From motorcycles to minivans: A roundup of 2024’s top summer movie rides

If you’re looking for cool ride inspiration, what better place to find it than the silver screen? From beefy trucks to sports cars and even a minivan, KSL Cars has your lineup of vehicles from summer movies worth a real-world look. 

Fallin’ in love guy

For 2024, Sensitive Ken was back. This time, Ryan Gosling starred as Colt Seavers in “The Fall Guy” alongside Emily Blunt and a GMC Sierra 1500 AT4X. The truck was a nod to the original TV series, including the auxiliary lights and roll bar. And, of course, it featured a sweet stereo to blast Taylor Swift’s “All Too Well” during his sad, sad cryfest.

And if that Hummer in the stuntman sequences seemed familiar? You weren’t imagining it. The EV is the same one Gosling manned-it-up with in 2023’s “Barbie.”

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In a nod to the original TV series, a GMC Sierra stars alongside Ryan Gosling. Photo: The Fall Guy (2024)

Twist and shout

“Twisters” 2024 is a remake, so it makes sense the new film brought back some features from the original: corny plot, earnest leads and a flurry of massive trucks. Protagonist Tyler Owens, aka Glen Powell, drives a Dodge Ram truck similar to Bill Paxton’s beefed up — and beat up — ride in the original.

In fact, there are several Stellantis vehicles in the mix. Because if the first movie taught us anything, it’s that if you’re not driving a Ram, Dodge or Chrysler, your vehicle is not going to make it.

Thanks to a marketing partnership with movie studios, Powell not only drives a truck in the film, he’s also now a brand ambassador. You can spot him in new ads for the trucks, sans the tornado chasing equipment.

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If you're considering a career in tornado chasing, you'll need a truck that can take a roll or two. 'Twisters' suggests a Dodge Ram. Photo: Twisters (2024)

To the moon, Scarlett

If you were an American astronaut in the 1960s, you had your pick of a free Chevrolet. Smart marketing move. Of course, most choose the grooviest car available: the Camaro. So Channing Tatum’s NASA engineer needed the ‘69 Camaro SS in “Fly Me to the Moon.” Because no self-respecting spaceman could take Scarlett Johanssen on a date in anything less. 

Not only was the car authentic, so were all the squeals and revs. Sound engineers took a similar Camaro out to the quiet desert of California City, put mics all over the car and went for a spin. What you hear is what you get.

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Alternate endings

OK, not all movie cars are as glamorous as the rest, but there’s nothing wrong with a little practicality. Take the Honda Odyssey in “Deadpool & Wolverine.” What better way to cart around a couple of crusaders than a minivan? It had room for all their gear and a picnic lunch. They can even fold down the seats and take a quick nap in the forest between bloody battles. 

And since you probably won’t be taking your kids to the profanity-laden flick, they won’t know that Ryan Reynolds roasted the ride. You can just tell them it’s worthy of a superhero.

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A Honda Odyssey helped out a couple of superheros in 'Deadpool and Wolverine.' Photo: Deadpool and Wolverine (2024)

Taken for a ride

Electric bicycles may make two-wheel commuting faster, but they’re not quite the same as the real deal. “The Bikeriders,” which had about 40 motorcycles, reminds you how much attitude classic choppers had. Leather-clad Austin Butler and Norman Reedus, Benny and Funny Sonny respectively, make riding Harley-Davidsons look chill.

Butler said it took some extra finesse riding his 1965 Electra Glide. “They’re heavier and they don’t like to stop,” he said. With drum brakes, instead of today’s disc, “it feels like stopping a train.” But he grew to like riding it so much, he picked up one of his own. His ‘66 Harley is ridden in the movie by a vandalizing stunt man.

Reedus’ ride was a Frankenstein of bikes: a late ‘40s springer front end, a  ‘50s frame and a ‘70s motor. A cheeky, bronze rubber ducky is the handle for its suicide clutch (instead of the usual foot clutch).

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Mad crafts

Need another peek at motorcycles? Look no further than “Furiousa: A Mad Max Saga,” where Chris Hemsworth (as baddy Dr. Dementus) drives a chariot made up of three bikes. He rides on a custom frame, with an R-2800 7-cylinder aircraft engine. 

When one just isn't enough, consider tying three motorcycles together. Chris Hemsworth drove this chariot of choppers in his summer blockbuster. Credit: 'Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga' (2024)

Apparently you need a lot of power in the post-apocalyptic desert. Fleshing out his transport are two BMW R18 motorcycles with 79 horsepower and 110 pound-feet of torque. Dementus takes his horse power seriously; he controls his moto-chariot with reins attached to the throttles.

Imperator Furiousa, herself, opts for a 1962 Plymouth Valiant. In this case, the hot rod proves just as useful as a full-size truck. Just remove the trunk lid and prop your motorcycle up in the back. Add a slant-6 boosted engine and you can take on even the meanest of meanies. Anya Taylor-Joy took her role as top mad ma’am seriously, learning to do her own stunts in the 145-horsepower car.

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Finally, the winner of most cobbled-together vehicle goes to the VW Beetle/motorcycle hybrid. It was literally built from spare parts for the movie, just as you would if you were living in an arid wasteland. A BMW R18 provides the engine, while passengers or huge weapons can rest comfortably in the backseat of the Beetle. You could try it yourself, although we’re not sure it would be exactly street legal.

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Summer movies may be little more than fluff, but the cars of the stars are always worth noting. Search for vehicles worthy of the big screen on KSL Cars.