JASON STATHAM HAS CERTAINLY HAD HIS SHARE OF HOT WHEELS IN HIS MOVIE ROLES, WRITES SAMUEL HAMES
We're celebrating the 10-year anniversary of Jason Statham's completely out of control action movie Crank.
In the film, released on September 1, 2006, Statham starred as poisoned hitman Chev Chelios who took an adrenaline-charged dash through a shopping mall in a 1972 Buick Riviera, destroying everything in sight in an effort to survive.
To mark this anniversary we thought we'd count down our favourite films where Statham has been behind the wheel.
Warning: this may contain spoilers.
The Transporter Statham made an impression on audiences with his 1988 turn as a cockney gangster in Guy Ritchie's Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, and its follow-up, 2000's Snatch, but it was 2002's The Transporter that put his star on the map.
In the role of mercenary wheelman Frank Martin, Statham causes madness on the streets of Nice with a tuned 1999 BMW E38 753i. Some of the film's most thrilling sequences include the opening car chase, where Martin effortlessly evades the cops after a botched robber.
The Transporter redefined action film car chases and was followed by two sequels in 2005 and 2008 where Statham moved from a BMW to a W12 Audi A8.
The Italian Job Following The Transporter, Statham found himself behind the wheel again for 2003's sort-of remake of The Italian Job.
This time he brought his trademark Cockney humour with him as loveable getaway driver Handsome Rob.
Rob, along with experienced thieves Stella (Charlize Theron), Left Ear (Mos Def), and Lyle (Seth Green) teams up with Mark Wahlberg's Charlie Croker to rob their former teammate Steve Farzelli (Edward Norton) of $35m in gold bullion after he double crosses them, leaving them for dead.
To pull off their mad heist, Rob and the rest of the crew take to the streets of Los Angeles in three customised 2003 Mini Coopers complete that provided the team with the movability and stealth that they required to successfully complete the heist.
More than 32 Mini Coopers where used during filming.
Death Race Statham continued to dominate the action scene with impressive films that included Cellular, The Bank Job and The Pink Panther as well as reprising his role in the Transporter sequel.
But it was 2008's sci-fi action film Death Race that would once allow Statham to again flex his driving muscles.
Starring as wrongly convicted Nascar driver Jensen Ames, Statham climbs into a customised 2006 Ford Mustang GT to take on the prison track, and get his revenge.
Dubbed "The Monster" this gritty car came with a custom Roush supercharged 5.4L 3V Ford V8 Engine and was packed out with a full nitrous oxide system, and most importantly, an assortment of heavy artillery.
Statham performed many of his driving stunts, and a team of 85 mechanics worked to keep 'The Monster' and 35 other cars on the track.
Fast & Furious 7 In 2015's Fast and Furious 7 Statham goes full bad guy as twisted super-assassin Deckard Shaw, and sets his sights on destroying everything that Vin Diesel's Dominic Toretto holds dear in revenge for Dom incapacitating his younger brother Owen (Luke Evans) in Fast 6. Statham was all style here as Deckard, and got behind the wheel of a 2008 Aston Martin DB9 to take on Dom's 1970 Dodge Charger R/T. It was a showdown between British sleekness and American muscle, and boy did it get intense!
The DB9 was a perfect fit for Statham with its six speed transmission and 5.9L V12 engine.
Though the DB9 served as his primary vehicle, Statham also drove of a 2014 Jaguar F-Type R Coupe, a 2014 Maserati Ghibli and a 2011 Lamborghini Aventador.
This was one bad guy who certainly knew how to travel in style.