As soon as you fall in love with the cars of The Italian Job, they almost invariably come to a terrible end. Explosions, crashes, being pushed off cliffs -- it's enough to drive a car lover crazy. And yet, it's one of the best car-centric movies ever filmed, with Lamborghini, Aston Martin, Jaguar, Fiat, and of course Mini represented.
Lamborghini Miura
Lamborghini
The movie opens with one of the icons of the Swinging Sixties: a bright-red Lamborghini Miura. Its curves and bright colors were the epitome of flashy driving, from its distinctive headlights to its V12 engine in the back. Not long after we meet the Miura, though, it goes up in a ball of flame. This happens so early in the movie, it's not in the least a spoiler.
- Engine: 4-liter V12
- Horsepower: 370 hp
- Top speed: ~170 mph
- Original price: $20,000
Aston Martin DB4 Convertible
Aston Martin
Though there were newer, sleeker Astons available in 1969, Charlie Coker (played memorably by Michael Caine) chose the DB4 convertible with the upright, forward-facing headlights. Too bad the bad guys want to teach Charlie a lesson -- by taking a front-end loader to his car.
- Engine: 3.7-liter inline 6-cylinder
- Horsepower: 240 hp
- Top speed: 140 mph
- Original price: $11,700
Jaguar XKE
Jaguar
There's a pair of Jags -- one red, one blue; one coupe, one convertible -- that follow the Aston. The trio will be the "fast cars" required for Coker's heist plan. Unfortunately, they meet a horrible end when the bad guys crush them and send them flying over a cliff. Ouch.
- Engine: 3.8-liter straight six
- Horsepower: 265 hp
- Top speed: 150 mph
- Original price: $6300
Fiat Dino
Simon Clay (c) 2007 courtesy of RM Auctions
One of the finest close-ups in the movie comes early: one wheel and a shiny black front fender. This is our introduction to the Ferrari-powered Fiat Dino and a sign of the car porn to come. Sure, it's driven by the bad guy, but this is one of the coolest Fiats ever built.
- Engine: 2-liter V6
- Horsepower: 158 hp
- Top speed: 125 mph
- Original price: n/a
Mini Coopers
BMW Group
They're not terribly exotic, but you can't talk about The Italian Job without talking about the trio of Mini Coopers in red, white, and blue that do the work of get away cars. The stunts they perform are equally amazing and adorable, with a ridiculously fun soundtrack by Quincy Jones playing in the background. It's improbably that they could each tote more than 300 pounds of gold, but they have been souped up by guys in matching red, white, and blue jumpsuits, so ...
- Engine: 1.3-liter inline 4-cylinder
- Horsepower: 75 hp
- Top speed: 97 mph
- Original price: $1595
