Five Best Porsche Movies

Whever Porsche enthusiasts gather, talk sooner or later turns to the best depictions of the Porsche brand on film.  After all, Hollywood loves the brand, and has often used the presence of a Porsche as visual shorthand to represent style, performance and taste.  Here are a few of our favorite Porsche movies:

Best Porsche Movie with a Porsche in a Speaking Role: The 2006 animated classic Cars featured flawless Toy-Story quality animation, a beguiling story that entertained the whole family, and Paul Newman in one of his final voice roles.  But the real showstealer was sassy, winsome Sally Carrera, the blue Porsche 911 Carrera Coupe with the heart of gold, voiced to perfection by Bonnie Hunt.

Best Coming of Age Movie Featuring a Porsche: Tome Cruise and his white BVDs achieved certified stardom in Risky Business, with dad's sleek 928 Coupe serving as a key plot element.  Enthusiasts will wince at the underwater dunking of the rare sharknosed 928, just as Alfa buffs can't bear to watch the exploding vintage Alfa 6C 2500 scene in The Godfather.  But close your eye for those few seconds, take in the Eighties feel of the film, and watch Cruise grow up before your eyes.

Best Use of the Porsche 356 as a Symbol of Authenticity:  This category is a tie.  In Top Gun, Kelly McGillis is an implausibly young and beautiful flight tactics instructor at the Top Gun Fighter pilot's school, resisting the well-practiced romantic tactics of Tom Cruise.  Her restored 356 convertible becomes a clear symbol of depth and authenticity unnoticed by the randy flyboy, and the audience immediately senses that this instructor will teach pilot Maverick a thing or two before the credits roll.  A similar dynamic plays out in 48 Hours, as ex-con Eddie Murphy is revealed to be more than a mere street hustler, first by his flawless British suit, then by his vintage Porsche 356.  This time, grizzled cop Nick Nolte is the master turned pupil.

Best Porsche Movie featuring a Porsche supporting an Unlikely Hero:  The 2004 suspense flick Cellular might seem an odd choice for a Porsche buff's film: after all, the movie promptly introduces us to a Porsche owner who is vain, obnoxious, and comically self-absorbed.  However, the film's young hero Chris Evans (later of the Fantastic Four) is the car's spiritual owner - borrowing it from Mr. Vanity, and careening around Los Angeles on a heroic mission to find trapped heroine Kim Basinger.  Porsche owners can laugh at the overplayed stereotype at the same time they cheer the 911 Cabriolet's overused brakes and engine.

Best, All time A-Number One Porsche Buff Movie Absolutely Requiring Immediate Respectful Viewing when Stumbled Upon on Cable:  Yes, Steve McQueen's 1974 masterpiece Le Mans is overlong, boasts a threadbare plot, and lacks convincing secondary characters.  But those are minor details.  It happens to feature more high-speed road-racing footage - much of it featuring the actual hotshoe drivers of the day - than any other Hollywood effort in history, as well as spectacular period motorsports detail ranging from a 917 GT Prototype to two-piece driving suits to chunky Heuer watches.  Plus, of course, two hours of the coolest male in human history at the peak of his rugged masculinity - a role model for every male Porsche owner who ever kept his key in his lefthand pocket.