The trailer for the ninth instalment in the Fast & Furious franchise has just dropped and it got me wondering what the coolest cars in the series were. While the franchise is hardly about cars anymore, they do still manage to squeeze in some hot rides. So here are some of the coolest from the franchise in no particular order.
1970 Dodge Charger R/T
Dominic Toretto’s (Vin Diesel) 1970 Dodge Charger is synonymous with the series itself. Half the time when picturing the series in your head this car is one of the first things you think of. From the first film’s drag race to Vin Diesel’s face-off with The Rock in Furious 7, the car screams power. And it has it in spades. The car has a power output of 900hp that is capable of speeding through a quarter mile drag in nine seconds. In the clip below we see the iconic drag race from the first film. What’s interesting is that on a straight, the Charger would absolutely dominate the Supra. Brian never really stood a chance.
RB-Swapped 1967 Ford Mustang
A Ford Mustang is iconic all on its own. It was already a symbol of retro cool way before the Fast & Furious franchise. But it was in the third film, Tokyo Drift, that we saw the Mustang’s engine replaced with that of a Nissan Skyline GT-R in order to drift down a mountain that cemented that reputation further. That scene is some of the best driving we see in the entire series and the stunt drivers/coordinators should be very proud.
1987 Buick GNX
This car is incredibly rare. It was the last turbo Buick and only 1000 GNX coupes were made. Toretto uses it in Fast & Furious during a heist gone wrong on an oil tanker truck. It’s a slick looking beast that fits right into Toretto’s black muscle car aesthetic. Why he would use such a rare car in such a dangerous heist is beyond me but it looks cool and I’m just glad to see it.
1965 Ford GT40
The Ford GT40 has a rich racing history. From its inception, the car was built to compete with Ferrari at the 24 Hours of Le Mans race and in 1966 it finally beat the Italians and broke their streak. In the film we only see it a tiny bit. During the train heist in Fast Five, the GT40 is one of the cars they are trying to steal, and it is Dom’s sister Mia that drives off with it. A small appearance but the car is so beautiful that you don’t forget it.
1966 Corvette Grand Sport
Only a handful of these cars remain and in Fast Five they drove it off a cliff. Thankfully, it was just a replica. The Corvette Grand Sport was built in the 60s to be homologated (approved) for international Grand Touring races. Hence, the name. It’s a stunning and unique car perfect for the series. You can see the car in action in the same clip as the GT40 above.
Koenigsegg CCX-R
This CCX-R is the ‘environmentally friendly’ version of the CCX that is powered by the exact same engine. The difference is that it uses E85 and E100 ethanol fuel. This was in 2010 so electric cars weren’t exactly what they are today but to call this car environmentally friendly would be a stretch. Only four of these cars were made and we got to see it at the very end of Fast Five when Roman Pearce (Tyrese Gibson) is seen driving it around just after buying it with all his freshly stolen cash.
1995 Mitsubishi Eclipse
One of the iconic cars from the original The Fast and the Furious. It’s the first car we see Brian (Paul Walker) use in his first illegal street race. It was enough to impress Toretto and it was certainly enough to impress audiences. For the film, they added a RoboCar Armor Eclipse body kit, Sparco racing seats, and 18-inch wheels. It hasn’t aged particularly well. The bright green colour, underbody lighting, and terrible graphics give it that sweet 2001 feel that we just don’t have any more. For better or worse.
1970 Ford Escort MK I RS1600
This car was built as a rally car and during the late 60s and mid 70s it was certainly a force to be reckoned with on the track. In the film, it takes on a bloody tank and lives to tell the tale. It’s incredibly lightweight at 907 kg so the little 1.6 litre Cosworth BDA four-cylinder engine that only put out 133 hp meant that this car was a zippy little boy that could easily outrun a tank.
The Flip Car
Because a large part of Fast & Furious 6 is set in London, director Justin Lin, thought it would be cool if the car was based on a Formula 1 car rather than a classic American car. But the design is about the only thing that resembles an F1 car. The engine isn’t even made completely from a car as the drive train comes a from a speedboat in order to give it a peculiar and unique sound. It apparently can put out 480-500 hp so it isn’t all just for show. In film, the flip car is a machine of destruction on the London streets that treats us to a real feast for the eyes as it flips cop cars sky high.
W Motors Lykan Hypersport
This car is something different from all the rest we’ve looked at so far. For starters, there are only seven of them and they are the first sportscars to be designed and produced entirely in the Middle East. It didn’t come cheap either, at US $3.4 million it was the third most expensive car in production at the time. You don’t have to look very hard to find out why. It’s the first car to have headlights with embedded jewels. 440 15cts diamonds to be precise. It has a holographic display system on the centre console and even gold stitching on the seats. The performance isn’t lacking either, with an RUF-tuned Porsche flat-six engine that delivers 720 hp that can reach 0-60 mph in 2.8 seconds. So, what did they do with it in Furious 7? They jump it from one skyscraper to another. Truly glorious.
Lamborghini Murcielago LP640
A movie heavily featuring cars would be incomplete without a Lamborghini. The engine can put out 631 hp and can go from 0-60mph in 3.4 seconds. Pretty damn quick. In The Fate of the Furious, the car manages to use that speed over ice whilst being chased by military vehicles. That scene is just as ridiculous as the car itself.
And that’s it for now. These are just some of the apparently 116 different cars that have showed up throughout the series. Let us know in the comments if we missed something that should have been on this list.