The automotive Oscars

Cars can have as big a starring role as actors in movies.

Careening cars, screeching tyres, sparks flying off fenders, and men with a rapacious need for speed. Sounds like a sequence out of a movie. Precisely.

The classic romance between cars and celluloid is a vintage treat both Hollywood and Bollywood, the world's two biggest film industries, have been dishing out for ages. Cars have been integral to many a cinematic theme on both sides of the Atlantic intermission.

Remember Bond's Aston Martin? Not to forget Greased Lightning, the 1948 Ford, in the movie Grease. Herbie in The Love Bug, the 1981 Delorean DMC 12 from Back to the Future, The Dukes of Hazzard's General Lee, a 1969 Dodge Charger, and the 1974 Ford Gran Torino in Starsky and Hutch are but a few of the long list of hot rods immortalised by movies.

Buckle up for a drive through some of the best rides in the movies.

2003 Mini Cooper S, The Italian Job
Made popular by the remake of The Italian Job, the new and nimble Mini Cooper was brought under the spotlight as stylish red, blue and white models became the getaway cars of choice in the heist of a lifetime. The original in the Michael Caine movie still has plenty of fans too.

1981 DeLorean DMC-12, Back to the Future
The time-travelling car whose gull-wing doors opened up instead of out really swept people off their feet. The futuristic vehicle won hearts as it ran on rubbish and could fly. With Michael J Fox behind the wheel, it couldn't get any cooler.

1968 Ford Mustang GT 390, Bullitt
Steve McQueen, a cop, in his Mustang GT 390 chases a hit man in a 1968 Dodge Charger in one of the best remembered car chases of Hollywood movies. The seven-minute legendary car chase made the Mustang the hottest wheels of its time.

1967 Shelby GT500, Gone in 60 Seconds
Yet another grand auto theft that made yet another car unforgettable. This time it was a 1967 Shelby GT500 driven by Nicolas Cage as he went about his mission of stealing 50 cars in one night.

1970 Dodge Charger, Mazda RX-7, The Fast and the Furious
Vin Diesel's Mazda RX-7 and Paul Walker's 1970 Dodge Charger go bumper to bumper in this movie about car racing. "Ask any racer, any real racer. It doesn't matter if you win by an inch or a mile; winning's winning." The famous last words of undercover cop Paul Walker.

1964 Aston Martin DB5, Goldfinger
The Bond series has launched as many hot rods as it has hot bods. Aston Martins, Bentleys, BMW Z3 1.9 and Lotuses, they are all top-notch Bond cars. But the gorgeous Aston Martin DB5 of Goldfinger arguably outruns and out-gadgets all others as easily as Sean Connery outsmarts his adversaries.

Any list of memorable movie cars is incomplete without mentioning those that are built specifically to match the personality of its owner. The Batmobile (originally a 1956 Lincoln-Mercury) is the first that springs to mind. To be fair to others, however, there is the Bluesmobile (a 1974 Dodge Monaco) of The Blues Brothers, Miss Daisy (a 1955 Cadillac sedan) in Driving Miss Daisy and the 1968 Chitty Chitty Bang in the eponymous movie.

Bollywood and cars

Bollywood too has had its fair share of cars but not many that seriously dented the movie budget or steered the plot. The trend started with the top-down Impalas and long Plymouths in the 60s and 70s. Then came the Mercedes and VWs in the 80s and 90s. Finally, they all made way for the Lamborghinis, the Porches and the Ferraris. Cars in Bollywood have certainly grown qualitatively.

Guest appearances have been made by cars with special powers like the Basanti (a Fiat) and Ram Piyari (a Beetle) both driven by Amitabh Bachchan in Khuddar and Akela respectively. These cars could talk, emote and even scent out villains.

The only two serious car flicks in the recent times have been Ta Ra Rum Pum and Tarzan – The Wonder Car. An average movie in every regards, Ta Ra Rum Pum is a perhaps Bollywood's first stab at car racing. Shot at different race tracks in the US, it is about the rise and fall and rise of a race driver played by Saif Ali Khan. Any similarities with Talladega Nights is purely incidental.

Taarzan – The Wonder Car, on the other hand, has a car in the main lead. A redesigned Tata Safari, Taarzan is a flashy purple gizmo car with special powers. The movie crashed at the box office, although the car was a runaway success.