There is something rather brilliant about a car that has already achieved celebrity status before you have even climbed into it. You can buy a perfectly sensible hatchback, drive it to work and nobody will bat an eyelid. Or, if you have slightly better taste in life's unnecessary pleasures, you can get behind the wheel of a car made famous by James Bond, Fast and Furious, Transformers or Steve McQueen and pretend, for a few glorious miles, that you have somehow wandered onto a film set.
That is precisely what makes Famous Movie Cars Driving Experiences such an appealing choice. These are not simply cars that happen to look the part. They are vehicles associated with some of the most recognisable films and characters ever put on screen, giving you the opportunity to experience them from the driver's seat rather than merely watching somebody else have all the fun.
And there is a surprisingly good variety to choose from. You can go down the full action film route with a selection of Fast and Furious cars, channel your inner secret agent in an Aston Martin, take control of the bus from The Italian Job, or climb into the rather enormous shoes of Bumblebee. Then there is the Ford Mustang from Bullitt, which looks as though it has just driven straight out of 1968 and is still waiting for Steve McQueen to tell you where to go.
So, if you have ever watched a car chase and thought, "I rather fancy having a go at that", here are some of the movie car driving experiences worth knowing about.
Fast and Furious: Go Big Or Go Home
The Fast and Furious films have never exactly been known for doing things by halves. There are fast cars, enormous engines, improbable manoeuvres and enough tyre smoke to make a local fire brigade nervous. So it seems rather appropriate to start with an experience that gives you three cars from the franchise rather than making you choose just one.
The Triple Fast and Furious Drive with High Speed Passenger Ride gives you the chance to drive three recognisable cars associated with the franchise, with up to 3 miles behind the wheel of each one. The selection includes the Nissan Skyline GTR R34, Chevrolet Camaro SS, Toyota Supra 2JZ, Dodge 'Dom's' Charger R/T, Ford Escort RS MK1 and Mitsubishi Eclipse.
You begin with a safety briefing before getting into your first car, followed by up to 3 miles in each of your three chosen cars. Once you have finished pretending that you are about to race across Los Angeles while being chased by half the American police force, there is a high-speed passenger ride to finish things off.
There is also the option to pre-pay for double the driving distance, should three cars and 9 miles not quite satisfy your need for cinematic nonsense. The experience is available at multiple UK locations, giving you a decent choice when it comes to finding a venue.
Bond: Aston Martin Has Entered The Chat
If Fast and Furious is all about noise, speed and the occasional disregard for the laws of physics, James Bond takes a slightly more polished approach. The cars are still fast, but they also have that rather useful ability to look effortlessly cool while doing it.
The Triple Aston Martin Drive with High Speed Passenger Ride brings together three very different examples of the marque. You get the chance to drive a recreation of the Aston Martin DB5, a 1975 Aston Martin Vantage and a modern Aston Martin V8 Vantage.
You get up to 9 miles of driving in total, with 3 miles in each car and an expert instructor alongside you. Once you have finished your three Aston Martins, the experience ends with an instructor-driven high-speed passenger ride.
In other words, you get to experience the cars yourself before handing control over to someone who knows exactly what they are doing. Probably a good idea, because Bond never seems to have much trouble making a corner look considerably more dramatic than it needs to be.
The Italian Job: Forget The Minis, Drive The Bus
There are few film vehicles quite as wonderfully daft as the bus from The Italian Job. Most people remember the Minis, the traffic chaos and the famous cliffhanger, but there is something particularly entertaining about actually getting behind the wheel of the enormous bus involved in it all.
The Italian Job Bus Experience puts you in control of a Harrington Legionnaire coach, the same type of bus featured in the famous 1969 film starring Sir Michael Caine. Only 59 of these buses were ever built, making this a rather unusual opportunity before you even start driving.
After arriving and receiving a safety briefing from your instructor, you will get behind the wheel for a 20 minute drive in this wonderfully old-school piece of cinematic machinery. There is also an option to double the driving time to 40 minutes if you decide that ordinary cars have become a little too predictable.
It is obviously not going to corner like a modern supercar. Nor should it. The point is that you are driving a piece of film history that has considerably more presence than your average car. You also get to say you drove the Italian Job bus, which is considerably more interesting than saying you spent Saturday afternoon washing the Fiesta.
Transformers: Meet Bumblebee
Some movie cars are subtle. The Aston Martin is elegant, the Mustang is muscular and the Italian Job bus is, well, a bus. Then there is Bumblebee, which takes the slightly less understated approach of turning up in yellow and black and making sure nobody has any doubt about what you are driving.
The Chevrolet 'Bumblebee' Camaro ZL1 gives Transformers fans the chance to take the iconic Camaro onto the track for 3 miles. The experience is available at various venues around the UK, with the car presented as the yellow and black Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 made famous in the films.
After arrival, sign on and a safety briefing, it is time to get behind the wheel and drive Bumblebee for the allocated distance. There is also a double distance upgrade available if 3 miles sounds rather brief once you are sitting in a Camaro and wondering why anyone ever decided that sensible cars were a good idea.
This is perhaps one of the more instantly recognisable choices on the list. Even if somebody has never seen Transformers, there is a good chance they will recognise the yellow Camaro when it rolls past. That makes it particularly appealing if you want the car itself to be the star of the experience.
Bullitt: The Mustang With Serious Attitude
Then we have the Ford Mustang from Bullitt, which occupies a slightly different corner of the movie car world. There are no robots, secret agents or gangs of people racing through city streets. Instead, you get a beautifully menacing piece of American muscle that became iconic thanks to Steve McQueen.
The Ford 'Bullitt' Mustang Thrill - 12 Laps experience features a Ford Mustang Fastback inspired by the car made famous in the film. The vehicle is finished in Highland Green and has been modified for driving experiences, with 17 inch slicks and a V8 engine equipped with racing cams and an Edelbrock carburettor.
Before you take control, there is a safety briefing followed by 3 sighting laps to familiarise yourself with the circuit. There is then a high-speed passenger lap with an instructor before you get your own turn behind the wheel.
The driving element gives you 10 laps in the Mustang, allowing plenty of time to settle into the car and enjoy what that V8 is doing. The experience is listed as 12 laps overall because the itinerary includes the sighting and passenger laps alongside your driving laps. The Mustang is also left-hand drive and automatic, so it is worth knowing that before you arrive.
This one should appeal particularly strongly to anyone who prefers their movie cars with a little more muscle and a lot less subtlety. It looks the part standing still, but once that V8 starts making itself heard, you quickly understand why the Mustang has such a reputation.
Lights, Camera, Driving
The best thing about movie car driving experiences is that they do not rely entirely on nostalgia. Yes, there is something rather satisfying about seeing a car you recognise from a favourite film sitting in front of you. But the real appeal starts when you climb into it, fire it up and actually drive.
That is what separates these experiences from simply visiting a motor museum or looking at a film car behind a barrier. You get the noise, the movement and the sensation of being in control. You still have an instructor alongside you and a safety briefing before heading out, so this is not quite the same thing as being handed the keys and told to recreate a Hollywood car chase on the nearest public road. Thankfully.
Whether you fancy the sheer variety of Fast and Furious, the sophistication of Aston Martin, the wonderfully eccentric Italian Job bus, the unmistakable Bumblebee Camaro or the V8 muscle of the Bullitt Mustang, there is a movie car here with plenty of personality. The only difficult part is deciding which cinematic machine deserves your first outing.
And perhaps that is the real appeal. You are not simply booking a few laps in an interesting car. You are choosing a small piece of cinema history and getting the chance to experience it from the driver's seat. The cameras may not be rolling, the soundtrack may be missing and nobody is going to hand you an Oscar when you finish, but for a few miles, you can at least enjoy the feeling that you are starring in your own rather petrol-heavy blockbuster.
