There are so many videos online of car stunts; YouTube has everything from incredible film and TV moments, all the way through to shaky phone footage of downright dangerous ‘tricks’. With this in mind, we thought we’d round up 5 of the best clips in one place for you, so sit back and enjoy.
Live Free or Die Hard
It doesn’t get much more spectacular than an exploding helicopter and Die Hard did not disappoint us in this memorable movie moment. John McClane launches a speeding car over, or should that be ‘through’, a toll booth into a helicopter and at that very moment Gabriel’s henchman, Rand, decides it’s best to make a quick exit. As you can imagine this was a complex bit of filming that took 3 weeks to perfect, involving a car being propelled into a chopper suspended on wires, two combined shots and a whole lot of CGI.
The Man with the Golden Gun
This is the film’s biggest stunt, a 270-degree corkscrew twist that was so fast, the footage had to be slowed down for the movie just so we could truly appreciate every moment. A modified AMC Hornet X performed the mid-air barrel roll, with British stunt driver Loren “Bumps” Willard at the wheel, and incredibly it only took one attempt to get the final shots! Even with detailed digital visualisations and graphics of the jump being prepared leading up to the shoot, you have to remember this was using early 1970’s technology which makes it all the more impressive.
Casino Royale
For Bond, it seems that car rolls are like buses, you wait all day for one and then 7 come along at once! That’s right, the stunt team only expected 007’s famous Aston Martin to roll once but it actually ended up breaking the Guinness World Record for the most cannon rolls in a car. Stunt double Adam Kirley performed the stunt, in place of Daniel Craig, where the car dramatically swerves on a wet road and rolls over and over and…well you get the idea. Precision 70mph driving, an air cannon and a ramp all came together to make this epic Bond movie stunt possible and have to agree the final scene looks fantastic.
Dukes of Hazzard
This isn’t just one incredible stunt, but a whole 6 seasons worth of General Lee jumps performed by a brave and talented bunch of stunt men. It’s only a shame that with almost every jump, another car was sent off to the scrap heap as, unsurprisingly, they rarely survived the landing, hence the clever cut-away shots just as each car reaches the ground. The famous 1969 Dodge Charger would spend much of the show being launched over various cars, lakes and highways; if there’s been another show that features more car stunts, we certainly can’t think of it!
Travis Pastrana
Our final clip is not actually from a movie; this time we are celebrating a real life daredevil and thrill-seeker. On January 1st 2010, as part of Red Bull’s New Years, No Limits series, Pastrana broke the ramp-to-ramp car jump world record over Rainbow Harbor in his Subaru Impreza STI rally car. Despite colliding with the barge wall after his epic 269 feet jump, Travis clearly hadn’t had quite enough excitement for one day so in celebration he proceeded to back flip into the water. This video really is well worth a watch and hearing Pastrana’s joy as he lands the jump is bound to make anyone’s day!
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