Cinema’s Most Death-Defying Car Stunts
In Hollywood, driving scenes are often choreographed chaos, but sometimes the danger is all too real. Before CGI safety nets and green screens, filmmakers relied on guts, timing, and pure reflex. These 20 scenes are the ones that truly put stunt drivers (and occasionally actors) on the edge of disaster.
Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) — Ten-Ton Truck Collision
George Miller’s post-apocalyptic masterpiece pushed real metal to its limits. One of its most daring stunts involved a 10-ton War Rig smashing head-on into another semi at 60 mph. Stunt coordinator Guy Norris rode inside a custom steel 'driving pod' mounted on rails that separated from the wreck at impact. The truck-on-truck hit produced G-forces approaching 8 g, a move so violent Norris swore it would be his last behind the wheel.
Warner Bros., Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
Gone In 60 Seconds (1974) — The 40-Minute Destruction Chase
HB Halicki wrote, directed, and drove in this guerrilla-style film whose climactic 40-minute chase wrecked 93 cars. There was no CGI, no permits, and barely a stunt crew. During filming, a telegraph pole snapped and fatally struck a driver, yet Halicki kept shooting. Every crash, flip, and near-miss was real, with insurance premiums that skyrocketed the moment insurers saw early footage.
H.B. Halicki Far West Films, Gone in 60 Seconds (1974)
Bullitt (1968) — San Francisco Hills Of Peril
Steve McQueen’s 1968 Mustang GT 390 and a Dodge Charger R/T danced across San Francisco’s roller-coaster streets at up to 110 mph. McQueen did much of his own driving, while stuntman Bud Ekins handled the hardest hits. The city’s steep grades made braking tricky; one missed downshift could have sent the car airborne into traffic. The chase’s realism defined every car movie that followed.
Warner Bros. Pictures, Bullitt (1968)
The French Connection (1971) — Under-the-Train Mayhem
Gene Hackman’s Popeye Doyle tears through Brooklyn chasing a runaway subway. Director William Friedkin shot guerrilla-style with minimal permits, using live city traffic. Camera rigs were hidden in the car’s grille; a stunt driver (Bill Hickman) threaded real pedestrians and nearly hit a civilian at 90 mph. Friedkin later admitted he had no clearance to block streets: “We just went for it”. The footage remains terrifyingly authentic.
20th Century Fox, The French Connection (1971)
The Driver (1978) — Precision In Downtown LA
Walter Hill’s minimalist noir demanded stunt perfection. Hickman (again) performed complex slides and reversals through narrow Los Angeles alleys. Hill insisted on long takes, so every 180-degree spin and drift had to hit within inches of camera lenses. One missed cue could total both car and crew. The Driver inspired countless later chase directors, including Nicolas Winding Refn.
20th Century Fox, The Driver (1978)
Duel (1971) — Semi-Truck Psychosis
Spielberg’s first feature had a semi-truck terrorizing a motorist across desert highways. The production used multiple 18-wheelers, each rigged for different angles. In the climactic cliff crash, the driver bailed out just seconds before the truck went over. Spielberg kept real distance markers visible because if the timing had slipped, the semi could have crushed the camera crew.
Universal Pictures, Duel (1971)
Death Proof (2007) — Hood-Ride Terror
Tarantino’s grindhouse homage featured stuntwoman Zoë Bell literally strapped to the hood of a Dodge Challenger at over 70 mph. There were no CGI doubles, Bell performed every take herself. Multiple cars were pre-rigged with hidden safety harnesses and extra roll cages, yet any swerve could have flung her into asphalt.
Dimension Films, Death Proof (2007)
Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018) — Paris Rooftops And Chases
Tom Cruise did most of his own riding and driving through Paris. A BMW M5 was fitted with in-car camera rigs; Cruise rehearsed precision slides only in a vacant airfield before entering the live city grid. Tight European lanes left inches between mirrors and stonework, and the Paris police granted mere two-minute street closures per take.
Paramount Pictures, Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018)
Fast & Furious 6 (2013) — Bridge And Tank Sequence
The crew staged a tank battle on a Spanish highway. Real tanks were used on elevated bridges at speeds above 40 mph, nearly borderline uncontrollable. Cars were launched off portable ramps so they could collide mid-air without destroying the camera rigs. Even with hydraulic launches, drivers had less than half a second to pull parachute brakes.
Universal Pictures, Fast & Furious 6 (2013)
Spectre (2015) — Aston Martin vs Jaguar In Rome
Bond’s DB10 and Jaguar C-X75 raced through Rome’s narrow cobbled streets. The slick stones and tight turns meant even professional racers spun out. The production destroyed seven prototype Aston Martins, and a stunt driver broke a rib when one lost traction near the Vatican walls.
Sony Pictures Releasing, Spectre (2015)
Ronin (1998) — Paris Pursuit Peril
Director John Frankenheimer demanded real speed: stunt drivers hit 100 mph through active Paris streets. Robert De Niro rode in some interior shots; his reactions are genuine as cars clipped mirrors and scraped walls. Frankenheimer hired Formula 1 drivers for authenticity, no studio backlot could replicate the risk.
Warner Bros. Pictures, Ronin (1998)
The Blues Brothers (1980) — Mall Mayhem
Over 100 cars were wrecked for comedy’s sake. The crew built false storefronts inside a mall so cars could smash through 'glass' repeatedly. Even with controlled pyrotechnics, flying debris injured two stuntmen. The sheer number of vehicles made coordinating trajectories a nightmare and each take risked pile-ups beyond the frame.
Universal Pictures, The Blues Brothers (1980)
The Matrix Reloaded (2003) — Freeway Built From Scratch
Warner Bros constructed a 1.5-mile freeway on an abandoned naval base. Real cars, real speeds, and live actors. The production rehearsed every lane change; still, a mis-timed explosion set a car ablaze mid-take. Stunt teams extinguished it in seconds. The sequence cost $30 million and remains one of the safest-looking yet most dangerous to execute.
Warner Bros. Pictures, The Matrix Reloaded (2003)
Speed (1994) — Bus Leap Over Freeway Gap
The iconic bus jump was real: a 40-mph launch over a 50-foot gap using concealed ramps. The front end pitched higher than planned, nearly crushing the driver upon landing. The stunt succeeded by inches, and producers reused the shot across global trailers.
20th Century Fox, Speed (1994)
Terminator 2 (1991) — Semi vs Motorcycle
Stunt coordinator Gary Davis orchestrated a live-traffic pursuit involving a semi-truck and a Harley Fat Boy in the LA. river basin. Arnold Schwarzenegger insisted on riding in wide shots. Hydraulic dampers were added under the bike to absorb impact if he landed wrong—a few times, he did.
TriStar Pictures, Terminator 2 (1991)
The Fate Of The Furious (2017) — Urban Wrecking Ball Chase
Real cars were tethered to cranes for the 'wrecking-ball' sequence. Coordinators synchronized pendulum swings to avoid catastrophic timing errors. One practice swing clipped a set light, proving just how little room for error the stunt afforded.
Universal Pictures, The Fate of the Furious (2017)
Hobbs & Shaw (2019) — Samoan Chain Pull Sequence
The final chase of vehicles chained together to pull down a helicopter used physical rigs, not CGI alone. The stunt demanded exact acceleration so the chains stayed taut but didn’t snap. A prototype chain link failed during rehearsal, ripping off part of a truck’s rear panel.
Universal Pictures, Hobbs & Shaw (2019)
Furious 7 (2015) — Skyscraper Car Jump
The famous Lykan HyperSport jump between Abu Dhabi skyscrapers used a rigged warehouse replica for the jump, but the car truly launched between platforms. Two stunt drivers rehearsed at half speed before the full launch. The car cleared the gap with less than three feet of spare distance.
Universal Pictures, Furious 7 (2015)
Fast & Furious (2009) — Tunnel Heist
The desert tunnel race involved confined lanes, low ceilings, and pyrotechnic detonations. Drivers had to navigate tight curves in darkness, guided only by LED markers. A camera car hit a wall during early tests, emphasizing how unforgiving the stunt was.
Universal Pictures, Fast & Furious (2009)
Casino Royale (2006) — Aston Martin Flip Record
Bond’s DBS crash set a Guinness World Record: seven complete barrel rolls. The car was fitted with an air cannon under its chassis to force the roll, but the first blast nearly overshot safety barriers. Stunt driver Adam Kirley emerged shaken but unhurt.
Sony Pictures Releasing, Casino Royale (2006)
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