When did you last see a great car chase on the silver screen? I’m not a fan of the Fast & Furious series, so I will go with 2017’s Baby Driver. But I’m also obsessed with classic muscle cars, so my all-time favorite chases are those from Bullitt (1968), Vanishing Point (1971), and Gone in 60 Seconds (1974).
Yes, modern films include spectacular stunts as well, but there’s something special about 1960s and 1970s American cars being thrown around. Especially if the chase includes some contact and a few police cars. I could say they don’t make them as they used to, but it’s just a matter of preference at the end of the day.
However, I’m not here to complain about the lack of action-packed car movies. I just feel the need to watch the aforementioned classics again, thanks to a cool short film put together by the folks over at “Dead Dodge Garage.” The channel’s content is usually about rescuing and restoring old Mopars but one of their recent videos is about a pristine 1968 Dodge Charger being chased by a 1973 Dodge police car.
It’s more of a low-speed, low-budge version of iconic car chases we all adore, but hey, it involves a superb vehicle from the golden muscle car era. And more importantly, it happens off the road. No, it doesn’t include rock climbing and mud, but there’s much sliding on the grass trails surrounding our host’s repair shop. There’s no crashing either, but it’s unexpectedly fun to see old cars tackle bumpy surfaces at reasonably high speeds.
Bullitt-style entertainment aside, you’ll also see a really cool second-generation Charger. Not only is it a 1968 version, arguably the hottest-looking iteration of the muscle car, but it’s also finished in a spectacular and rare combo: bright red with a white vinyl top. Moreover, it also sports a white interior, which makes it a hard-to-spot Mopar. It’s not a very desirable HEMI, and I’m pretty sure the mill under the hood is not original, but hey, it looks fantastic, and it sounds just as good when the pedal hits the metal.
As for the police car, it’s a run-of-the-mill 1973 Dodge Polara Pursuit. I can’t confirm whether it’s an authentic cop car or just a regular Polara with lights on the roof, but the clean white livery suggests it might be the latter. Unless, of course, the owner opted to have the car refinished.
Either way, the five-minute video is packed with entertaining footage that reminds me of classic car chase films. It also reminds me that we definitely need a modern remake of Bullitt and maybe even Vanishing Point. Hit the play button below to get your daily dose of Mopar goodness.