Screen Star Cars: Which were real, and which were fake?

The Fast franchise made many of us fall in love with souped-up cars — we’re looking at you, Toyota Supra. Another star was the heavily modified Nissan Skyline R34 GT-R used by Brian (Paul Walker), a car that divided opinion with many speculating it was a GTS-T.

However, this myth was debunked by Fast and Furious technical advisor Craig Lieberman, and all cars used were full-fat GTRs. Five GTRs were purchased via Motorex and were modified for the movie; the ‘jump car’ was destroyed after a stunt.

A View to a Kill – Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud II – FAKE AND REAL

Two Rollers were used in a View to a Kill: one real and one fake. James Bond (Roger Moore) is driven around in the impressive Rolls in several scenes, a car owned by Bond film producer Albert R. ‘Cubby’ Broccoli, which used license plate 354 HYK during filming and CUB 1 afterwards.

And then Bond is locked into a Rolls and pushed into a lake – but this car was a replica.

James Bond Goldfinger – Aston Martin DB5 – REAL

How do you make an Aston Martin DB5 cooler? Add ejector seats, machine guns, tyre shredders, and cloaking. Yep, four real DB5s were used to film Goldfinger, but only one had the above gadgets installed. However, Bond’s DB5 truly vanished after it was stolen from a Florida hangar in 1997 before being found 25 years later in the Middle East.

Transformers – Chevrolet Camaro - FAKE

Bumblebee, a Chevrolet Camaro, impressed the audience when the original Transformers movie hit the big screens in 2007. Chevrolet was tasked with building a one-off running concept for the film, but the production car wouldn’t be released for another two years. The car from the first movie was later modified to star in the second movie, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.

American Graffiti – Ford Coupe – REAL

The chop-topped 1932 Ford Coupe looked the business in American Graffiti with its exposed V8 and side exit exhausts; it would’ve been easy to tack such parts onto a knackered car, polish it for its big-screen appearance and then dispose of it afterwards. However, this was the real deal. The movie’s producer purchased the car for $1300.

It was then equipped with skinny black wall tyres and painted yellow before being fitted with a V8 (either 283 or 327 – accounts differ), which had sprint-car headers, a Man-A-Fre intake setup with four Rochester two-barrel carbs and an aluminium manifold.

Fast and Furious – Dodge Charger R/T - FAKE

In the first Fast movie, Dom (Vin Diesel) takes Brian (Paul Walker) into a garage which houses a stunning Dodge Charger R/T, complete with a monstrous blower. Each of the five cars was a 1969 model, converted to a 1970 R/T. The blower wasn’t even attached to the engine, and a large 445 cubic-inch motor was borrowed for filming close-ups and was returned to the engine shop afterwards.

Magnum P.I. – Ferrari 308 – REAL

Ferrari replicas are commonplace, but the cars used in Magnum P.I. were real. It’s argued that the Ferrari 308 GTS was the real star of the 1980s TV show. Of course, there wasn’t just one Ferrari as the model changed throughout the show’s eight seasons.

At the beginning, Magnum drove a 1979 carburettor model before switching to a fuel-injected GTSi for season 2, and the show ended with a four-valve QV. 6-foot-four Tom Selleck struggled to squeeze into the car, so padding was removed from the seats so he could sit lower in the car.

The World Is Not Enough – BMW Z8 - FAKE

From Aston Martin to Lotus, James Bond’s car collection usually leaves us excited. In the 1999 movie The World Is Not Enough, Bond swaps to a BMW Z8, a car that never existed until 2000. The story goes that the production version of the BMW Z8 wouldn’t be ready in time, so BMW gave the producers unfinished cars and specs to create custom cars.

Each car used a Chevrolet V8 with Jaguar suspension, although the Z8 left the movie early after being cut in half.

Bullitt – Ford Mustang GT – REAL

Rather than tacking GT parts and badging to an inline-six Mustang to cut costs, Bullitt’s producer used real 1968 GTs. Two cars were used in the movie: one for stunts and one for driving scenes, and each had various modifications, including reinforced suspension and brakes.

The film features 10 minutes of car chase nirvana: an intense sequence through the streets and hills of San Francisco that’s arguably one of the best in movie history.

Need for Speed – Almost everything – FAKE

We say almost everything because some cars, like the Shelby GT500 Mustang used for beauty shots, were real, but the majority were fake. Replica cars included a Saleen S7, which lacked a front badge and windshield wipers, a Bugatti Veyron SS, a Lamborghini Sesto Elemento, a Koenigsegg Agera, a McLaren P1 and a Spania GTA Spano.

We’re glad replicas were used, however, as crashing any of the aforementioned for a shot would have been an enormous waste. The production team had just six months to build every car.

Steve McQueen’s Le Mans – Ford GT40 – REAL

Being a rare machine worth millions, it's easy to understand why so many replicas exist. However, the 1968 Gulf/Mirage car used in the Steve McQueen film was the real deal. Chassis no. P/1074 was a lightweight racing car, which raced in 1968 before being sold to McQueen’s Solar Productions; the car never appeared on-screen but was used as a camera car.

Indiana Jones – Auburn Boattail Speedster – FAKE

The Auburn Boattail Speedster is a key element in the opening chase sequence of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, where the car is seen racing through Shanghai while hitting almost everything in sight. The Speedster is a stunning machine, and it would’ve been blasphemy to have destroyed a real one.

Therefore, the production team built a replica. Not much is known about the build, however.

Steve McQueen’s Le Mans – Porsche 917K – REAL

Another rare beast used in the Le Mans movie was a Porsche 917K race car, specifically chassis no. 917-022. Like the aforementioned GT40, the car was sold to Steve McQueen’s production company, Solar Productions. Steve McQueen is said to have driven the car for the movie’s stunt scenes before it was retired from Hollywood and returned to racing.

This very car went on to win multiple real-life endurance races at Monza, Spa, Daytona, the Osterreichring, and Montlhery, all in one year. It is now owned by Jerry Seinfeld.

Nash Bridges – Hemi Cuda – FAKE

The ultra-rare Hemi Cuda convertible used in the ‘90s San Francisco cop show was a clone. Like most movies, multiple cars were used, and the production company purchased various Cudas and Barracudas to replicate the convertible. The original movie cars were to be painted in Lemon Twist, representing the golden age of American muscle, but the colour didn’t look good on camera, so it was changed to deeper Curious Yellow.

Iron Man 2 – Rolls-Royce Phantom – REAL

Dressing up a Chrysler 300C as a Rolls-Royce would’ve been too obvious, so the producers purchased two identical Phantoms and destroyed them. Both cars were fully assembled from the factory but were cut up to the production team’s specifications. The body panels and roof were cut off and reattached using wire and glue, while the panels were smoothed out with Bondo and Mylar.

James Bond Skyfall – Aston Martin DB5 – FAKE AND REAL

The Skyfall scene where Bond traverses the Scottish Highlands in an Aston Martin DB5 is art, and the steep valleys, low mist and single-track roads help set the film’s dramatic end (pictured). But we all know what happens in Bond movies, and the producers felt that smashing up original cars would be sinful.

So, three 3D printed models, a third of the size of the original car, were made for destruction scenes, while an original DB5 was used for driving scenes.

The Fate of the Furious – Lamborghini Murcielago – REAL

The Lamborghini Murcielago can be seen drifting across the ice while dodging missiles from a helicopter in The Fate of the Furious. And rather than building a replica, the production team used a real Murcielago. Of course, such stunts meant the car was equipped with a roll cage, which meant removing the back glass, and the interior was a shambles.