Sir Michael Caine turned 83 last week, so to celebrate our favourite cockney icon in true petrol head form, we run down the top five vehicles lucky enough to have the bloody doors blown off by Alfie himself.
You wouldn't want to blow the bloody doors off Michael Caine's Rolls-Royce.
Sir Michael Caine isn’t what you would call a car enthusiast. Passing his driving test in 1983 at the age of 50, and hanging up the driving gloves after his 70th birthday, the Italian Job superstar hasn’t fallen for our four-wheel friends in the same manner as ice-cool heroes before him. Not that he didn’t try putting his foot down (to lose them easy) previously, having tried to hang ‘L’ plates on his Rolls-Royce back in the late 1960s. Sadly, the insurance company told him to think otherwise - his insurance premium could have credited a chauffeur twice over. So, that’s exactly what he did.
Growing up throughout the Second World War where cars were scarce, before then relying on the well-connected London transport system, Sir Caine never really had a need for a car. Not until moving to Los Angles, that is.
‘It was weird. Before I took the test, the man said the guy who would be doing the test was sitting outside in the car and that I would only speak to him to say good morning.’ Caine said in an interview, ‘There would be no normal conversation - he would give me instructions, I would listen to him and that was that. There would be no personal remarks whatsoever.’
‘I got in the car and the guy looked at me and went, ‘I loved you in The Man Who Would Be King. You’re going to have be s*** to not pass this test.’
5. Lada Niva
Back in 1995, swinging sixties spy Harry Palmer returned with a made-for-television film Bullet to Beijing. Although being crap in almost every way, besides the presence of Michael Caine, the only saving grace was a rather nifty scene with Caine behind the wheel of a Lada Niva. His Italian Job Minis may have skipped down the stairs, but his Lada bounces up them with ease. Alongside the chase below and that epic handbrake turn with a Rover SD1 in The Forth Protocol - if you are late for a train, Sir Michael will get you there.
4. Alfa Romeo Montreal
Almost as stylish as Caine himself, his character's choice of wheels in The Marseille Contract is nothing short of exquisite. Is there anything quite like watching an Alfa Romeo Montreal wafting throughout the hills of France? How about an Alfa Montreal chasing a rather tasty looking female in a Porsche 911? The salivating is flowing strong, so lets watch the chase - replicated in James Bond adventure Goldeneye, don’t cha know.
3. Ford Cortina Mk II
There are various cars given abuse throughout the 1971 revenge flick Get Carter, including a drowned Sunbeam Alpine and a rammed Jaguar MK II, but the star of the show is actually as humble as Carter himself. Jack Carter pilots about in a Ford Cortina Mk II - which appears more menacing that you would give it credit for. And, after murdering someone as in the clip below, who would suspect a Ford Cortina as it blends into everyday traffic with ease? Caine also used a Cortina Mk II in Billion Dollar Brain, although that one sank - and it’s nothing to do with the panel gaps…
2. Aston Martin DB4
While The Italian Job is ultimately famous for its Mini Cooper action; Sir Caine is never actually in the driving seat. What he does drive is an Aston Martin DB4 - although it meets a rather nasty end rolling down the side of a mountain in the Alps. Speculation goes on that the car pushed over the edge on film was actually a Lancia - not that the Aston was spared. Its tumble down the mountain was apparently unsatisfactory, according to the director.
1. Rolls-Royce
After transcending from struggling, penniless actor to jet-set movie star, Sir Michael understandably wanted to splash out on a Rolls-Royce. Brushed off by a toffee-nosed salesman - clearly not a cinemagoer - Caine confidently walked to another dealership and purchased a bright yellow example, but not before extracting some revenge.
Caine admits he was dressed rather scruffily, and wound the salesman up by unrolling a Saturday morning shopping list consisting of: ‘Razor blades, toothpaste, Rolls-Royce, eggs…’
As the salesman behaved in a further irritated manner, eventually he told Caine to leave the showroom. Although he did, he returned not long after. Parking his new purchase outside the first establishment, Caine walked in with his Get Carter persona and told them exactly what he thought of them - with sign language and a big grin spread from ear to ear. Despite the dealers behaviour, Caine still holds a soft spot for Rolls-Royce vehicles. Not that he drive them anymore - he has a chauffeur for that…