5 Times Porsche Cars Were Unceremoniously Destroyed In Movies

1. Risky Business (1983): 1979 Porsche 928

Most fans of the cinema will remember Paul Brickman’s 1983 “Risky Business” for starring Tom Cruise as the main character. Those of us obsessed with fast cars remember it for a different reason. The movie extensively featured a 1979 Porsche 928 – a car that was meant to replace the 911, but nowadays lives on as a reimagined Porsche 928, by Nardone. Still, the V-8-powered 928 lived long enough for BB Auto to make a Targa variant.

Long story short, the Porsche 928 in Risky Business went for a swim, meeting its demise at the bottom of a lake. More painful is the fact that the 928 was equipped with a manual transmission – a feature that only 10 to 15 percent of all Porsche 928s built had. Actually, a few of these cars were featured in the movie, and the Porsche 928 with the most screen time on "Risky Business” was recently up for auction.

2. Torque (2004): Porsche 911 (993) Carrera

The Joseph Khan-directed, 2004 Torque is all about fast motorcycles. Don’t worry, there is also a plot, but there is an obvious undertone that bikes are better than cars. One of the few instances in the movie where this was made obvious is on the highway chase scene where a Hummer H1, driven by one of the main antagonists, flips over and lands on top of a Speed Yellow Porsche 993 Carrera.

The 993-generation Porsche 911 has a special place in the model’s history as the last air-cooled 911. Moreover, variants like the 993 Speedster are extremely rare and collectible. This one was made to look like a 993 Carrera RS, although 911 aficionados will notice the front lip spoiler and GT2-like rear wing that don’t belong there.

3. Redline (2007): Porsche Carrera GT

The 2007 movie, Redline, was directed by Andy Cheng. It should not be confused with the 2007 Japanese anime, with the same name. The movie revolved around high-stakes street and track racing where some of the most exquisite and fast cars of the mid-2000s were featured. The selection was truly impressive with cars like the Mercedes SLR McLaren, Lamborghini Murcielago, Ferrari Enzo, and of course, the Porsche Carrera GT, of which just 1,270 examples were built.

Sadly, not all of them survived and not one, but two Carrera GTs were destroyed in the movie Redline. Both Porsche supercars were, reportedly, owned by the movie director, with one of them already being a salvaged title car. These were not the only cars that were crashed in the movie though, as there was also an accidental crash during filming, with a red Ferrari Enzo.

4. Death Race (2008): 1988 Porsche 911 SC

The dystopian setup in Death Race revolves around "racing to the death” with souped-up cars, equipped with guns and armor. While many movie fans would praise the director’s choice of Jason Statham for the main role, I was more interested in the movie’s choice of vehicles, which vary a lot. When it comes to survivability in a race to the death, the lightweight, air-cooled Porsche 911 doesn’t stand out as the top choice. While speed can be an ally, not even the nimble sports car was able to escape destruction at the hands of a tank cannon, strapped to the back of a rig.

The car was confirmed by the movie producers to have been a 1988 Porsche 911 SC – a late model year of the G-Body cars. "SC” stood for "Super Carrera” signifying that the car had a 3.0-liter flat-six with Bosch fuel injection and a five-speed 915 transmission. It is unknown how many Porsche 911s were used for the movie, but I know at least one was blown to bits... literally.

5. Fast X (2023): Porsche 911 (997) GT3

The Fast and Furious franchise is no stranger to fast cars. It is in the name after all. There are plenty of Fast and Furious cars that didn’t get enough screentime and one of them has to be the 997 Porsche 911 GT3, featured in the 2023 Fast X. The 997-generation Porsche 911 is generally considered to be one of the most epic iterations of the German, rear-engine sports car.

The 997 gave us the last 911 Turbo equipped with a manual and also the last Porsche 911 to feature the iconic Mezger flat-six engine. Sadly, the car’s movie presence was short-lived as it was destroyed in a fiery explosion, scripted during a street race. And yes, it was a real car – not a replica.