Five Most Expensive Cars in “Fast Five”?

Dodge Chargers are "Fast Five" scene-stealers, but not value leaders. (Jack Gill Photo)

The movie “Fast Five” is a showcase for dozens of the world’s sexiest, fastest, most desirable and most expensive cars. But what are the film’s top five vehicles, in terms of price? That’s a surprisingly difficult question to answer. It’s easier to identify what shouldn’t be on such a list.

I went to an expert, David Gooding of the Gooding & Co. classic car auction house, and got some surprising answers.

MSRP Leader

The clear winner, in terms of MSRP, is the 2007 Koenigsegg CCX R Edition(s) that Roman and Tej each show up with, near the end of the movie. The CCX R Edition, of which only six were made, had an asking price of $2 million when new. All six were sold.

But the car has not been a star, in terms of return on investment. Mr. Gooding notes that a CCX R Edition might be lucky to fetch its original asking price. Depending on factors such as condition, and the market for 1,018-horsepower cars that run on bio-ethanol, it might be worth as little today as $1.5 million. That’s an entire Rolls Royce Phantom in depreciation.

$375,000+ dealer markup

Another high-MSRP choice would be the Lexus LF-A that Han is seen blazing down the autobahn in. The LF-A, limited to a production run of 500 vehicles, has a window sticker of $375,000 – but Lexus says its dealers are free to mark up the car at will. Mr. Gooding said he was not able to offer an opinion on how LF-A values might increase or decrease, at this time.

2007 model

The Porsche GT3 RS that Dom wins in a drag race makes this list, but it is an example of a pricy new vehicle that might not hold its original value. Though it sold new (in 2007) for $185,000 (excluding options); Mr. Gooding feels the car might now sell at auction for $125,000-$150,000.

Hot, hot, hot?

What about the 1972 de Tomaso Pantera, seen briefly in the train sequence? Not a hot collectible, Mr. Gooding notes; he suggests the value of such a car at auction would likely be in the range of $50,000-$75,000. Panteras were notable for their lack of reliability – and propensity for engine fires.

Un-real Vette.

The wild card in this deck might have been the 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport, last seen being driven off a cliff into the Colorado River (did someone say “salvage title”?). A real Grand Sport might be worth as much as $10 million today. RM Auctions offered chassis #002 (of five) two years ago, with a pre-auction estimate of $7 million-$10 million; but bidding stopped at $5 million, and the car was withdrawn. The movie Grand Sport, we understand, was a “replica” version with custom modifications that would generally be expected to decrease, not increase, a classic’s value. Sort of like if a curator at the Louvre decided Mona Lisa would look sexier with a perm.

Almost famous.

A car that definitely would not make this list is the star of the show, the 1970 Dodge Charger R/T. Mr. Gooding estimates a pristine version might be worth something in the range of $35,000-$55,000 today. And the versions seen in the movie are far from pristine; in fact, they are downright mongrel dogs: replicars with Chevy engines. (Dodge says they sent the film’s picture car coordinator two high-horsepower Hemi V8s, but early scenes in the movie still feature the Chevy-powered clones.) Someone tried to auction off the ’70 Charger R/T from the first “The Fast & The Furious” movie – claiming it had an appraised value of $200,000. That valuation was roundly laughed at.

Other “Fast Five” wannabes that wouldn’t make this list include the Nissan GT-R, Corvette ZR-1, Subaru WRX, Acura NSX and BMW M5.

Real or replicar?

The value leader in “Fast Five” would be the 1966 Ford GT40, “if it is real,” Mr. Gooding said. An authentic GT40 could be worth as much as $2 million.  That high-end estimate, though, is predicated on the car being in immaculate, showroom condition. If someone really drove it off a moving train, went off-roading with it, and put an aftermarket DVD player in it – well…

So, was it a real GT40? It fooled the experts – including those who own GT40s. “It was,” clarifies Jack Gill, the second unit stunt coordinator, “an expensive kit car.”

Uh-oh. Lose a zero or two off that estimate.

Jerry Garrett

May 5, 2011