10 Real-Life Getaway Cars

Image via Complex Original

Made Famous By: Countless Brits
Practical Application: Every British thief who was anybody in the 1960s used this as a getaway car.

Due to its frequent appearances in newspapers as the de rigeur getaway vehicle of the time, the Jag Mk II became first choice for screen baddies as well. The 1971 film Get Carter featured a badass Michael Caine (yes, for real) and a Jag Mk II.

Made Famous By: The Bonnot Gang
Practical Application: This was the first car in history used by criminals as a getaway vehicle. Motive? Robbery, mostly.

Cinephiles will tell you the French did everything first. In the case of using a real-life getaway car, they're right.

Made Famous By: Rubin Carter
Practical Application: This car was easily confused with the closely related Dodge Monaco--which eventually sunk the court case against Carter.

In June 1966, Carter's Polara was allegedly the getaway vehicle used in a shooting at the Lafayette Bar & Grill in Paterson, NJ. His defense team later undermined the case against him by demonstrating that an eyewitness couldn't tell the difference between Dodge Polara and Dodge Monaco taillights. After two convictions, the case against Carter was dismissed upon appeal.

Made Famous By: Shawn Nelson
Practical Application: Was used for a low-speed chase in San Diego, Calif., in 1995 that lasted just over 20 minutes. Nelson then got the tank stuck on a highway median as he tried to pull it into oncoming traffic. He was shot and killed by police.

On one hand, stealing a tank seems risky. On the other, if what you're trying to get away from is your life, it starts to make sense.

Made Famous By: Colton Harris-Moore
Practical Application: Was one of a long string of vehicles (including cars, bicycles, boats, and more planes) used to evade local police and FBI by "barefoot bandit" Colton Harris-Moore.

Dude taught himself to fly using instruction manuals and playing flight simulator video games. Who says video games rot your brain?

Made Famous By: D.B. Cooper
Practical Application: Hijacked and used to ransom 36 passengers for $200,000 and four parachutes. Cooper then used the plane and the parachutes to escape capture--and was never caught.

We're pretty sure this getaway was the genesis of the phrase, "go big or go home."

Made Famous By: John Dillinger
Practical Application: Used to escape from police at the Little Bohemia Lodge in Manitowish Waters, Wisc. Dillinger bashed out his own rear window so he could use his machine gun against pursuing police.

This actual car was used in the filming of Public Enemies, the 2009 film about Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson, and Pretty Boy Floyd, which starred Johnny Depp and Christian Bale. The bullet holes were temporarily covered for filming.

Made Famous By: O.J. Simpson
Practical Application: Low-speed, TV-news-saturating chase as O.J. ran from police after his wife and her friend were found murdered.

This Bronco chase arguably resulted in a death of its own: the death of the Ford Bronco SUV. After it became an international punchline during this incident, the Bronco was discontinued two years later.

Made Famous By: Al Capone
Practical Application: General mayhem; evading capture; keeping Capone from getting shot

Capone was nothing if not practical. He customized his Caddys with bulletproof glass, armor, ports for machine guns, and panels in the floor to drop tacks and oil on the road. Yes, this was before James Bond--and this was real life.

Made Famous By: Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker
Practical Application: Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker stole this car on April 29, 1934. They used it for 2,500 miles of criminal activity before being ambushed and killed in it by Louisiana police on May 23, 1934.

The actual car used in the ambush has continually drawn crowds--even though it's now nearly a century after the car first gained infamy. It even showed up in an episode of The Simpsons.