Academy Awards – Best Picture Cars
We ‘Spotlight’ past Best Picture winners that score with car lovers
If half the reason you to go to the movies is to see some great cars on the big screen, then Sunday night’s Academy Awards certainly left you empty handed.
Let’s face it, this year’s Best Picture winner didn’t exactly put the “Spotlight” on super cool cars. The good news is, the last two decades of Best Picture winners have given us plenty to talk about. We especially like these seven films that, since 1997, have claimed Hollywood’s top prize (beginning with the most recent):
Argo (2012) – The movie focuses on the true story of the CIA’s daring rescue of six U.S. diplomats during the Iran hostage crisis in the late 1970s and early ’80s, so every car on screen is considered a classic today, including (to name a few) a 1973 Volkswagen bus, 1979 Pontiac Firebird and 1966 Plymouth Satellite.
The Artist (2011) – A silent movie? In black and white? It works. The cars are spectacular too, even if the filmmakers missed the mark a few times. For example, a 1931 Lincoln Model K appears in a scene that is set in 1928, and a 1935 Cadillac shows up in 1932. Details, details.
The King’s Speech (2010) – In this story about Britain’s King George VI and his struggle to overcome a speech impediment, British automobiles also play royal roles. Among the eye-catchers: a 1934 Bentley 3.5L, 1936 Humber Pullman Mk I, 1937 Austin and 1938 Daimler New Fifteen.
No Country For Old Men (2007) – See what happens when you stumble upon a murder scene and swipe the truck and loot in it instead of calling the police? You get trouble with a capital T. Now, if the truck was a classic International Harvester, for example, then maybe … never mind. This flick is chock-full of fun cars and trucks, from a 1966 Buick Wildcat to a ’69 Chevy C-Series pickup to a ’71 Ford F-100.
Chicago (2002) – Showbiz and murder in Chicago in the 1920s. Good grief, how could there NOT be great cars in this film? Frankly, we would have loved to see more of them, but we liked what we saw. There were Model A Fords and Model T Fords and Chevy trucks and a Rolls Royce and more – if you have the patience to hit the pause button to pick them out while watching the DVD.
A Beautiful Mind (2001) – The movie begins in 1947, and as the story unfolds it’s also a fun ride through decades of automotive history. It’s jam packed with automotive eye candy like a 1942 Willys; 1949 Plymouth; 1950 Pontiac; 1951 Buick, Hudson, Cadillac and Chevy; 1953 Chrysler; 1954 Pontiac; 1955 Buick and Oldsmobile … you get the picture.
Titanic (1997) – In this story about an ill-fated ocean liner, we’re treated to several early 1900s cars, including one – a 1912 Renault 35CV – that overheats at sea without cranking the engine. If you’re wondering how that’s possible, you’ve never taken a date to a Drive-In.
Editor’s note: Special thanks to the Internet Movie Cars Database (IMCDb.org) for help identifying the cars that we couldn’t.
