8 Heartstopping Hollywood Car Leaps

The Man with the Golden Gun

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AMC Hornet

This was the first computer modeled stunt in movie history and they were able to calculate and predict exactly how the vehicle would perform the stunt. The footage was captured on the first take.

Speed

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GM New Look

Most of the filming for the freeway scenes were filmed before it officially opened. The leap, though computer generated in part, still required enough of a ramp to make sure the bus made it across the 50ft gap.

More after the jump... (pun intended)

Blues Brothers

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Dodge Monaco

During the course of filming 60 police cars were purchased and each was kitted out to perform specific stunts. When The Blues Brothers was released it held the world record for most vehicles destroyed during filming.

Smokey and the Bandit

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Pontiac Trans Am

When the screenplay is written by someone better known as a stuntman, then any vehicle involved in the shoot is bound to be put through its paces. By the time filming was coming to an end, the film crew had gotten through four Pontiac Trans Ams and two Pontiac LeMans.

Hooper

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Pontiac Trans Am

Four words: Rocket Powered Trans Am. Enough said really.

Ferris Bueller's Day Off

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Ferrarri 250 GT Spyder California (almost)

To save on costs, a replica 250 GT was used for any wide shots and stunt work but the actors do such good job of putting across what it must be like to floor one of these things you'd never know it wasn't the real deal.

Gone in 60 Seconds

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1971 Ford Mustang Replica

Despite the obvious, heavy use of CGI in the 2000 remake, Nicholas Cage did do most of his own stunt work for the movie. The original version of this scene saw actor and stunt driver H.B. Halicki come away with a spinal injury.

Dukes of Hazzard

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Dodge Charger

There was no way we could do a collection of epic car leaps without mentioning General Lee of Dukes of Hazzard fame. Throughout the course of filming the series more than 300 General Lees met their demise as a result of leap stunts. The car did, however, receive on average 35,000 pieces of fan mail per month, I think I'm in the wrong career.

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