Old Cars In New Movies

Would you rent out your car for a movie?

tldr:
Hollywood's ability to recreate the past relies heavily on vintage cars, and filmmakers use various methods to source them. Private collectors lend their prized vehicles, while specialized rental companies provide fleets of period-accurate cars, maintained by restoration experts. For scenes requiring damage or extensive use, filmmakers often turn to replicas or modified modern vehicles disguised as classics. CGI fills in gaps for crowd scenes or rare models, but when the protagonist’s car is in focus, only the real thing will do—sometimes requiring multiple identical versions. Films like Green Book and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood highlight the immense effort involved, though occasionally Hollywood gets it wrong, or real cars meet a tragic end, like the Lamborghini Countach destroyed in The Wolf of Wall Street. This fascinating process showcases the lengths productions go to in bringing history to life on screen.

[trainknut]

Seeing the lineup of Crown Vics while the narration describes companies maintaining "fleets of vintage vehicles" was a direct and personal attack and I was not prepared for it sir

[yammmit]

I’m one of those people that is always looking in the background in “old” new movies and ruining the immersion for myself for some reason. I forget what I was watching a few months ago but all the cars were supposed to be like from the 90s, and I saw some lifted F-350 with its huge LED running lights in the background traffic lol

[XianZander]

The problem with old cars in new movies is that they look way too nice and too new than in real life. Paint prior to the 80s didn't last very long before it got dull. And in real life, people bought more subdued colors like light greens, blues and browns. Just compare the cars in an episode of Starsky and Hutch TV show versus the 2004 remake.

[alibit]

its really shameful that they destroy ever more rare vehicles on screen. especially when its for a mediocre movie and the scene could have easily been CGI.

[MemeBoy-zp]

Damn i didnt even realise you where a small creator, +1 sub!!

[marten]

I remember watching Bullitt (or maybe some other "car movie" from that era?) and I noticed quite a few of traffic and parked cars were from early '60s and '50s and those were some bog spec unassuming (for that era) cars. Watch any modern movie set in the '80s and earlier and all cars are shiny and from that specific year the movie is set in, which kinda breaks the immersion if you're a car nut.

[Hemingray]

I was once part of an old police car collector's page and someone was offered a deal to use their car in a movie or show. They asked if they should do it and the universal response from other members was NO. Others have had their cars rented and returned with dings, dents, scratches, and other damage. Someone put it best when they said "your car is just equipment to them and will be treated as such".

[arutezza]

seeing that caddilac weighed down with all the equipment really hurts to see
hopefully that one already had some issues and they didnt waste one in that good of condition

[ChromeConnoisseur]

All the people who were living back then are probably pointing out all the inconsistencies when they make new movies that are supposed to be set in the 70s or something

[dempa]

I can't unsee it! Thanks for another interesting video!

[NoName-ikdu]

I love old cars, but I'm not really into sports cars or anything like that (I'm tall, so I don't comfortably fit into most "cool" cars). I specifically like old sedans and wagons, so it make me very happy to learn that there are companies dedicated to maintaining older "normal" cars for the purpose of creating an era-appropriate atmosphere in movies.

I've also noticed the headrest thing. The missing headrests themselves never bothered me, but it _does_ bother me that they always leave the plastic nubs instead of hiding them under a piece of fabric.

[jorishenger]

Reminds me of the 2CV in For Your Eyes Only, they used 5 of them and one was fitted with a Citroën GS engine and gearbox to let it do a J-turn

[nrfanall]

I am always pulled out of the movie when it comes to old cars in new movies. They are always too perfect, a 15 year old car on the roads today is beat up, rusty, worn out. A 15 year old car from the year the movie is based on is always perfect, shiny like just pulled out of a showroom…
Also thx for the headrest fact now i cant unsee it

[thatguy-mp]

I really enjoy spotting old vehicles when watching movies set in an older time.

[lonestranger]

On the topic of missing headrests, there are other similar things that have bugged me since I noticed them.

Most automatic cars with column shifters are obviously in the "Park" position instead of drive. Of course they're not actually being driven by the actors, they're either being towed on a flatbed or stationary inside a studio with video of moving roads projected behind them.

Older (pre-1996) Jeep CJ and YJ Wranglers often have their windshield wipers modified, replaced or removed because the originals actually sit at about a 45-degree angle obscuring the view to the actors inside.

And of course every dirt bike/motorcross/off-road motorcycle sounds like it has a two-stroke engine even if it's a four-stroke, and every "crotch rocket" sportbike sounds like an inline four cylinder even if it's a parallel twin, V-twin, triple, or V-4.

[Karlos-]

finally a video on my favorite very specific detail in movies, I always like seeing waves of old cars moving around in period movies.

[JonnyFortino]

I'd love to see a video talking about why movies set in the modern day, always have the protagonist in a 30 to 50 year old car. Especially if they're a teenager

[v_stands_for_value]

Jay Leno's garage could easily provide for an entire movie

[_Sphaxz_]

On the topic of headrests, another one of those movie inconsistencies is when they're driving a car with a column shifter. It's quite common for interior shots through the windshield to have the shifter in park as the car is on a trailer.

[RipRoaringGarage]

I have turned down many offers for movie shoots. I have a bunch of classics, but the terms are usually terrible for NY based production companies. They don't guarantee there won't be damage, or even have a list of who will be driving them.

I also have a bus that is unique. Its Romanian, and there was a TV show that wanted it for a scene set in the USSR, and they were a no go. They didn't have a driver that could drive a stick (and finding clutches for that bus is downright impossible) and they wanted to pay me 1000 dollars for the shoot. Thats it. It would cost me more to fill up the tank.

Also, watch out if the contract says they will refuel the cars upon return. They will put the cheapest contaminated fuel, so have a locking gas cap and do not give them the key!

I guess I am a bit hostile lol, but they destroy a LOT of cars, and most of the actors, directors, and in general film people don't respect cars, might actually actively hate cars, and the few cars they like are probably some vintage Ferrari, so when they look at a classic Continental, they don't care.