Donut Media has been hard at work putting together top ten lists of car chase scenes by decade. We’ve seen the 00’s, 90s, 80s, and 70s countdowns, and we suggest that you do the same, because in addition to some of the classics like the getaway scene from Ronin, the Short Time Gran Fury crash-a-thon, and the infamous and way too real chase from The French Connection, you’ll get such treats as the Hornet jump from The Man With The Golden Gun and the Ford-infused chase from the movie Jade. But think about it…car chases as we know them really stepped into their own in the 1970s, so what would the 1960s offer besides Herbie the Love Bug? Quite a bit, it turns out. First and foremost, yes, the Bullitt chase is here, and it’d be an absolute screwup of the highest order if it wasn’t. But there are other gems to be had, including two appearances by Sean Connery’s James Bond, the iconic trio of Minis from The Italian Job, or the mental scenes from It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. If you’re an older BangShifter, you probably know most, if not all of these clips, but for anyone younger than 30, take a look at what went on before a green Mustang and a black Charger tore San Francisco a brand new one. You might find yourself pleasantly surprised, and not by the mischievous white and striped Volkswagen, either.
Interesting seeing the Bullit chase next to the other chases from the same era. Unlike many ’60s chase scenes, they’re not relying on gimmicks, not speeding up the film artificially or using other special effects, just pushing the cars to, and occasionally beyond, the limits of their performance. The result still holds up well today.