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June 22, 2001 – The Fast and the Furious series begins
22Jun By Automotive HistoryNo Comments
This Day

June 22, 2001 – The Fast and the Furious series begins

On this day in 2001 The Fast and the Furious debuted in theaters around the globe, launching one of the most successful film and entertainment empires to date. To date it is the tenth highest grossing film series ever, raking in $5.8 billion to date. The ninth film in the series scheduled for release in 2021, and the tenth and final film already in development. Aside from the primary films, known as The Fast Saga, there are a myriad of short films, video games, amusement park rides and other items that have been spun from the series’ web.  Above: Poster from the first movie.Top: Dom racing his 1970 Dodge Charger R/T against Brian in The Fast and the Furious. The first installment in the series follows Brian O'Conner (Paul Walker), an undercover cop, who was given the assignment ...
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June 11, 1986 – Ferris Bueller’s Day Off premiers, Ferrari steals the show
11Jun By Brian CoreyNo Comments
This Day

June 11, 1986 – Ferris Bueller’s Day Off premiers, Ferrari steals the show

The American cult classic film Ferris Bueller’s Day Off premiered on this day in 1986, featuring a 1961 Ferrari in a starring role. Written and directed by John Hughes, the comedy follows high school senior Ferris Bueller (Matthew Broderick) as he pretends to be sick to get out of going to school. He uses his time to hangout in downtown Chicago with his girlfriend Sloane Peterson (Mia Sara) and best friend Cameron Frye (Alan Ruck). The stakes of playing hooky are raised immensely when Ferris convinces Cameron to “borrow” his father’s 1961 Ferrari 250 GT California to cruise the city. The teenage joy ride ends when… well, if you haven’t seen it, this article won’t spoil it. While the film featured three replicas, tight shots of the car were of a real California, of which only 10...
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March 13, 1969 – The Love Bug debuts
13Mar By Automotive HistoryNo Comments
This Day

March 13, 1969 – The Love Bug debuts

An original Herbie from the movie. By Vmanjr - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0 The Love Bug movie made its official debut on this day in 1969. Starring a pearl white 1963 Volkswagen Beetle named Herbie, the movie follows the adventures of Jim Douglas (Dean Jones), a racing driver who can’t catch a break. When Jim finds himself in need of a new car he heads into town and is caught off guard by an attractive mechanic and sales associate, Carole Bennett (Michelle Lee), working inside a European auto showroom.  There he also meets the showroom owner, Peter Thorndyke (David Tomlinson), who is rude to Herbie. After defending the car it winds up in Jim’s driveway the next morning, seemingly without the help of anyone. To prevent Thorndyke from pressing charges against him, Jim agrees to buy it....
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October 17, 1968 – Bullitt, starring Steve McQueen and a ’68 Mustang, debuts
17Oct By Automotive History1091 Comments
Automotive, This Day

October 17, 1968 – Bullitt, starring Steve McQueen and a ’68 Mustang, debuts

The film Bullitt debuted on this day in 1968. In brief, I'll let film critic Roger Ebert explain the plot, using an excerpt from his 1968 review. "McQueen plays a San Francisco cop assigned as bodyguard to a syndicate witness. The witness gets shotgunned -- in the most brutally direct 10 seconds of film I can remember -- and McQueen becomes a political football. Robert Vaughn (better than usual) is the politician who puts the heat on, and it's up to McQueen to hide the victim's body until he can untangle the case." Alright, so what does this have to do with cars? Besides McQueen being a professional race car driver and lover of all things with wheels, the movie's highlight is a 10 minute car chase. This isn't your average Hollywood burn out. It's perhaps the best chase scene to eve...
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