Best car stunts

It’s amazing how much attention a good car stunt gets. People love watching the dangerous and the unbelievable, so it’s no wonder why the Fast and the Furious franchise has seven movies down, and even more in the hopper.

There have been innumerable car stunts and jumps that push the limits with each one so daring, trying not to be outdone. It’s not exactly the best thing for a car, or especially the tires, but dang it if we don’t love seeing stuff get smashed.

Here are five car stunts that ought to get your heart racing.

1. The Man with the Golden Gun

In the 1974 Bond movie, James Bond has to cross over a river with a bridge that is out during a typical chase scene. Well the bridge is just perfectly ramped up at an angle to allow for a full turn in the air and a smooth landing on the other side. This stunt took years to perfect and was one of the first to be planned out on a computer program. Because this jump takes place on an angle, I’m glad his tires had good grip.

2. Van Damme’s Epic Split

This stunt might be a surprise on this list, but it has a special place in my heart, mostly because of Van Damme’s remarkable dancing in Kickboxer. Pure entertainment. But the Volvo stunt, although is misleading as far as safety measures that were taken, is very real. He was secured by wires in case of a fall, but the trucks are indeed moving with absolute precision and his feet are on them as they inch wider apart. The ad does a wonderful job by showcasing the stable steering of new Volvo trucks; however, a lot has to be said about the tires being used. They clearly have a smooth, comfortable ride that completes the dynamics of the entire driving experience.

3. Furious 7 Skydiving Cars

The interesting thing about modern film making is that people both love and hate the abilities of CGI. So what’s a filmmaker to do? Well in a movie about cars and racing, drop them out of a plane, right? Admittedly, I’ve never seen the movie, but I have seen the stunt. And like a lot of car stunts, this one is as real as they come.

4. Jaguar Tightrope

In 2008, a stuntman in China referred to as the “Car King” drove his Jaguar over a river on a set of cable wires. 60 feet over the river and traveling 787 feet across, the Car King made it safely. Look, this might not be the sexiest car stunt, but it’s still impressive. The tires were underinflated to help hug the wires and maintain good traction. This is the opposite of what to do in real-life driving. But that’s the point, isn’t it? You don’t necessarily buy tires for their on-wire/above river driving capabilities.

5. Hooper

This unconventional list concludes with another bridge jump in the movie Hooper. Burt Reynolds (who is no stranger to my blog articles) is the aging stuntman passing the torch to the new hot shot. Ski is the brash, young stuntman who doesn’t know when to quit when it comes to pushing the limits. That becomes evident when the movie culminates in a scene that surpasses what anyone has ever done before. The two of them attempt a record-breaking jump in a rocket-propelled car. Not to mention, the nearly four minutes of footage is some of the most interesting meta-movie-making in some time. Please enjoy!