At Shannons we love a good car chase movie, so much so that we felt it was our responsibility to review our Top 10 Memorable Car Chases of all time.

This week we’ll take you through each movie before delivering the full infographic and news of our Memorable Car Chases competition. Here are numbers 10-6...

10. THUNDERBOLT AND LIGHTFOOT (1974)

The Plot

A young car thief hooks up with an escaped bank robber masquerading as a minister, and the hijinks that ensue touch even the grumpiest audience member. “Lightfoot”, played by Jeff Bridges, accidentally kills a man trying to assassinate Clint Eastwood, a.k.a. “The Thunderbolt”, a semi-famous bank robber. Eastwood’s former partners believe he sold them out to the cops after leaving with the loot from their last crime spree and pursue him to Warsaw, Montana, where the money is hidden in an old schoolhouse. But the schoolhouse has been leveled, and to make matters worse Thunderbolt’s enraged ex-partners, Red and Eddie, have now caught up with him. To solve the group’s cash shortage Lightfoot hatches a plot to rob the very same Warsaw establishment that Thunderbolt’s gang hit in the past, but after the heist Red steals the money and abandons Thunderbolt and Lightfoot after beating them to within an inch of their lives. Triumph and tragedy then converge, as our two hapless heroes escape from the police to find the old schoolhouse preserved as an historical landmark by a roadside, and retrieve the money from the original crime, only to be separated forever when Lightfoot dies as a result of the injuries he received at the hands of Red.

The Chase

When Red and Eddie first track down Thunderbolt, they are most definitely in a “shoot first” and ask questions later state of mind. To escape the barrage of bullets Thunderbolt and Lightfoot flee in their stylish stolen silver 1973 Buick Riviera, with Red and Eddie right on their tail in a tan 1951 Mercury Coupe, looking like refugees from a ‘50s gangster movie. With guns blasting and wheels spinning the villains pursue the Riviera relentlessly through the countryside, Red firing blindly through the clouds of dust kicked up by the accelerating lead car. Showing more guts than brains, Lightfoot drives the Mercury off the side of the road and down into the rugged rolling hills below, executing daring leaps over steep crevasses that the older vehicle is unable to match. Finally Red and Eddie and their Mercury are left stranded and frustrated, as Thunderbolt and Lightfoot make a successful getaway –albeit temporary, as it would turn out. 

The Cars

Back in its heyday, the 1951 Mercury Eight Coupe was a teenage boy’s dream. The car’s sloping curved turtle shell looked strong enough to function as a bomb shelter, but it was classy enough to leave an unforgettable impression on all who saw it. Fast and powerful, the ’51 Coupe could be modified or customized with ease, making it a popular choice among young people who wanted to make a statement. When it came time to cast a car for James Dean’s character in Rebel Without A Cause, the part went to a ‘49 Mercury Eight Coupe, cementing the Mercury’s reputation as the hottest vehicle on the market. Of course in the eyes of many the 1973 Buick Riviera was quite a sight to behold. 

Receiving high marks for its nifty combination of luxury, performance, and durability, the third generation 1971-1973 Buick Rivieras cut quite a profile with their unique and distinctive V-shaped boat tail, one of the truly original detailing innovations to come out of the raucous and ambitious car-building era of the early ‘70s. The 1973 Buick Riviera filled its niche with gusto and panache, and the fact that Lightfoot chose to steal it in Thunderbolt and Lightfoot was ultimately a testament to his lofty ambitions and impeccably good taste.

9. FREEBIE AND THE BEAN (1974)

The Plot

Considered by some to be a ‘decade ahead of its time,’ ‘Freebie and the Bean’ is a buddy cop action-comedy film starring James Caan and Alan Arkin as a pair of San Francisco police officers who struggle through a series of slapstick events to capture a criminal, who must also be protected from getting killed by a skilled hit man. Car chase scenes in this film are both funny and very entertaining, leading through San Francisco landmarks such as the Candlestick Park stadium and the now non-existent Embarcadero Freeway.

The Chase

The third scene features a thrilling chase through the streets of San Francisco as the police duo take after a blue Plymouth Fury without any regard for safety or restraint, turning around in a busy tunnel, flying through a parking garage and whipping around tight corners. After nearly losing their quarry on the other side of a moving train, the partners jump their Custom over the tracks and the chase continues. The chase leads through a marching band parade and over a car pileup as both the Ford and the Plymouth perform their share of impressive stunts. The scene ends in perhaps the best stunt of all: the flying crash over a bypass and into an apartment building.

The Cars

Like ‘White Lightning,’ the film ‘Freebie and the Bean’ features the Ford Custom, only this time it’s a Ford LTD Custom 500 460 Police Interceptor. This full-size, well-trimmed car was produced from 1965 to1986. Well-loved by taxi and police fleets throughout North America, the Custom 500 has a long history as a law enforcement cruiser with a great deal of power from a V8 engine. A separate Ford LTD model produced in Australia was a full-size luxury car. In ‘Freebie and the Bean,’ this is the famous car that winds up in an apartment bedroom.

Produced in 1956 through 1978 by the Plymouth division of Chrysler, the Plymouth Fury was developed to be a showy, high-priced model to draw consumer interest. This model began as a full-size 2-door coupe with a V8 engine, gold anodized aluminium trim and bumper wing-guards. The first generation was introduced in 1959 with the appearance of the top-model Sport Fury, a flashy 2-door coupe available as a hardtop and convertible. Starting in 1962, the third generation Plymouth Fury was introduced as a scaled-down mid-size car. Responding to consumer criticism, the company later launched more full-sized Fury models, ranging from the basic Fury I, popular with police and taxi fleets, to the Sport Fury and Fury II, which came with better trimmings and high-tech options. In 1966, Plymouth also introduced a luxury Fury, called the Plymouth VIP. In all, the Plymouth Fury enjoyed seven generations before being dropped in 1978. The Plymouth Fury was featured in two Stephen King novels: ‘Christine’ and ‘IT’ and also featured in the ‘Dukes of Hazzard’ as a police cruiser

8. GONE IN 60 SECONDS (1974)

The Plot

Brought to the big screen through the efforts of its writer, director, producer, and star Henry Blight ‘’H. B. Halicki’’, this largely unscripted cult classic tells the story of Maindrian Pace, a Southern California insurance investigator who moonlights as the head of a gang of car thieves. One day, Pace is approached by a South American drug lord who offers him $400,000 in cash if the gang can steal 48 high-quality automobiles in less than five days and deliver them in pristine shape to the local docks for shipping. Naturally this offer is too good to pass up, and the gang is quickly able to “acquire” the first 47 automobiles without hassle. But the final car on the drug lord’s list, a bronze 1973 Ford Mustang, proves difficult, mainly because Maindrian insists that all the cars his gang steals must be insured so the owners will be able to collect the insurance (Maindrian may be a thief but he’s a good bloke deep down). They finally do find a suitable vehicle, but the police have been tipped off ahead of time (by Maindrian’s brother-in-law, the rat!) and are waiting to spring a trap when Pace shows up to steal it. After a death-defying extended chase through the streets of Long Beach, Maindrian  manages to escape their clutches, but the Mustang is so beaten up from its rough ride that it’s now ready for the junk yard. But fortune always favors the bold, and Pace soon stumbles across a perfectly maintained bronze ’73 Mustang at a local car wash, which he proceeds to pilfer swiftly and without incident.

The Chase

The film depicts a chase scene described by USA Today as ‘’One of the greatest chase scenes in history’’. Filmed entirely on location in real time, the pursuit of Pace in his bronze 1973 Ford Mustang by two undercover plain-clothes detectives in a 1971 Mercury Montego – and others – is the longest continuous chase scene in movie history, coming in at a robust and supremely destructive 34 minutes. We use the word ‘destructive’ here because in addition to the massive (and unrehearsed) damage suffered by the Mustang there were 93 cars in total all - wrecked during this mega- chase thanks to Pace’s  “demolition derby” style driving. Afterwards, Maindrian and his pursuers left so much broken and twisted metal lying in their wake that the salvage and recycling crew could have supplied the US Navy with enough raw materials to construct a new battleship. Pace is finally able to escape from capture by launching his Mustang 30 feet into the air over a pile-up of cars blocking the street – a feat his pursuers were too timid to attempt, proving once again that fortune really does favor the bold.

The Cars

The bronze Ford Mustang driven by H. B. Haliecki in Gone in 60 Seconds, which the thieves named ‘Eleanor’ was actually a 1971 Ford Mustang that had been modified to look like a ’73. At this time the forerunner of the entire pony car class was going through a process of redevelopment to broaden its appeal by making it larger and more comfortable, and the result was a vehicle that was sort of stuck in a no-man’s land half way between luxury and performance. But her eclectic design package notwithstanding, ‘Eleanor’ became a star, and made a fortune in the years following the release of the movie appearing at car shows, auto races, shopping centers, and in theatre lobbies.

In comparison the gray 1970 Mercury Montego driven by the cops seems unremarkable, but this vehicle had a subtle charm and a slick aerodynamically-conscious design. Especially notable on the ’70 Mercury was the front end, which featured a wave-shaped grill and forward-thrusting hood. With the recessed headlights as eyes and the mid section of the grill resembling a nose, this car actually looked like it had a face, and when we see the Montego racing along after the Mustang in Gone in 60 Seconds, its front end already a bit bashed up a bit from the rough chase, it has a fearsome “expression” on its “face”, resembling an Angry Bird logo.

7. WHITE LIGHTNING (1973)

The Plot

Named after the street name for high proof moonshine, this American action film is packed with exciting car chase scenes, including one epic finale. Starring Burt Reynolds as Gator McKlusky, the film begins with an Arkansas man serving time for distributing moonshine. Upon learning of his brother’s murder by Sheriff JC Conners, the convict, McKlusky, is hired by federal agents to go undercover to expose the sheriff. The mission leads him to another moonshine running job with a man named Roy Boone. However, Sheriff JC Conners realizes McKlusky is working for the Feds and the following conflict builds up to an electrifying car chase as McKlusky lures the corrupt sheriff into a thrilling pursuit.

The Chase

The final chase of the film begins as Gator takes off in his modified Custom 500 under heavy gunfire, driving first down a rural dirt road before entering an overgrown field with Sheriff Connor and his men in hot pursuit. Kicking up dust and mud, Gator manoeuvres expertly, driving the Custom 500 in and out of a cornfield before flying down a rural dirt road near a reservoir and back onto the highway. Drifting around a sharp turn onto a dirt road, Gator finally out-manoeuvres the officers and leads the Sheriff into another chase where the pursuing sheriff eventually meets his end after catching huge air straight into a lake.

The Cars

In ‘White Lightning,’ Gator McKlusky’s car, or ‘shine mule,’ is a 1971 Ford Custom 500, as are the law enforcement cruisers. The classic Ford Custom name was first used in the 1930s by the Ford Motor Company, with the Custom nameplate used on and off until 1978. The last Custom model, the Ford Custom 500, was produced from 1964-1978 and featured a small-block V8 engine. 

The star of ‘White Lightning,’ the 1971 Custom 500, was equipped with a Cobra Jet engine, black steel wheels and Polyglas tires. Although a step up from Ford’s economy full-sized models, the Ford Custom 500 was a no-frills vehicle with roomy seating and a powerful engine. In Australia, the first Ford Custom model was produced in 1949-1952 as both a sedan and a coupe, while the Custom 300 model was produced from 1959-1962. The Ford Custom was the major police and taxi fleet model in North America during the 1960s and several Ford Custom 500s were wrecked while filming ‘White Lightning’.

6. RONIN (1998)

The Plot

Starring Jean Reno and Robert De Niro, ‘Ronin’ is a crime-thriller film that was released in 1998. Its plot revolves around two former intelligence agents who take part in a mission to steal a briefcase from a heavily-armed convoy. Packed with car-chasing action, this film features a complicated plot full of twists and turns, keeping the audience guessing and on the edge of their seats just as much as the chase sequences.

The Chase

With the help of the mission team’s technology, the Audi S8 comes into direct conflict with the Peugeot 605 whilst flying across a mountain road. Viciously trying to run one another off the road, the drivers veer off the paved roadway and down a rocky dirt road, catching incredible air on a ridge before hurtling into the narrow streets of Nice, drifting around tight corners, crowded sidewalks and crashing through an outdoor market. The chase ends at the docks as the Audi S8 drives its target, the Peugeot 605, off the road and into a café.

The Cars

Produced by Peugeot of France, the Peugeot 605 was an executive car model produced in 1989-1999. Its predecessors were the Peugeot 604 and 505. Early on, this model struggled with electronic malfunctions, damaging its reputation and later leading Peugeot to give the 605 a “facelift” with handling and design improvements. As the Peugeot 406 enjoyed some success, the 605 declined and was removed from production in 1999. Its successor, the Peugeot 607, has enjoyed more popularity.

In production since 1994, the Audi S8 is a full-size luxury sedan that features prominently in the ‘Ronin’ car chase scenes. This model is currently in its third generation and features many different layout options, including front or all-wheel drive. After a successful two years as the A8, the Audi S8 4.2 Quattro was introduced to Europe in 1996, and then later to North America in 1999.

The 1995 Citroën XM also features in ‘Ronin.’ This executive car was produced during the years 1989-2000 by a French manufacturing company. Upon launching, the Citroën XM was widely successful. During the following years, however, sales dropped due to competition with faster cars by BMW and Mercedes and inconsistent performance. By summer of 2000, production of the XM ended.

Also featuring in this film, the Mercedes-Benz 450 6.9 is a high-performance luxury car that was in production from 1975 through 1981. This vehicle had many special features, including adjustable clearance and a hydro-pneumatic self-levelling suspension system. Although not as luxurious as other high-priced models, the Mercedes-Benz 450 6.9 was all about perfect handling and the use of cutting-edge technology. The Mercedes-Benz 6.9 was also featured in the film ‘Lost Highway’ (1996). Some famous 6.9 owners include John F Kennedy Jr., Frank Sinatra and the last Shah of Iran.

See PART 2 (Chases 5 to 1) of the Top 10 Memorable Car Chases.