in 2011.
18. Porsche Carrera GT
The Porsche Carrera GT is one of the most recognized vehicles for Fast & Furious fans, as it was the vehicle Paul Walker was driving when he suffered a fatal car accident in 2013. Before this real-world tragedy occurred, the car was also used, and wrecked, in the movie Redline.
19. Mercedes-Benz 280SE Cabriolet
This gorgeous vintage car is featured in the 2009 comedy film, The Hangover. The film used five Mercedes over the course of production, and a few fakes were made for the car crash scenes. Unfortunately, a real Mercedes was damaged during filming as well.
Alexandre Prévot from Nancy, France on Wikimedia
20. The Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG
This expensive gull-wing car was used in Transformers: Dark of the Moon, and was used as the disguise for the Decepticon, Soundwave. The prop for this vehicle was destroyed during filming, and it wasn’t the only one. Dark of the Moon holds the record for the most destroyed cars during filming, with a total number of 532.
