Just over 30 miles from Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France, lies another church that pays homage to movies, TV shows, and cultural touchpoints. Billing itself as a “temple of pop culture”, the Central Museum of Pop in Etrechy is currently selling off an impressive collection of original stunt cars.
vehicles put up for sale, used in Fast and Furious franchise, John Wick 2, Drive a car, Back to the Future 2And Dukes of Hazzard. Others are copies of such classics as Team A, Herbie the love bug (in all its late 1960s glory), BatmanAnd James Bond movies.
Generally, Bonhams auction house will be selling off 50 cars and motorcycles from movies and TV series, as well as memorabilia such as Jurassic Park The Tyrannosaurus rex statue is expected to fetch between approximately $40,000 and nearly $70,000. If you had the means, this would make a startling—or perhaps disturbing—subject of prehistoric conversation in your backyard.
Celebrity origins and true wing lovers
Some of the cars up for auction include a 1969 Ford Mustang Mach 1. John Wick 2have legitimate authority among celebrities. This car was the fourth of five built for the film and was driven by star Keanu Reeves in the car chase. According to stunt coordinator Darrin Prescott. by using Vanity FairReeves is a great driver. However, the cars were still pretty battered in the process.
“In several scenes, a stuntman operated the car from a cockpit mounted on the roof so Reeves could concentrate on acting.” explained Drive in history 2017 about the trick. “Then there were difficult stunts, like a sweet jump through a warehouse door that took “7 or 8 takes” and destroyed at least one Mustang when the stuntman clipped a steel door frame in the air.”
If I had to pick one of these cars from the movie, I would choose the circa 1989 Police Cruiser, designed by Tim Flattery and built by Gene Winfield. Visible on the screen in Back to the Future 2 Police Cruiser, starring Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd and Lea Thompson, looked like a futuristic flying car. The one up for auction is one of only two built and the only one equipped with an engine. It was later exhibited at the Petersen Automotive Museum in California before being acquired by the Museum of Pop Culture.
Fans of French cars will be interested in the 1999 Peugeot 406 V6. Taxi 2. This iconic car will be exhibited at the Époqu'Auto Salon in Lyon, which is closer to Geneva, Switzerland than Paris, France. The Peugeot should attract a decent crowd as the auction house says it is “probably the most famous car in French cinema.” The bid is expected to be between $80,000 and $138,000. Yes, monsieur.
At the top of the list (in terms of value, anyway) is the 2001 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VII, built for the character played by the late Paul Walker in 2Fast and Furious 2Fast and Furious. Bonhams believes it will sell for $290,000 to $500,000, and they're likely not far off. The F&F family of cars made big money, as did 1994 Toyota Supra it fetched $550,000 at the 2021 Barrett-Jackson auction. Even better, in 2023, the 2000 Nissan Skyline R34 GT-R driven by Walker Fast and Furious 4 sold for $1.36 million.
Museum makes room for 'other automotive projects'
It appears that museum owner Frank Gallegue once rented out these cars for tours, but that function appears to have been discontinued. Surely there were enough people willing to ride in the car. Ghostbusters Ecto-1 replica or custom car from Fast and Furious 7.
Alas, in the very near future all cars will be accepted into new homes.
“This museum has been an incredible adventure, but it’s time to move on to new automotive projects,” Gallieg said in a Bonhams statement. “I have spent many years collecting these cars and have had the pleasure of sharing them with enthusiasts from all over Europe. Now it is time to pass them on to film lovers who will take up the baton and continue to support these witnesses of mechanical and cinematic history.”
Bonhams will hold an online auction November 21-28. Bring your wallet (and maybe a trust fund) if you want to open your own movie house of worship.
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