Smile for the Camera: A Dozen Movie Star Corvettes
Caption:
Car: 1971 Corvette Stingray
Movie: Rush Hour, 1998
Tagline: The Fastest Hands In The East Meet The Biggest Mouth In The West.
Most of us will agree that Chevrolet’s Corvette has been an automotive star since day one. That stardom has been borne out in Hollywood over the years, where filmmakers have chosen to give Corvettes prominent roles in their films for upwards of fifty years. Thanks to the twin magical resources of the Internet Movie Database , and the too often overlooked Internet Movie Car Database , we’ve been able to compile a list of a dozen notable Vettes as seen on the silver screen. Our list is by no means complete (as we’re sure you’ll point out) but it’s a pretty entertaining browse at any rate. Click through the gallery above to relive the memories and then tell us what you think, in comments.
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Comments
Mark in Maine
Here's another - The copper and white '56 or '57 Corvette that John Mellencamp's character Bud Parks drove in Mellencamp's 1992 film, 'Falling From Grace' . . .
Ducati Minor
Look at all the C3s.
Russ Bellinis
Probably because the C-3 was in production for twice as many years as any other model Vette.
Ducati Minor
Maybe. But the C4 ran a close second: thirteen model years to the C3's fifteen.
Jughead
'59 Vette in True Lies
'84 Vette in A-Team
KL2BE
What a bunch of butt-ugly vettes!
GM has spent 50 years trying (without success) to get respect. They never figured out what Hollywood always knew; Vettes appeal to teenagers and low-brows (never saw a Vette in a Bond movie did you?).
Ten years after GM' bankruptcy (in 2019), what Vettes will remain collectable?
Anonymous
Bond? A View to a Kill (1985). 1985 C4 Corvette.
Anonymous
Congratulations on your response! It must have been the Spirit of the Season that prevented you from pointing out how unbelievably arrogant and ignorant KL2BE seems to be. A true car guy would never make such an outlandish statement, unless it was a Freudian attempt to disclose the incredibly short distance from his own hairline to his eyebrows. Do you suppose we have seen him in the GEICO ads?
Anonymous
always surprise me how adults can succeed to negativeness when talking about cars.
lotusport
Erm, I thought the Geico Gecko was hairless?
Reinier
Erm? Caveman! Duh!
flower
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charlene
I belong to one of the largest corvette clubs in PA and none of our vette owners are teenagers or low-brow.I take it you don't own a vette and cannot afford the price of one that is why someone would say the things you have said.
Anonymous
kl2be...Sorry you can't respect an American Icon. You must have heard of Corvette Racing,ZR1,Grand Sport,..Not to go where others have gone But your wallet must be light...you talk about the Corvette vs the other Supercars...Have you looked at the Price.....My point if you could afford one you wouldnt be Disresepcting "THE CORVETTE NATION " and before you go there ...I own 2...86 Coupe and 04 coupe,,,,,,,,,My 2 Favorite corvettes The White corvette in the "Magician" Personal plates "SPIRIT" the @nd 63 Black Split window on T.H.E CAT.....No Disrespect to You BUT RESPECT MY CAR
Anonymous
You don't see Vettes in Bond movies because the stories are based on the British agent, not American!!
faye
u suck, I don't think u have any repesct for your self
Anonymous
James Bond is an English 4 cylinder enthusiest or haven't you noticed. American like eight cylinders and power. The smallest vet made was a six cylinder in 1953. I do like James Bond and his wheels.
Joseph
I thought you had to be over 18 to post a comment.
Anonymous
Such B.S.
There is an '85 Corvette in "A View to a Kill".
Reinier
Duh? Not many Vettes in England and Russia.
Vintage V12
Somebody put together a list of movies with Ferraris.
That would be worth looking at.
Anonymous
ok so it technically wasn't a movie but how does the most famous corvette ever, the two from route 66 get left off of this list?
Anonymous
This wasn't a movie either but what about the short lived mid 80's series named Stingray that featured a mysterious guy named Ray and drove an awesome '65 Sting Ray? No one knew his real identity but he would offer his investigative services to anyone who needed them "for a favor in return".
87 vette conv
Sounds like KL2bE is bitter and jealous because they don't have deep enough pockets to AFFORD a Vette. Probably has a lifetime bus pass and would kill 2 be having a life ;0)
jeepers
Where is the most famous of all...the 62 from Route 66????
Hops98
That Corvette is on display in the National Corvette Museum, at Bowling Green, Ky.
fiberglassflyer
I agree KL2BE must have received a lump of coal for Christmas. Winning LeMans 4-5 times against Aston Martin, Ferrari, Viper and other huge budgets with a 2-car team doesn't count for anything?
Corvettes is OK
Corvettes ARE OK, but their opponents and defenders don't hesitate to display character flaws. Goes with the territory, I reckon.
Not in a movie, or even on TV, but it real life, two Corvettes to remember:
· Leaving the Motorama in 1961 or 1962, Big Brother Adam (Pernell Roberts) almost ran over three of us gawkers, blasting out of a Pan-Pacific Auditorium parking lot and across the sidewalk in a new silver Corvette.
· On my way to work in 1966, driving east on Second Avenue, Tijuana, a red Corvette turned left across my path on to Constitution Avenue, causing me to brake sharply. Driver? Pernell Roberts.
Later on, he died. Karma? I think not. Some kind of cancer, if I'm not mistaken.
Cheers!
Anonymous
Pernell Roberts is not dead.
Randy Young
Great photos, you forgot The Blue Jet!
Anonymous
Yea! u go . what a great"car" .
Anonymous
The Corvette in Apollo 13?
toke
@1973 Corvette Stingray Custom from Corvette Summer:
U-L-G-Y, you ain't go no alibi
You Ugly, You Ugly
toke
@1973 Corvette Stingray Custom from Corvette Summer:
U-L-G-Y, you ain't go no alibi
You Ugly, You Ugly
Anonymous
I believe it was a 1965 vette that was in the show Hardcastle and McCormick. IT had plates that read "JUDGE". I have the plastic model kit for it still. More important than the Vette in the picture from "Con Air" is the Black VW GTI next to it!!
McGwin
There is no doubt that Corvettes have been s a part of American culture for half a century. But the movies listed are somewhat obscure and many of the cars fairly ugly. The list should be expanded to include TV because missing from the list is the the most memorable Corvette on film, the one featured in the TV series "Route 66." The car was as much of a star as the two actors and I would guess that many a Corvette owner can trace their love of the car back to that show.
Other cars featured in movies include Ferraris, Posches, Aston Martin, Camaros, Cuda's and Chargers
But the car most ofter featured in both Movies and TV series would have to be Mustangs. Such memorable movies as "Bullitt"; "Gone in Sixty Seconds"; Will Smith's "I am Legend"; James Bond's "Diamonds are Forever" and "Goldfinger" all the way to movies like Princess Diaries and Jim Balushi's K-9 feature Mustangs. Whether beautiful, fast or just ragged treasures that their owners cannot part with, Mustangs have been written into the storyline ever since the car was introduced in '64.
Eventually someone will put together a complete database of cars in the movies.
Anonymous
There is a database of cars in movies www.imcdb.org
They list 1538 Mustangs that were featured in movies
http://www.imcdb.org/vehicles.php?make=Ford&model=Mustang&page=52&PHPSES...
Fast402
Thanks for the memories! I would also like to mention the '59 Vette Roadster in "True Lies". It is a beautiful car and has a prominent role in the movie. I for one have wanted a Vette since I was a kid. I could have a Porsche or maybe even a Ferrari if I chose, but I have a Vette. They aren't perfect but they are all American ICON's like Harley's representing a dedicated group of developers and owners and they are all a blast to drive. The movies are full of high dollar Ferraris and Lambos because they are more expensive and therefore more exclusive. But make mine a Vette any day.
VetteView
The "route 66" TV show actually featured more than one Corvette. The pilot episode was filmed with a 1960 model. The rest of the series used (new, from GM) 1961 thru 1964 roadsters. And in one episode, GM's "Mako Shark" concept Corvette appeared.
As McGwin noted above, this series ignited a sort of Corvette fever with many males back in the '60s. Watching 2 guys free-wheeling around the country in a Corvette every week made a lasting impression on them, and the car became a symbol of open road freedom and adventure.
bobde3
This one not many will know. The Ferrari driven by the Don Johnson in Miami Vice early shows in the 80's was a replica car "Daytona Spyder" built by a company in San Diego, Ca on a C4 [C3?] Corvette chassis. The replicar company was eventually sued by Ferrari, lost the suit. Ferrari convinced the TV show to blow up the replicar. Ferrari in turn provided them with the Testarossa used in the later episodes.
Another neat twist, soon after the suit was settled, the lawyer for the replicar company gave up his Corvette and was driving a new Ferrari.
talontroy
wasnt there a red 65 or 66 droptop vette in the movie "firebirds" with nick cage and tommy lee jones
Lance Miller
Great article & great cars! Come see these Corvettes plus thousands of other Corvettes during August 28-30, 2009 at the Carlisle Fairgrounds - Corvettes at Carlisle.
Hope to see you there,
Lance
Anonymous
im going to have to agree with KL2BE here. as a GM tech i can testify that the corvette has never been up to par with the competition until the c5 or c6 which are mechanically still a far cry from a ferrari, but physically and structurally sound...finally!
Anonymous
Personally, I'm an XLR-V man myself. Same diff though, right?
FranV8
There is a C4 ('85 or '86) in the recent film 'Wanted' - driven for a scene by Angelina Jolie.
Interestingly the shots of her driving it at the end of the scene and also when she changes gear are of an SRT-10 Viper though!
cb
try watching the movie again as the only car Angelina drove was a Dodge Viper Coupe. I know it's hard to look at the car with her in the frame, but that's the way it is!
Rooster
ummm...did you completely forget the part where he ramps off her car to shoot the guy in the limo?
CB
Correct! I sit corrected!!! The '06 Viper Coupe got a lot more air time.
To make amends, there's a really nice '64-67 Corvette non-split window in Will Smith's latest movie Seven Pounds. It unfortunately doesn't fair well in the end.
Toolman
I lived in Prescott, AZ when this film was shot! They drove this vette into the lake in the filming. A friend of mine bought it afterwards and refurbished it after its dunking. I owned a 62 vette at the time and it really hurt watching that car drive into the lake!
oldtimah
The Mid-year in 'Breaking Away'