Top 10 cool cars in music videos

[NeophobiA 1,503]

Ever since the music video took off in the 1980s many of them have featured cars in starring roles. Here’s our pick of some of the coolest.

 

Jamiroquai - White Knuckle Ride

http://youtu.be/k_bQ0h85gY8

Jamiroquai front man Jay Kay is a noted petrolhead so it’s no surprise that cars often play a part in the band’s videos. The chase between an iconic Porsche 911 Carrera and a helicopter in ‘White Knuckle Ride’ is our favourite but the video for ‘Cosmic Girl’ with its trio of Italian supercars is worth a peek too.

 

Coldplay - The Scientist

http://youtu.be/RB-RcX5DS5A

Yes, it’s the one where Chris Martin relives a crash backwards. The car is a late ’80s BMW 5 Series – an E28 for Beemer fans. Watch closely and you’ll see the filming used more than one; the car seen rolling over has plastic wheel trims, not the alloys shown elsewhere.

 

The Human League - Don’t You Want Me

http://youtu.be/uPudE8nDog0

When this clip was made in the early ’80s the cars featured here -- the Rover SD1 and Saab 99 Turbo -- would have been everyday models. But more than 30 years on these models are at the cutting edge of classic cool. Which is more than you can say about the hairstyles.

 

Gorillaz - Stylo

http://youtu.be/nhPaWIeULKk

Being a cartoon band didn’t stop Gorillaz featuring real cars in this video. It echoes Mad Max in its chase between a 1969 Chevrolet Camaro and a 1968 El Camino – driven by a real Bruce Willis. It’s a bunch of car chase clichés set to music but great fun.

 

White Zombie - Black Sunshine

http://youtu.be/sqPClltS5k8

This black and white video has the look of a low-budget horror movie and the song wasn’t a big hit. However, it’s memorable for two things; a guest appearance by Iggy Pop and the star of the show, an achingly cool 1965 Ford Mustang convertible.

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Whitesnake - Here I Go Again

http://youtu.be/WyF8RHM1OCg

With masses of big hair and a big guitar sound, this video almost defines 1980s power pop. It also features a pair of Jaguar XJ sedans being put to a novel use as gymnastic apparatus.

 

Robert Tepper - No Easy Way Out

http://youtu.be/R7PGVylziWs

Better known as the Rocky IV theme, you’d be forgiven for thinking the star is Stallone. In fact it’s the Lamborghini Jalpa, hinted at in the opening frames and revealed in its full glory blasting through a tunnel towards the end.

 

George Harrison - Faster

http://youtu.be/C1AIIM1dp2M

The ex-Beatle is seen here playing guitar in the back of a Daimler driven by Jackie Stewart, but what makes the video really cool is that it contains original ’70s F1 footage. It’s packed with superb and crazy machinery like the six-wheeled Tyrrell and the Brabham fan car, plus a stellar line-up of motor racing faces.

 

Vampire Weekend - Diane Young

http://youtu.be/mX46e4GtlXM

A moment’s silence please for the death of a Saab 900. The band came in for criticism from the classic car world for burning the car in the video for their 2013 song, though it undoubtedly makes for a strong image.
 

Audioslave – Show Me How To Live

http://youtu.be/vVXIK1xCRpY

In a tribute to the great chase move 'Vanishing Point', this video stars a 1970 Dodge Challenger driven by singer Chris Cornell. Footage of the band hot-footing it down the highway is interspersed with actual footage from the original movie. Two Challengers were used during the filming, one of which was given away in a contest conducted by the band.

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Tears for Fears – Everybody Wants to Rule the World

http://youtu.be/aGCdLKXNF3w

The promotional film clip for 'Everybody Wants to Rule the World' was paramount in helping the UK duo break into the US charts. Tears For Fears' cause was helped 3000-fold with an Americana-themed video featuring Curt Smith driving an antique Austin-Healey 3000 sports car around various southern California locales. Nothing screams out of context more than a pasty-skinned English pop star in a classy British sportscar getting lost in Middle America. Somehow it just works.