Chevorlet has been a major name in American car companies for over a hundred years. A history that long, and having so many immediately recognizable classic vehicle models under its belt, has contributed to a number of Chevys making it big on the silver screen. A number of hugely popular movies have featured a Chevy, sometimes in a ball of fire and sometimes in dinged up primer. These three examples of a Chevrolet stealing the spotlight in a film are some of the most popular instances of this beloved name in classic and modern cars becoming larger than life.
2 Fast 2 Furious: 1998 Chevrolet Corvette C5
A cool car in a blockbuster movie being filmed rolling and wrecking in a planned stunt gone awry, the 1998 Chevrolet Corvette C5 ragtop featured in a jaw dropping scene in 2 Fast 2 Furious that stunned car loving movie goers. Expert stunt driver Sam Maloof could have been seriously injured when the gun metal grey Corvette, which was not equipped with a roll cage, inadvertently rolled during a choreographed racing stunt for the movie. Thankfully, Maloof was able to escape becoming a movie driver casualty by quickly utilizing a grab strap on the passenger side and existing under the dashboard. Even though the makers of 2 Fast 2 Furious had no intention of rolling and wrecking the Corvette C5, footage from the nearly calamitous crash did add a realistic flare to the scene in which it was used, even if it did make fans of the inaugural ragtop Corvette convertible cringe to see the car destroyed.
Cheech and Chong’s Up in Smoke: 1964 Chevrolet Impala Low Rider
While it is true a beautifully mint condition classic car is always noteworthy, the banged up 1964 Chevrolet Impala low rider that rose to cult glory as the Love Machine in the movie Cheech and Chong’s Up in Smoke is one of Chevy’s most well-known big screen appearances. Finished in primer and rusted red paint, Cheech and Chongs “shaggin’ wagon” famously displayed a “MUF DVR” vanity plate as it cruised down the highway billowing smoke and hauling a full drum kit in the backseat. When it was first released, the 1964 Impala was the pinnacle of class and high-end vehicle luxury alongside the Bellevue and Bell air. A pristine Chevy Impala just wouldn't have felt right as the car of choice for Cheech and Chong, the beat up low rider made perfect sense as the Love Machine.
Transformers: Modern Concept Chevrolet Camaro
In all of the transformers films, General Motor cars are cast as the heroes. In the 2007 release of Michael Bay’s Transformers movie, the character of Bumblebee is embodied first by a worn down 1977 Chevrolet Camaro and then an operational concept version of the Camaro that would be released a year after the movie came out to blockbuster level attendance. The first concept Camaro model used in the film was put together in a month, using molds from the 2006 concept model and a modified Holden Monaro chassis. Its appearance in the 2007 action movie reload of Transformers is credited as helping propel sales of the 2007 mass market fifth generation Camaro release in 2008. Whether that’s true or not, there are plenty of people, young and old, who will think of Bumblebee every time they see a bright yellow Chevy Camaro.
Chevrolet has a long history filled with classic and groundbreaking American vehicles. Throughout its extensive history, Chevy cars have been featured in a wide range of movies and often steal the attention away from the living and breathing actors in the scenes in which they are used.
