From the gritty 70s carnage of the French Connection to the frenetic flim clip action of Baby Driver, here are our favourite car chase flicks:

The French Connection (1971)

Not really a car film as such, but The French Connection does feature an awesome scene in which copper Gene Hackman commandeers some hapless punter’s car and proceeds to mangle it while chasing down a train. Filmed in real time and without permission from the authorities, every crash and every near miss is real.

Gone in 60 Seconds (2000)

Not a patch on the original, but it polled well thanks to the sex appeal of the film’s star – a Shelby Mustang GT500.

The Italian Job (1969)

Pommy crims punt a pack of Mini Coopers through the streets of Turin. Best bit: Still very funny. Worst bit: You’ll end up saying ‘guvner’ a lot.

Ronin (1998)

Great chase scene filmed in real time and a single take, featuring an Audi with nitrous.

Bullitt (1968)

Features one of filmdom’s most famous car chases through the streets of San Francisco between a ’68 ’Stang GT 390 and a ’68 Charger 440. It set the standard for EVERY car chase made since.

Vanishing Point (1971)

A pill-popping ex-racer named Kowalski bets he can deliver a Dodge Challenger from Denver to San Francisco in 15 hours. Freaky stuff – watch out for the naked sheila on the minibike in the desert.

The Seven Ups (1973)

A couple of Pontiacs race through the streets of NYC, pulling heaps of air in the process.

The Blues Brothers (1980)

A personal favourite of the Street Machine team. Great music, hilarious dialogue and the largest, stupidest car chase of all time. Best quote: “It’s got a 440-cubic-inch plant. It’s got cop tyres, cop shocks, cop suspension and it was made before catalytic converters, so it will run good on regular gas.”

Grand Theft Auto (1977)

It’s not often that you get to see a Rolls drifting or a VW being chased by a bus. Add in all the great crashes and you’ve got a classic movie.

Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry (1974)

The car: Dodge Charger. The hook: Awesome chase action and amazing final sequence.

Baby Driver (2017)

The first five minutes really set the scene, with Baby escaping in a Subaru WRX following a bank job, in one of the best movie chase scenes ever.

Drive (2011)

Ryan Gosling is a getaway driver, giving Drive plenty of opportunity to indulge in some thrilling CGI-free car chases.

Black Dog (1998)

When somebody mentions Patrick Swayze, there are probably a dozen films that come to mind before Black Dog. Starring alongside the one and only Meat Loaf, the late A-lister plays a trucker tasked with running weapons across state lines for a $10,000 paycheck. Though cars play second fiddle to prime mover action, there’s more than enough fun to be had – as long as you don’t look too hard for plot holes.