Cars in Music Videoclips: best-of cars and stunts in famous videoclips

“Baby you can drive my car”… When the Beatles sung this song (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Ts2U1mkfz4) it was clear: music hits are closely linked to man’s best wheeled friend: the car. Cars, cars and again cars, over the past twenty years the video music industry has continuously combined this rolling object with music and artists to the point that some clips turned to be cult and are so impregnated in the people’s brain that the sole citation of the clip name lets directly recall which brand was featured in the video clip. I’ve decided to make a small selection of the best music video clips of the past years including cars and how these cars were driven in an original manner. Under the term “original manner”, I mean the fact that the cars were part of a stunt or played the main role during the whole music video clip. And no I won’t be talking about Justin Bieber and his Fisker Karma. But talking about electric cars, have you noticed that neither a Tesla nor the Chevrolet Volt ever appeared in a video clip? And of course I won’t list all the appearances of the Mercedes S Class in hip-hop video clips. So to be part of the following list, the cars really had to play an “important and original role”. Enjoy the ride!

Crashing a BMW in reverse mode: Coldplay – The Scientist

This clip is a real masterpiece at it was recorded in reverse mode. This technique also used in famous video clips like “Return to Innocence” by Enigma gets with Chris Martin’s performance a new dimension. The Coldplay band leader had to train to sing the song backwards. The video clip shows also the accident of Chris driving with his girlfriend in a BMW_E28 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_E28 in slow-motion.

Chris Martin is breaking the fences with a BMW E28

Right after the crash the BMW has a broken windshield. The special effects in this part of the video clip are really interesting (slow-motion of the bursting windshield).

Crash Test Grannies: Madonna – What is feels like for a girl

This clip was actually banned for a short time because being too violent. The violence of the last scene filmed in slow motion is the reason of this ban… If you have never seen a Camaro being crashed into a pole then this clip will show you what’s left…

Madonna with her grandmother at the gas station.

Yellow Camaro with a very angry Madonna stepping out…

Ouch…. This crash scene was banned being to violent.

The Burning Gangsta Ride par excellence: Kanye West & Jay-Z – Otis

I must admit this car is really cool or is it because it throws flames? Or just because it’s so crazy to destroy a Maybach 57 and to fix the front boot to the back of the car? This kind of extreme car customization was never seen before (even X-Zbit in Pimp My Ride hadn’t such a crazy idea). This is the craziest car ever featured in a music clip.

Cool ride isn’t it?

The passengers seem to have a lot of fun, especially those on the backseats.

You can rent this car for a barbecue. Culinary result not guaranteed.

Arab girls driving cars are sexy: Bad Girls – M.I.A

Winner of the MTV Music Award 2012 (Best Direction and Best Cinematography), this video clip shows how girls are driving cars on two wheels (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ski_%28driving_stunt%29) in a straight line somewhere in the middle-east (actually in Morocco). You will also find a very transparent flashy car (Perspex car).

Alfa Romeo 156

The best part of the clip: BMW E36 and BMW E46

I believe I can fly… Seriously M.I.A is really reckless.

This transparent car ( Perspex Car) was specially built for this video clip.

How cool is this?

This clip directed by Romain Gavras, is very impressive mixing a lot of politico-cultural messages and really cool stunts. But the idea of these stunts is mainly inspired by these YouTuber’s exploits:

This is the inspiration for the video:

If you are interested you can watch the making-of :

Ferrari vs. Lamborghini: Cosmic Girl – Jamiroquai

The most popular car chase of the music video clip history. But who won? Can you remember? Jay Kay pushed his passion for cars to the summon by imitating the Ferrari Logo onto the cover of “Travelling without Moving”

The most popular car chase in the music videoclip history!

Ferrari F40 and the Lamborghini Diablo SE30

Black Ferrari F355

First and last appearance of the Maybach Exelero: Jay-Z – Lost Ones

Did you know that only two samples of this car was built. Jay-Z had the permission from André A. Jackson http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andr%C3%A9_A._Jackson to use it in this clip. It was the first and the last time this car appeared in a video clip. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maybach_Exelero

Electricity is cool: David Guetta – Where Them Girls At

If you followed my blog (http://www.mat-d.com/site/david-guetta-renault-twizy-ad-in-where-them-girls-at-ft-nicki-minaj-flo-rida-music-video/) or AutoGreenBlog you will certainly have noticed my post concerning the first time an electric powered car made its appearance in a music video clip. It’s the Renault Twizy that jumps and gyrates on a billboard. Nice, French, let’s see how the youngest party goers will react and if they are going to buy this new road-UFO.

A billboard over the roofs of Los Angeles shows a small animation of the Renault Twizy

The sexiest garage owner ever : Rihanna – Shut Up and Drive

Ferrari 360 Modena . Notice that it’s not Rihanna’s one. The car is registered in Czech Republic.

Isn’t it a gold wrapped Ford Escort?

This race is going to be really hot!

Sometimes, it’s good to be a car…

Don’t step out of the ride: Lenny Kravitz feat. P. Diddy – Show me your soul

Why stepping out of a ride to go to a party? Yep you’re right, better stay in it and let an industrial lift bring you and your Rolls Royce directly up to the party stage. How weird is that?

German car prayer by French rappers: NTM – Ma Benz

Don’t try to translate what the Parisian rapper duo NTM tries to tell you, this won’t make any sense unless you are French and understand what those guys really want to achieve with this song. A real hit in France that turned the brand really to be very popular amongst young people and now even 15 years after this track (and clip) was released, you’ll still might hear this song during car TV shows as backing track, when… a new Mercedes is presented. I personally think that the brand got a really bad gangsta touch through this track in France.

Uh? Can someone explain me this pose? Riding the ride? 😉

Curiously the “Benz” is never unwrapped nor revealed during the whole clip.

Notice the Brabus wheel rim and the black little Mercedes Benz

The best tribute to motorsport: Robbie Williams – Supreme

This music video clip is personally the best homage to the F1 made by a musician. Reenacting the golden 70-60’s era of Formula One with an artistically well realized mix of old F1 videos footage featuring Jackie Stewart and a Robbie Williams (Bob in the clip) incorporated over a chroma key effect (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chroma_key ) into the F1 circus and racing actions. For F1 fans a really nice video clip with a lot of references and famous F1 driving scenes of the 70’s.

Jackie Stewart and Robbie Williams on the podium.

Bob Williams is a fictional F1 driver.

Robbie Williams and Jackie Stewart cameo

F1 car in the 70’s

Pure Bentley promo: Limp Bizkit – Rollin

Yes this is a clip we won’t see anymore, not because of the Bentley Azure but because of the Twin Towers. This clip was recorded a few weeks before 9.11. The other main role in this video clip is played by Fred Durst driving with his band members through the streets of New-York with a very freak’o’matic attitude; but come on the song is so cool, you would do the same if you had this ride 😉 The years 1999-2001 where really good years for automotive product placement in video clips. At that time many uprising stars (like P.Diddy, Busta Rhymes, Jay-Z) directly integrated luxury automobiles in their clips like the famous Mercedes S-Class.

Hey yo! Red cap!

Riding in the streets of New-York

They seem to have so much fun with the Bentley Azure that they are loosing a friend while riding through New-York.

An armored car in Marseille: Robbie Williams – Road to Mandalay

The armored cars fascinates the most… the thieves: Robbie Williams decided to steal one and to drive along the Provence and Marseille’s harbor after having robbed the content of the armored car by crashing a crane car in it. Please don’t try this in your neighborhood!

Robbie Williams is driving a pure English car: the Jensen FF

The key action of the whole videoclip: the crash between two heavy (and hard to drive) vehicules.

Notice that the company Piovano Levage really exists: http://piovano.fr/

Flashy Mini: Nelly Furtado – Parking Lot

Take some Minis and put them in a parking lot: the lights of the car will do the rest and you will get Nelly Furtado’s new videoclip. Notice how the Minis were customized for the clip.

Notice the colors and the motives of the Minis!

A nicely filled parking lot with many Mini parked.

Close up of the Mini front light.

I Need a new Ferrari: Dr. Dre – I Need a Doctor

This is probably the most impressive stunt in the history of hiphop videoclips. Dr. Dre is driving along the Pacific Coast when … his Ferrari 360 lifts up, flies over about 10 meters in the air and crashes on the tarmac leaving the Prancing Horse ride in a very bad state; to be more precise: completely broken. The stunt was directed by Rick Avery (http://www.rickavery.net). Here is a picture of Rick and Dr. Dre after the stunt http://www.hardknocks.tv/?p=1791. Yes they are smiling, the stunt and the result is really impressive. And if you like Top Gear you will be happy to read, that Rick Avery will team up with Richard Hammond for his next DVD explaining stunts in

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-et-ct-onlocation-20121023,0,1088865.story