The history of cars in films is a long and successful one. It has allowed many car manufacturers to reach vast audiences and make their cars popular.

Filmmakers love using cars! Cars are valuable props and can add subconscious meanings to the audience and are an essential part of a film’s plot. If you think of your favourite films, most of them feature a car in some capacity.

Today we will look at some of the famous cars from films. What made films important to manufacturers and the future of cars in films

Films that made cars famous

Filmmakers can use cars to portray the status, power, and success of a character, and also be part of the plot. The most recognisable cars in films rely on the car as their major storyline.

A great example of this is Doc Brown’s famous DeLorean. Without this, Marty McFly would have been stuck in 1955 forever. The DeLorean became synonymous with Doc Brown and the “Back to the Future” franchise and became popular with fans.

Another car that became popular because of the success of a film is the Mini. When you think of Mini, it is hard not to associate them with the famous red, white, and blue minis known for racing around Turin, Italy in the Italian Job. Almost 53 years later, the impact of this film has not diminished. The love of these classic minis is still strong with collectors and car lovers.

Importance of the Car’s Role in the Films

It isn’t a surprise the manufacturers of these cars benefit from their cars featuring in these films. It gets their brand out there and makes their cars more desirable. In most cases, it also increases the price of these cars.

When first introduced, you could buy a brand new DB5 for £4,174, which in today’s money would be equivalent to £59,693. If you wanted to snap one up today, it would set you back £486,000. Although this price only reflects a standard DB5. The car from the film itself fetched an astonishing £2,912,000 back in 2010.

Another car that has increased in price since its film appearance is the Ford GT40. After featuring in the 2012 Fast and Furious film (Fast five) the car was worth £2,800,000. If you snapped one up back in 1965, it was originally available to purchase for £12,069, which was equivalent to £165,005 in today’s money.

The Future of Classic Cars in films

As we have found out, films are a great way to advertise and make manufacturers popular and potentially increase the value of cars. Even in recent films, they have used them to showcase recent developments and newly released vehicles.

James Bond has always been notorious for his cars. Most famously his DB5, which first appeared in Goldfinger and most recently No Time To Die. In recent films, they have introduced more modern cars such as the Aston Martin DBS Superleggera, Aston Martin Valhalla and Land Rover Defender

Electric cars are also slowly being introduced to audiences. This is something that over the coming years we will see more of and will assist manufacturers to convert audiences over to the electric car.

Audi E-Tron is one of the first to be shown, driven by Tony Stark in Avengers: Endgame. When the film was shown in cinemas, this car had yet to be officially released. Eagle-eyed viewers may notice that the noise of the car isn’t typical of an electric car. When in production, the studio asked Audi to add a noise often associated with petrol or diesel cars. Although this is a significant development being showcased, the use of this noise caused much controversy.

Conclusion

Car enthusiasts across the globe will always love cars in films. They are a perfect way to create a narrative but also to promote new cars and technology to the public.

Sadly, we can never determine what will be the next must-have film car to buy before they triple in price, but we hope the love of classic cars will live on through the magic of film.

Need a film to watch this weekend check top best car films for inspiration – Best car films