The 14 Best Car Chases In Movies And Real Life

There’s not much in this world that is cooler than two cars engaged in hot pursuit, weaving around obstacles and traffic, putting rubber to the road in the most hard-core way possible. Car chases are mainstay both in action movies and reality, and there’s no better way to get your adrenaline pumping than watching a skillful driver run circles around his pursuer.

Check out this list that takes a look at some of the most iconic and interesting car chases from both fiction and reality. Buckle up– you’re in for a wild ride.

Movie: Vanishing Point (1971)

'Vanishing Point' is basically one big car chase, and what a glorious chase it is. Barry Newman as the main character, Kowalski, burns rubber for pretty much 100 minutes straight. When it comes to car chases, it doesn’t get much better than this '70s cult classic.

Real Life: San Diego Tank Rampage

In 1995, a mentally ill veteran named Shawn Timothy Nelson broke into a military installation and stole a tank. He proceeded to drive it through San Diego, crushing cars, light posts, fire hydrants, and buildings alike. The police pursued him across the city in their cars, but had to climb the tank on foot to remove him and stop the mayhem. This one would have made a great movie.

Real Life: The Killdozer

In 2004, a disgruntled auto repair shop owner named Marvin Heemeyer outfitted a bulldozer with steel plating, mounted guns, and an internal command center. He wreaked chaos on the town of Granby, Colorado, demolishing businesses and buildings that he felt had wronged him. Though it’s not technically a car, this armored behemoth which was dubbed the ‘Killdozer’ certainly went down in infamy.

Movie: The Driver (1978)

Walter Hill’s minimalist thriller features a masterful getaway driver thwarting the LAPD at every turn. It’s a movie that’s about car chases, plain and simple– none of the characters in the movie even have names. 'The Driver' doesn’t just outrun the police; he outsmarts them at every turn.

Real Life: 12-Year-Old Doing 120

In 1993, a 12-year-old boy led police on a high-speed chase on the highway in Smithfield, North Carolina. Police footage from the dashboard camera overhears the cops saying that the kid must be doing at least 120 miles an hour! He also catches some air while driving over railroad tracks. Miraculously, the boy survived with minor injuries.

Movie: Death Proof (2007)

One of Quentin Tarantino’s lesser-known movies, 'Death Proof' is a bona fide masterpiece for fans of automotive mayhem. Kurt Russell plays the serial killer Stuntman Mike, who drives a Chevy Nova that’s completely ‘death proof’ – as long as you’re in the driver’s seat. Daring stunts and shocking violence make this movie a car chase classic.

Movie: To Live and Die in LA (1985)

William Friedkin inverted the usual car chase formula in this one, having the criminals chase the good guys after a sting operation gone wrong. Friedkin shot this car chase at the end of filming, just in case the actors became grievously injured. That should tell you how awesome a chase sequence this is.

Real Life: A Cinematic Situation

In an event that really happened but feels more like the premise for a direct-to-video thriller, a junkie hijacked a city bus in San Diego in 1997 and took everybody hostage. Over the two-hour chase, the bus covered 70 miles, as the erratic man held a knife to the throat of the driver. The bus eventually ran over a spike strip and came to a halt, and the police were able to apprehend the hijacker. Nobody was hurt.

Movie: Duel (1971)

Before Steven Spielberg made 'Jaws' or 'E.T.', he made 'Duel'. His feature-length debut, this pulse-pounding thriller follows Dennis Weaver as a salesman being chased by a trucker determined to run him off the road. The suspense is palpable, and despite its low budget, this is a car chase classic.

Movie: The French Connection (1971)

When you hear the phrase car chase, your mind immediately jumps to Friedkin’s crime masterpiece 'The French Connection'. The late great Gene Hackman drives like a madman through New York City in the iconic chase sequence, which was shot without permits and included real crashes with people minding their own business. It doesn’t get much better than this.

Real Life: Dump Truck Theft

In 2010, a 17-year-old boy stole a dump truck in the town of Stow, Ohio, and terrorized the neighborhood with what could only be described as mischief. He purposely ran into garbage cans, cars, mailboxes, and the like. The authorities eventually decided to let the joyrider tire himself out. They waited him out, he crashed the dump truck, and they arrested him. Kind of anticlimactic in a fun, Midwestern way.

Movie: Bullitt (1968)

Steve McQueen stars as a detective in 'Bullitt', an iconic thriller set in San Francisco. McQueen did most of his own stunts behind the wheel during the car chase sequence, which is one of the most famous car chases in a movie, and for good reason. Movies nowadays still can’t hold a candle to this.