Do you know what vetted movie cars go for nowadays? Between the fact that most movie cars get beat on worse than a rental Charger that had the “walk-away” insurance purchased, movie studios build fewer copies of anything that isn’t a star vehicle, and that’s if they feel the need to build a car at all. This ain’t the 1970s…car flicks are few and far between and those that do exist usually use throw-away models or might consider CGI, especially seeing how much dream sheetmetal can cost. Seriously, how many 1969 Dodge Chargers can still be left for the picking that aren’t sitting in Dulcich’s yard?

Well…a 1969 Charger it ain’t, but this 1981 Imperial got its big break in the movie biz in the climatic chase scene of Fast and Furious, better known as “Fast 4”. Since there’s a bit of a love/hate relationship between the majority of BangShift readers and that franchise, I’ll sum it up: it’s the Mexico kingpin run, the movie that features Freiburger’s “F-Bomb” 1973 Camaro, and it’s arguably the high point of the franchise before a group of SoCal street racers with a criminal edge suddenly turn into the Avengers for the automotive-minded. The final chase scene, in particular, is badass because you have one of the greatest mixes of vehicles that the F&F series has thrown together. You have the hot-rodded import in Brian O’Conner’s pre-production Subaru WRX STI hatchbacks, the violence of Toretto’s supercharged Charger, the wicked green Ford Torino of Fenix, and a motley fleet of henchmen in pursuit in just about anything you can think of, from an early 1970s Cadillac to a trophy-truck Chevrolet. The Imperial comes in during the tunnel chase, where the driver of the gray J-body bump-drafts Dom’s Dodge before somehow managing to spin out and wind up wrapped around a support beam and bashed by a few other pursuit vehicles.

I know that the movie car echoes the old Raven Imperial. There was a bit of inspiration, as I’ve always thought that from the front they looked evil and that with a height adjustment and some power, they’d be killer. But if this is a legit movie car, as the seller claims, would you mess with it? The answer better be a resounding “HELL YES.” I know that a Gen III Hemi swap sounds sweet, but trust me, I’ve seen the attempts, it’s a major pain in the ass. I’d build a Magnum 360 into something psychotic, ditch the stock steel wheels for something equally sinister, and for the love of all that is holy, make that hoodscoop disappear. But that might not be a good idea…that scoop is movie canon, and think about the money you’d make in 20 years time at an auction!

Facebook Marketplace link: 1981 Imperial (claimed to be Fast and Furious movie car)