Love and cars: 10 romantic movies for Valentine's day

Candlelight, glass of wine and sofa. Every love movie marathon can be right for Valentine's night. Just good company and relax. It may seem like a coincidence but it is not: in almost all the most famous romantic films, a car that has made history always appears in some scene or as co-star. Let's discover them together in this ranking of love films that will give your evening a twist!
1.PRETTY WOMAN (Lotus Esprit SE)"It turns like it's on rails" exclaimed Vivian, the character played by Julia Roberts in "Pretty Woman", the famous movie directed by the king of love comedies, Garry Marshall in 1990. But what was Vivian referring to? Obviously to the Lotus Esprit SE, driven by Richard Gere, co-star of the film. The car whizzes through cool places like Hollywood Boulevard or Rodeo Drive and it is thanks to this film that in the same year it recorded a powerful sales record. We all know the story: Vivian (Julia Roberts) is stopped on Hollywood Boulevard by billionaire Edward Lewis (Richard Gere) for a direction. After meeting and becoming lovers, Edward proposes to Vivian a "deal": spend a week together for a disproportionate price! Produced since 1976, this coupé with bold and technological lines (at least for the time) was also James Bond's car in the movie "The Spy Who Loved Me", in 1977. The performance is unparalleled: the car can reach 210 km / h and is capable of 157 horsepower. Dedicated to those who love thrills and adrenaline: it is no coincidence, therefore, that Richard Gere and Roger Moore had the chance to drive it.
2.THE MASK (Porsche 911 SC Cabrio)We remember the clumsy and awkward Stanley Ipkiss (Jim Carrey) and his battered car. Well, in dreams things change for him: here we see him arrive at Coco Bongo, the place where the much desired Tina (Cameron Diaz) performs aboard a Porsche 911 SC Cabrio. Let's be clear: Stanley has not yet worn the mask and has not acquired his super powers, but in dreams he defends himself well. The car is in fact linked to the 911 model, which is the one that best represents the Porsche world. Iconic and unforgettable, the Porsche 911 SC Cabrio is equipped with a canvas roof with metal structure, which can only be opened manually and a rear window that can be removed thanks to a hinge. Top speed: 233 km/h and 100 km/h were reached in just 6.3 seconds. Not bad, Mr. Carrey!
3. THE GRADUATE (Alfa Romeo Duetto)"Mrs. Robinson" by Simon and Garfunkel became very famous, thanks to this 1967 movie, starring Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft by Mike Nichols. But "The Graduate" is also renowned for one of the most beautiful endings in the history of cinema. It's not a spoiler, because it's a scene everyone knows: Benjamin Braddock (Hoffman) in his red Alfa Duetto, speeds through the streets of California to prevent Mrs. Robinson (yes, the one in the song) from getting married. They will end up loving each other and running away together, although it is not known where and how it will end. Here, too, we faced with a record sales following the success of a film. But the Alfa Romeo Duetto is not a car like many others: it is really sexy with its 109 horsepower for 6000 rpm. Steve McQueen said, "It's a car that forgives the mistakes you make, so it's enjoyable to drive." Perfect then for a Valentine's Day escape.
4. GREASE (Ford Deluxe, 1948)It is the film that consecrated John Travolta (formerly Tony Manero in "Saturday Night Fever") and Olivia Newton John. Costing $6 million, it earned $394 million worldwide. Everyone, if we do not remember it in detail, knows at least the two songs in the film: "Summer nights" and "You're the one that I want". The film tells the evolution of the summer love between Danny and Sandy, destined to end with the beginning of the school year. But a plot twist changes Sandy's life: suddenly her family decides to stay in the United States. So he unknowingly enrolls in the same school as Danny, who will have to resist with his reputation as a tough and womanizer. The car symbol of this film is the convertible Ford Deluxe of 1948, driven by Danny and called by the same with the name "Grease Lightning", in reference to the film. The car has some customizations, in the front grille with vertical chrome slats and a specially shaped tubular bumper, and lightning drawn on the bodywork.
5. TITANIC (Renault Type CB Coupé de Ville, 1912)This year is the twenty-fifth birthday of the blockbuster directed by James Cameron, which exceptionally comes out in a restored version in 4K 3D. Here too it is a film that has made history: inspired by the tragedy that occurred on April 15, 1912, "Titanic" tells the story of two young Jack / Leonardo DiCaprio and Rose / Kate Winslet on board the liner. Penniless the first, upper-class the second, they will end up loving each other madly. But fate will be cruel... The eye of the most attentive will certainly not have escaped a real jewel on four wheels, belonging to the American William Ernest Carter. This is the famous Renault Type CB Coupé de Ville of 1912, with 35 horsepower. In the cockpit of this car, parked in the belly of the ship, Jack and Rose make love passionately, in one of the most iconic scenes of the whole movie.
6. 50 TIMES THE FIRST KISS (Volkswagen Thing, 1973)A curious love story is undoubtedly that between Henry (Adam Sandler), womanizer, and Lucy (Drew Barrymore), art teacher suffering from a serious form of brain disease: every night, in fact, Lucy forgets everything that happened the same day. So what happens when Henry falls madly in love with Lucy and every day he will have to conquer her as if it were the first time? In the film, Drew Barrymore drives a very famous 1973 Volkswagen Type with a K2T 750 license plate. Presented at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1969, this iconic car features a 4-cylinder engine with a displacement of 1493 cm³, then increased to 1584 cm³ in the 70s, with a power of 44 hp until 1973 and 48 hp later. Fun fact: this car had several names: "Thing" in the United States, "Safari" in Mexico and "Trekker" in the UK.
7. CALL ME BY YOUR NAME (Fiat 127, 1972)The love story between Elio Perlman and Oliver set "somewhere in the northern Italy" in 1983 and directed by Luca Guadagnino brings us, through the music and various historical references, also to the uses and customs of that era. In one of the opening scenes, we notice that Oliver arrives at the Perlman’s aboard a green Fiat 127 (probably from 1972), a historic car produced from 1971 until 1987. A real gem, which accompanied the most beautiful years of Italian history.
8. REVOLUTIONARY ROAD (Buick Roadmaster 76R)Based on the novel written by Richard Yates, "Revolutionary Road" is the movies that brought together the two actors of "Titanic", Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, 11 years later. There are many themes in this movie: from the inability to communicate to the couple crisis, passing through the difficulty of adapting to the conformist canons of society. In this film, DiCaprio drives a Buick Roadmaster 76R. An elegant and refined car, which is well suited to the long American roads told here.
9. ANNIE HALL  (Volkswagen Super Beetle, 1971)"Did you do driving school on tanks?" asks Woody Allen to Diane Keaton in this film, considered one of the must-haves of his filmography, so much so that he won four Academy Awards in 1977. The various stages of the love story between Alvy and Annie are explained in several shots of Allen, who speaks directly to the camera. Among the many funny scenes in this film there is certainly the one in which Annie drives her Beetle through the streets of New York, sowing panic among motorists and towards Almy himself. And this is neither the first nor the only film in which this car takes the stage. Indeed, we can say that it is precisely in the cinema that this car has received greater acclaim, with its meme shapes before memes existed. Yet, she always makes her figure, even if driven clumsily, as Annie does.
10. THE WAR OF THE ROSES  (Morgan Coaster)"Love is not beautiful if it is not quarrelling." But maybe in this movie we exaggerated. Isn't it, Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner? Yes, because “The war of the Roses” doesn’t tell a canonical love story, but a love ended, close to divorce, and therefore in continuous conflict. Following a somewhat bizarre dinner, with Michael Douglas ridiculing his wife in front of the rest of the guests, the latter decides to take revenge by destroying her husband's car. Too bad it's not just any car, but the iconic British convertible Morgan Roadster Plus 4 of 1960 cream, known to collectors as Morgan 4/4. A car for the few, protagonist of the twentieth century and endowed with a refinement of shapes and styles of a time that no longer exists. Fun fact: the car was really destroyed in the film and was later bought by a man named Bill Caruso, who restored it with the intention of racing to Limerock Park. Sadly, he died before he could fulfill his wish. Now it's up to you to choose which one to see, trying, at least on the evening of Valentine's Day, not to fight each other.
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