Film’s Most Iconic Cars

For those of us who are sci-fi fans, the recently released trailer of Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets wouldn’t have gone unnoticed. French director Luc Besson, who is helming this graphic novel adaptation, is no stranger to the genre, having directed the now iconic The Fifth Element and Scarlett Johansson-led Lucy. Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, starring Dane DeHann and Cara Delevigne, is an ambitious project; the movie has the biggest budget of any European-produced film ever made and is sure to draw in huge numbers with additional stars Clive Owen, Ethan Hawke and Rihanna tied to the film.

Also making an important appearance in the film is Lexus, coming to the silver screen in the form of, not a car, but the SKYJET, a single-seat pursuit craft that appears in the trailer. Partnering with Besson to create this futuristic vehicle, Lexus draws inspiration from its soon-to-be-launched Lexus LC coupe. Commenting on the new partnership, director Besson said: “For this partnership we were looking for a brand that’s pioneering in innovation and technology, and which is focused on the future more than the past.” Indeed, for those who have watched the trailer, the emphasis on the future and not the past is critical; the film is so visually ahead that there are barely any references to the past.

In celebration of this partnership, here’s a small list of the most famous cars in film history.

The garish Pussy Wagon in Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill Vol. 1 is an iconic example of the director’s love for over-top-the-top imagery. The 1997 Chevrolet C-2500 Silverado SS has become so synonymous with cinematic culture that Tarantino lent the car to Lady Gaga for her ‘Telephone’ music video.

Perhaps one of the most iconic cars in movies is the Aston Martin DB5, which made its first appearance in 1964’s Goldfinger and its most recent in 2012’s Skyfall in a triumphant throwback.

Another iconic Bond car is the Toyota 2000GT which appears in You Only Live Twice. This particular model comes with its own little anecdote: in order to accommodate Sean Connery’s tall frame, Toyota provided a custom-made model which eliminated the roof.

Fans of the Toyota group are also probably aware of its newest launch: the C-HR (Coupe High Rider) Crossover. The hybrid of coupe and crossover is a radical and forward-thinking design that looks as great as it is practical. Available from £20,000, the vehicle is comfortable in both rural and urban environments as well as providing class-leading CO2 emissions from 86g/km and fuel economy from 74.3mpg (official combined cycle figures). More information can be found here.