Not the Fruit Cart! Best Movie Car Chases (Part 3)
There are hundreds, if not thousands, of car chases that have graced the big-screen over the years and here at Smartway we love them! Watching two (or more) cars go head-to-head in a high-speed battle is one of those things that gets your heart racing and leaves you feeling on cloud nine afterwards.
So far in our list, we’ve whittled down our favourites to include pulse-racing scenes from Drive, the Bourne Supermacy and Ronin. This final installment will look back over some of the ones we remember the best, and maybe for some less orthodox reasons!
The Bourne Identity (2002)
There’s something so incredibly cool about watching a high-speed car chase when it involves a vehicle that us everyday people can afford. We already gave the Bourne Supremacy a place on our list, but we’d also like to offer Matt Damon’s character a prize for his ability to manoeuvre a Mini through the streets (and steps) of Paris.
We definitely think we’d be feeling extremely travel sick afterwards, so kudos for keeping it together Matt! It’s just a shame you were in France so we couldn’t carry out some car dent repairs in London for you.
The Blues Brothers (1980)
Ok, so we admit this isn’t what you typically think of when it comes to making a great car chase, but it’s certainly memorable! This duo unleashes carnage on a Chicago shopping mall by totally ignoring the fact that they’re crashing into everything and leaving destruction in their wake. It leaves us in hysterics.
Quantum of Solace
No car chase line-up would be complete without at least one James Bond movie making the grade and we think this one from the Quantum of Solace is pretty spectacular. There’s danger, speed and the anticipation of a crash, what more could you want?
Oh, and Bond is also driving an Astin Martin through the Italian mountainside, so it’s pretty much the coolest thing to have ever happened.
If you’ve ended up with a few bumps and bruises on your car from fleeing trained assassins or similar, then have no fear for Smartway is here! We specialise in car dent repairs in London, so as long as you’re not participating in a car chase on an exotic island, we can help you make your vehicle look as good as new.
For more information about our services, please don’t hesitate to contact us by calling 07732 542 500 and one of our expert team will be happy to help!
Not the Fruit Cart! Best Movie Car Chase (Part 2)
Get those engines ready, check the rear-view mirror for the person who’s going to be chasing you, and be sure to spot the nearest fruit cart to knock over or destroy. Yes, it’s that time again, where we look at some of the greatest car chases in cinema history. In part one, we looked at some classic scenes: Ryan Gosling narrowly but brilliantly escaped the law; Steve McQueen flying through the streets of San Francisco to escape some assassins; and Robert De Niro chased down an IRA packed car, destroying the streets of Paris in the pursuit.
With that kind of excitement, it’s going to be hard to find scenes that top them. Well, we may not be able to top them, but we do have some scenes here that are just as equally thrilling!
The Driver (1978)
We briefly mentioned this film in part one – this is the film that inspired the 2011 Ryan Gosling film. However, instead of a young, stunt driver who moonlights as a getaway driver, we have a fully fledged thief, driving away more thieves. Such a difference! But, it’s worth mentioning because the opening chase is just as good, if not better than its 2011 counter-part.
The Bourne Supremacy (2004)
The one darkening fact about car chase sequences in films today is that most of them are driven by special effects. Films such as: Quantum of Solace, The Dark Knight, to name just a couple, are a little messy. The cutting is very quick and choppy, so it makes it hard to tell what’s going on. However, one person in Hollywood is keeping the fire for real car chases burning and his name is Paul Greengrass. This is incredibly clear in his 2004 film, The Bourne Supremacy in which we follow an incredible chase through the streets of Moscow.
The Raid 2: Berandal (2014)
Aside from Greengrass, there aren’t many directors in the west keeping car chases alive. Instead then, let us look to the east where Gareth Evans directs one of the most thrilling chase scenes we’ve seen in years! What stands out about this one in particular is the fact that while the chase goes on, there is a simultaneous close-quarters Silat fight going on, in one of the said chased cars.
There’s still plenty more car chases that haven’t made our lists yet so be sure to check back for any future entries in this series!
Have you been in your own car chase lately? Maybe your car has taken a couple of scratches while you fled from the police or from trained assassins? Maybe your bonnet just took a scratch? Not to worry, we specialise in all car body repairs in Wimbledon. For more information, contact us on 07732 542500 and speak to one of our team members today!
Not the Fruit Cart! Best Movie Car Chases (Part 1)
As you can probably tell by now, we here at Smartway are mad about cars, so it’s only logical that we get giddier than a schoolgirl when we see two powerful machines going head to head on the big screen. Yes, the car chase is by far our favourite part of any movie; the action, the destruction, the cars- when you combine all three, we’re in heaven! The only downside to these car chases is that there’s so many that it can be hard to note which ones stand out from the rest, the true greats! Well, to help out with this, we’d thought we’d list a few of our favourites off here. Read more
What Hollywood Can Teach us about Self-Driving Cars
Last week, documents attained by the Guardian showed Apple’s driverless cars were further along in their creation than suspected. Dubbed ‘Project Titan’, it has been surrounded by a cloud of secrecy up until now, being little more than hearsay and rumour.
Since we’re specialists in mobile car body repairs in London, we’re interested in all things motor-related. But we have to say, we’re a little sceptical about what self-driving cars have to offer us in the future. We’ve turned to Hollywood (where all the best facts are found) to determine what the future holds. After all, TV and movies are always right, aren’t they?
Read more
Future Classics That You Should Invest in Now (part 1)
Classic car prices have been skyrocketing lately and cars that were previously worth relatively little are now gaining value quickly. Cars such as the Jaguar E-Type, Ferrari F355 and even the MG BGT have all increased in value in the last decade. It’s not just sports cars though and classics such as the Ford Sierra Cosworth and the Volkswagen Golf mark 2 have increased in popularity and thus in value as well.
This is great news for those that own these cars as they will likely have made a tidy profit, but how can people get in on this classic car renaissance? Well we’ve picked out 3 of the cars that we think will become classics in the next decade.
Ford Focus RS (mark 1)
Arriving to the market with a hugely powerful 2 litre turbo engine and pin sharp steering and handling is always a good start if a car wants to become a classic. Strangely though the original Focus RS wasn’t all that popular when first released as it was a little too raucous to be considered an option for those that required a practical car.
Now though the value of this car is beginning to rise and a clean example will set you back around £10,000. We suspect that this value will continue to climb and in a few years these classics will demand up to £15,000 so now is the time to invest. If you are prepared to invest in a fixer then there are options as low as £5,000 that need a little TLC.
Volkswagen Corrado
The Corrado was another relative sales flop which has since become something of an icon to car lovers. It’s chunky coupe styling and excellent driving dynamics were largely overlooked when first released in the early 90’s as the market really belonged to hatchbacks and saloons. Now though the Corrado seems to look better than ever, rather than look old, it’s clean design and powerful presence give it real curb appeal.
Values are currently pretty varied as the car is very rare but you can pick them up for as little as £1,000… but don’t. We suspect that the values of the flagship VR6 and G60 models will begin to rise in the near future so spend a little more and get yourself one of these.
Mitsubishi Evolution
Mitsubishi recently announced that they would not be selling the Lancer Evolution models in the UK and for those with a need for speed, this is sad news indeed. Despite being a 4 door saloon, the car affectionately known as the ‘evo’ is actually an all wheel drive monster that was developed in the world of rallying. There are 10 generations to choose from and they all provide you with an extremely fast car that is capable of chasing the horizon with a vigour that appears to bend the laws of physics.
Dependant on which model you choose to invest in values range from around £2,000 to as much as £50,000 for the latest 440bhp special. Special editions such as the Tommi Makinen edition are the best place to invest though as they are both extremely rare and (for the moment at least) quite low priced. These editions are becoming more popular with collectors so now is the time to invest.
Well that’s part 1 done and dusted but don’t worry if you don’t like any of these options as we will be back soon with part 2 which may contain a future classic that tickles your fancy a little more. If you’ve already invested in a classic car who’s body is in need of a little repair, don’t worry as we’re experts in car body repairs in Wimbledon and we can’t wait to help you out. Simply contact us today and our friendly team will be happy to get your pride and joy back to showroom condition.
