When we think of famous movie vehicles, we tend to picture the flash sports cars of the James Bond films, or high-speed car chases like those in The Italian Job or the Fast and Furious franchise. Although flash fast cars dominate many films, there’s room for other vehicles too. There are many films which use trucks as an integral part of the plot, whether they’re involved in chasing a tornado or a menacing presence stalking the roads. If you want to know more about some of these trucks and the role they play, see below for four of our favourites.
1995 Dodge Ram 2500 – Twister
This classic disaster film from 1996 actually used two different Dodge Rams during filming; a 1500 model for some driving scenes and the 2500 as a stunt vehicle. The film gave sales of the truck a boost and numbers purchased rose from 410,000 to 480,000 following the film’s release.
2007 GMC C4500 Topkick – Transformers
Much more than just a truck, in the 2007 live-action version of Transformers this C4500 Topkick transforms into the hero Autobot Ironhide. The Topkick gets its name from the military slang meaning ‘First Sargent’.
1960 281 Peterbilt – Duel
We couldn’t make a truck list without including this classic film from 1971. Duel is the feature-length directorial debut from Steven Spielberg and follows businessman David (Dennis Weaver) as he’s stalked along the highway by an old tanker truck. The truck is arguably the star of the show and Speilberg does an excellent job building tensions and focusing on the truck’s oppressive presence.
1973 and 1974 Kenworth W-900A – Smokey and the Bandit
This classic 1977 comedy starred Burt Reynolds and Jerry Reed as two bootlegger truckers attempting to drive from Atlanta to Texarkana to pick up 400 illegal cases of beer. Their truck is chased throughout the film by Sherriff Buford T. Justice AKA “Smokey”, played by Jackie Gleason and the film was successful enough to spawn two sequels. It was also the second-highest-grossing film that year, beaten only by Star Wars.
You may not be using your trucks for any of the escapades above, but it’s still important to keep your fleet in excellent condition. If you’re looking for professional truck fleet management, get in touch with the team at Transcare. We have over 25 years of experience as large fleet maintenance specialists and can offer a full range of repair and maintenance services. For more information, give us a call today or visit our website.