The film industry is in a similar place to the automotive one: technological advancements, ‘ownership’ strategies and young target audiences with radically different consumption habits are reshaping what had always been a very predictable and solid marketplace.
New players are entering the game and old ones are breathing their last breath like a sick Stegosaurus in Jurassic Park. This paradigm shift, however, is pushing qualitative and quantitative indexes off the charts, in a similar fashion to the slew of new hybrid and EV vehicles automakers are rolling out at an increasingly rushed pace.
The protagonists of all these excellent new movies are awarded in hundreds of film festivals each year, with the most prominent Academy Awards coming up later this week. Heck, they are awarded even when they’re dogs. So, why isn’t there any love for the best vehicles of the cinematic year? After all, they’re often a crucial narrative element to some of the most compelling stories, making or breaking a character’s fortune and often bringing about more personality than many human counterparts, as cleverly showcased by Walmart in this SuperBowl commercial.
Since no one else will, we’ll take it upon us to celebrate the best rides of the silver screen. So, here are the nominees for the OsCar for the best vehicle of the year:
1. Ford GT40 Mark 2 in ‘Ford v Ferrari
This one is a special one for us, and not because it undoubtedly is the fastest car we’ve listed (sorry, Enzo). We’ve been in love with it since we helped Ford celebrate its heritage and the company’s return to Le Mans, back in 2015. Their introduction of the modern-day GT racer was mindful of its past glories, brilliantly depicted in 2019 by Christian Bale and Matt Damon. Much to Ken Miles’ pleasure, his GT40 takes a solitary first place in this list. No PR stunts allowed.
2. Ferrari 330 P3 in ‘Ford v Ferrari’
The mythical race the movie revolves around was a disaster for Ferrari. None of the cars that spurred such an intense competition ever made it to the finish line, while Ford’s roared across it in unison. Despite this, the antagonism displayed and the sheer beauty of this car brought it to immortal fame, and established it as a beloved distant relative of the future prototype race cars.
3. Porsche 356 Speedster Replica in ‘Ford v Ferrari’
Many recoiled in horror at the sight of Carroll Shelby using a Porsche as his daily drive, no matter how stylish the 356 Speedster might have been. The 911 precursor was not, indeed, chosen for reasons of historical accuracy: the (multiple) cars Matt Damon drove while playing the Texan farmer-turned-automotive-icon were modern replicas, adapted from the chassis of several Mazda Miatas. They had been lying around and proved the most suitable cars that would hold up to weeks of filming without breaking down and wrecking continuity. They don’t look half bad either, which is partly thanks to having retained no features from the Miata at all.
4. 1951 Hudson Hornet in ‘The Irishman’
Cars have always been a narrative staple of gangster films, and it is no wonder. After all, the peak of the mobster era coincided with the glory days of early American automotive design, and the mobsters were a crowd with high sensitivity for style and powerplay. Most importantly, they needed fast and roomy cars to chase, get away or hide bodies in. It is no wonder, then, that Scorsese’s latest genre masterpiece features the gleaming Hudson, driven by the eternally cooler-than-thou Robert De Niro on his way to another murder. Pardon, paint job.
5. 1966 Cadillac Coupe Deville in ‘Once Upon A Time’
The latest Tarantino blockbuster is not joking around with its attention for period detail, vehicles first. While the average film features 300-500 ‘extra’ cars, the Hollywood fable he produced this year features over 2000. It was a hard pick, but the Cape Ivory Cadillac just had to make our cut: it’s the setting (and the excuse) for Di Caprio’s Rick Dalton and Pitt’s Cliff Booth to build the bromance that will deliver them to their factually inaccurate fate. If it looks familiar, it might be because the very same car also appeared in Quentin’s breakthrough ‘Reservoir Dogs’ back in 1992. Its real-life owner? A certain Mr. Blonde, aka actor Michael Madsen.
6. 1950-1953 MG TD in ‘Once Upon A Time’
Another Cielo Drive resident is in contention for our homemade award, although his controversial (and to many, highly disturbing) image has meant his figure was cast to the sides of the narrative by Tarantino. Roman Polanski’s car reflects an anglophilic vibe that was always trendy among the Hollywood powerful, although we feel that ‘Picture Car Coordinator’ Steven Butcher was probably aware of the irony when he put the famously short French-Polish director at the wheel of a car nicknamed the ‘TG Midget’.
7. Corvette C3 in ‘Joker’
Also known by its much more captivating ‘Stingray’ moniker, the Corvette is another car we’re on friendly terms with. We once pushed one of its modern-day descendants to its limits in a daring Swiss challenge. Dressed in black like in ‘Joker’, however, it definitely looks less approachable and we can see how it became an essential part of the gloomy Gotham backdrop of the film.
8. Popemobile in ‘The Two Popes’
Pope Francis is probably the most down-to-earth religious leader the Catholic Church has ever had, and this shift in style he’s brought forward is a key aspect of his internal struggles in this year’s masterpiece by Fernando Meirelles. One part of his departure from Vatican habits is the rejection of luxury: it is then no wonder that he immediately sold off the Lamborghini Huracan he was gifted by the Italian automaker, devolving the revenue to a foreign aid charity. His rejection of fancy mobility goes further: he’s so far refused to use the custom Mercedes Benz his predecessors employed for protection, dubbed the ‘Popemobile’ by the press and ‘a glass sardine can’ by Bergoglio himself.
9. McLaren 720S in ‘Fast and Furious: Hobbs & Shaw’
Let’s be clear: this car is only on this list due to its own ‘acting’ merits, rather than those of the film as a whole. But that’s okay, right Joaquin Phoenix? The car was reportedly selected by Jason Statham due to his passion for McLaren and for all things British, and his joy in driving definitely transpires.
10. Cadillac Escalade in ‘Hustlers’
This movie about the lavish and amoral lifestyle of America’s wealthy men has very few fast cars for all its opulence. While definitely not an automotive movie, the pinnacle of Jennifer Lopez and Constance Wu’s character’s power trip is sitting in a Cadillac dealership and blasting music from the boomy stereo of an oversized Escalade, which says as much about the American dream as it does about the enduring role of Cadillac cars in it. With a Spike Lee commercial coming soon too, 2020 looks to be the year of the Escalade in Hollywood.