Icons on screen – These Porsche models turned into movie stars

TV series and movies create memories and emotions that often last for decades. We have shared in the excitement, laughter and joy of countless characters from the big screen or TV. So it’s no wonder that we remember many details – clothes, styling and often even the cars. Whether through car chases, as a symbol of freedom and adventure or as a stylish accessory for the main characters – movie cars often became style icons of the respective pop culture. We asked you on social media about your favorite Porsches in movies and series. Here you can see the results: these are the movie Porsches that you remember best.

Porsche movie star #1: Sally Carrera – The Porsche 996.2 Carrera from Pixar’s Cars (2006)

One of Porsche’s biggest movie stars is a cartoon character. In Pixar’s film “Cars”, Sally Carrera, a sky-blue Porsche 996.2 Carrera, plays far more than just a supporting role. Sally is a lawyer in tranquil Radiator Springs and runs the Cozy Cone motel. She left a good job in Los Angeles and followed her heart to the fictional small town on Route 66.

Sally embodies down-to-earthness and caring in her role. And so Sally Carrera also takes the initially impetuous Lightning McQueen to her heart and shows him her favorite spots around Radiator Springs. However, if you look very closely, you will also find a hint of Sally Carrera’s wild side. Because there is an interesting, contemporary detail under the extendable rear spoiler…

The female Porsche 996.2 Carrera was so well received that she also plays an important role in both sequels to the Cars trilogy. In 2022, Porsche even developed an exclusive one-off 911 Sally Special based on the 992 Carrera GTS. This car was auctioned off for charity via RM Sotheby’s and achieved unimaginable sales proceeds of 3.6 million euros.

Porsche movie star #2: Tony Montana’s Porsche 928 in Scarface (1983)

In the 1983 mafia epos Scarface, we experience the rise of Cuban ex-convict Tony Montana. In Miami, Montana, played by Al Pacino, works his way up from dishwasher to drug boss. On his way to the top, he wants to win over Elvira, the wife of his boss Frank Lopez, played by Michelle Pfeiffer. Tony’s boss’s wife, who is used to luxury, refuses to get into the zebra-lined Cadillac, whereupon Tony makes a detour to the car dealer. More precisely, to the Porsche Boutique, as it is called in the movie.

To impress Elvira, he buys a car straight away – a Porsche 928. “It’s like one of them tigers, from India”, is the verdict of the budding drug mogul. Shortly after the purchase, Tony escapes an assassination attempt in a nightclub commissioned by Lopez and drives off in his silver Transaxle Porsche. After a short meeting with his henchmen, Tony kills his boss himself and takes control of Miami’s underworld.

It’s like one of them tigers, from India

Tony Montana (Al Pacino) about the Porsche 928 in Scarface

Although the 928 is only shown in these two scenes, it represents a changing of the guard to a certain extent – both in the film and at Porsche in 1983. The Grand Tourismo with its V8 front engine was about to replace the 911 as Porsche’s top model, just like Tony in the movie. But things turned out differently. Tony Montana’s greed was his undoing and he was killed by mercenaries a short time later. It is not without a certain irony that even the 928 – launched as Car of the Year with much advance praise – did not end up becoming the new king of the car world.

Porsche movie star #3: The “Hank Moody Porsche” – 964 Carrera Cabriolet in Californication (2007-2014)

In the 2000s, air-cooled Porsches were not necessarily considered chic or cool. The fictional writer Hank Moody, played by David Duchovny, certainly played a part in turning this impression around. Between 2007 and 2014, the main character of the TV-series Californication took us on a journey into the shark tank that is Hollywood. With a penchant for alcohol, drugs and affairs, Moody is anything but a classic series hero.

His choice of vehicle plays an important role throughout the seven seasons. The character drives around the streets of Los Angeles in a black Porsche 964 Carrera Cabriolet. The somewhat pitiful 911 goes through thick and thin with Hank. After an episode with a a cheating girl, the convertible, later christened the Hank Moody Porsche, even has a headlight destroyed with a baseball bat by her boyfriend. The broken headlamp later becomes a running gag. When Hank buys a replacement for the 964 crashed by daughter Becca in season 4, Hank even smashes a headlight himself to make it “his” Porsche.

Porsche movie star #4: The Bad Boys Porsche 964 Turbo 3.6 of Will Smith alias Mike Lowrey (1995)

“Bad Boys, Bad Boys, what you gonna do?” – The opening scene of the first Bad Boys movie from 1995 is still legendary today. Will Smith, alias Mike Lowrey, and his colleague Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence) were driving through the streets of Miami in a black Porsche 964 Turbo 3.6 under a low sun. Shortly afterwards, the two are involved in a dicey situation and confront two gangsters. The Bad Boys Porsche 964 Turbo 3.6 belonged to director Michael Bay at the time and became one of the secret stars of the film.

Bad Boys Porsche 964 Turbo 3.6 for sale on Elferspot

View all

The turbo 911 then became the automotive pin-up girl of the 1990s. Almost every car-loving teenager at the time had a poster of a black Porsche 964 Turbo 3.6 hanging on their wall, at least briefly. This is one of the reasons why the rare Turbo, of which only 1,437 were built, is a sought-after collector’s car. The vast majority of vehicles are offered for more than 300,000 euros, and the trend is rising. The original movie car was even auctioned off in 2022 for no less than 1.4 million US dollars. So if you want to treat yourself to a Bad Boys Porsche, you need a whole lot of change…

Porsche movie star #5: Charlie Blackwood’s Porsche 356 A Speedster in Top Gun (1986)

Lieutenant Pete Mitchell, the death-defying pilot Maverick, is appointed to the Navy Fighter Weapons School, known as Top Gun, by a series of coincidences. There he is to complete the elite training course for Navy pilots. After an initial confrontation with his rival Iceman, Maverick, played by Tom Cruise, clashes with his instructor Viper. In the evening, Maverick tries to seduce the beautiful blonde Charlotte Blackwood in a bar. Charlie, played by Kelly McGillis, rebuffs the daredevil in his dress uniform.

What Pete Mitchell doesn’t know at the time is that Charlie is an instructor at Top Gun. The next day he meets her in class. What begins as a student-teacher relationship ends in a legendary chase across the city. While Take my breath away from Berlin plays, Kelly McGillis chases the Top Gun graduate in her Porsche 356 A Speedster at top speed before she confesses her love for him.

Porsche movie star #6: Mirage, the Porsche 964 Carrera RS 3.8 Autobot in Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (2023)

Der 2023 erschienene Film Transformers: Rise of the Beasts kehrte ins Jahr 1994 zurück. Im siebten Teil der Autobots-Filme kämpft Mirage, ein Porsche 964 Carrera RS 3.8, an der Seite von Optimus Prime gegen die Maximals. Der silbergraue Rennsport-Elfer mit den charakteristischen blauen Streifen verkörpert dabei ein Raubein mit gutem Herz und reichlich coolen Sprüchen. Allerdings kann der von Noah Diaz gesteuerte Mirage auch hin und wieder ein wenig rebellisch sein.

The 2023 Transformers movie Rise of the Beasts, played in 1994. In the seventh installment of the Autobots films, Mirage, a Porsche 964 Carrera RS 3.8, fights alongside Optimus Prime against the Maximals. The silver-grey Rennsport 911 with the characteristic blue stripes embodies a roughneck with a good heart and plenty of cool remarks. However, the Mirage driven by Noah Diaz can also be a little rebellious from time to time.

To film the action-packed chases, a total of five Carrera RS 3.8 were built, as there were only 55 original cars. Those would have been far too valuable, as the price for one of the 300 hp RSs is in the seven-figure range. All the movie cars served a specific purpose. One was converted so that it could reverse as quickly as possible, another for stunts and another could be remote-controlled from the outside, for example.

Porsche movie star #7: The 928-Porsche in Risky Business with Tom Cruise (1983)

Tom Cruise made his big breakthrough in 1983 in the role of Joel Goodson in Risky Business. Cruise played a teenager who was supposed to be preparing for his college entrance exam. Instead, however, Joel only has sexual fantasies on his mind. While his parents go on vacation, Joel takes the opportunity to arrange a date with a prostitute. While this first episode goes completely wrong, Joel has a night with Lana the next day. Unfortunately, he can’t pay her immediately the next morning and has to go to the bank first – the beginning of a complicated story about growing up.

While Joel’s first secret joyride in his father’s Porsche 928 ended well, he sank it in Lake Michigan a little later due to carelessness. In order to pay for the repairs, Joel organized a sex party at his parents’ house. The party earned him 8,000 dollars and ultimately even led to a place at Princeton University. So in a way, the water damage to the Porsche 928 in Risky Business also had a positive side. One of the four original movie cars was auctioned off in 2021 for just under two million US dollars. This makes the Risky Business Porsche the most expensive 928 in the world.

Porsche movie star #8: The Porsche 911 Turbo 3.0 from No Man’s Land with Charlie Sheen (1987)

In No Man’s Land from 1987, everything revolves around fast cars, illegal street racing and the ultimate sports car: the Porsche 911. Charlie Sheen plays Ted Varrick, a charismatic but brutal car thief. He is specialized in stealing and selling high-class Porsche models. The movie shows a series of breathtaking chases. Among other things, Ted is caught trying to steal a red 911 G-Model Cabriolet and is shot at. Together with Benjy, an undercover cop tasked with uncovering Ted’s machinations, he flees in a previously stolen 1975 Porsche 911 Turbo 3.0 (930).

Porsche movie star #9: Jennifer Connelly alias Penny Benjamin’s Porsche 911 S from Top Gun: Maverick (2022)

36 years after the part one, Top Gun: Maverick returned to the big screen in 2022. And as befits a Hollywood movie with Tom Cruise, a love story was a must. Penny Benjamin, played by Jennifer Connelly, is Pete “Maverick” Mitchell’s new love in the Top Gun sequel. Like Charlie Blackwood in the first part, Penny Benjamin also has a soft spot for sports cars from Zuffenhausen. Jennifer Connelly drives a 1973 Porsche 911 S 2.4 in Top Gun: Maverick.

Penny drives the beautiful silver F-model several times in the movie. The scene before the outro is particularly memorable. Maverick barely escapes death during an operation with “Rooster”. He is the son of Maverick’s former wingman “Goose” who died in part one. Back home, Maverick is working on his own plane in a hangar at the end of the film. While Lady Gaga’s Hold my Hand plays in the background, Penny stands in front of the hangar. She’s leaning against the Porsche 911 S. That image of Tom Cruise and Jennifer Connelly kissing by the Porsche is probably already the most famous “Porsche moment” in Hollywood.

Porsche and Hollywood – a perfect match!

Porsche’s marketing department understood the value of appropriate product placement in film and television early on. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, the Stuttgart-based company used this advertising opportunity primarily to boost sales of current models. Later, classic cars were increasingly used. This was probably more about collecting sympathy points by associating certain characters with the brand. We could have included numerous other films and series, such as Le Mans with Steve McQueen, Bad Boys 2, Wangan Midnight and many more. Vote for your favorite movie with Porsche involvement!