Classic cars used in crime

From real-world villains such as the Krays or Bonnie and Clyde, to onscreen evildoers like Michael Caine’s Jack Carter or Marlon Brando’s Godfather, being a criminal mastermind takes a certain… something.

Of course, these were not generally very likeable people. But it’s hard to deny that they had a definite swagger – enough to make their underlings do their bidding, and their enemies fear them.

That cockiness came from a few different qualities – sharp suits, maybe, or a dark sense of humour. Often, a great car was another key part of the criminal supremo’s toolkit - usually blisteringly quick for that all-important getaway.

These are some of our favourite classic crime cars, from both fact and fiction. Some of these still make realistic ownership prospects today. They now enjoy iconic status (and not just down to certain criminal associations), so be sure to protect them with some specialist classic car insurance.

1932 Ford V8

When you think of the iconic gangster-and-car combo, chances are that it's the colourful Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow who come to mind. The glamorous duo and their gang rampaged across the central states of the US during the Great Depression, robbing banks, small stores, funeral homes and petrol stations.

All those criminal acts got them pursued by law enforcement teams in several states, of course – and, to evade the long arm of the law, the duo needed a decent getaway vehicle. Their cars of choice were a couple of 1932 Ford saloons (stolen, naturally) with big, potent V8 engines under the bonnet.

With their four-litre engines producing 75 horsepower, these Ford V8s were considerably more powerful than anything that had preceded them. Clyde Barrow was famously a big fan of the car – he even wrote to Henry Ford in person in 1934, just before the duo were killed in an ambush.

In a fulsome letter that Ford might or might not have wished to use in their marketing materials, Barrow enthused: "Dear Sir. While I still have got breath in my lungs, I will tell you what a dandy car you make. (…) For sustained speed and freedom from trouble the Ford has got every other car skinned, and even if my business hasn’t been strictly legal it don't hurt anything to tell you what a fine car you got in the V8. Yours truly, Clyde Champion Barrow."

Bonnie and Clyde were eventually killed by a police ambush near the Louisiana village of Bienville, driving – of course – a Ford V8. That car, bullet holes and all, has been kept as a piece of American cultural iconography, and now resides in a casino in Nevada.

Jaguar Mark X

So, you're a British gangster during the 1960s, which happened to be a pretty prosperous decade for you and your ilk (the Krays, the Great Train Robbers, 'Mad' Frankie Fraser et al). You want to get around in a suitably swish car… and you're a patriotic kind of fellow, so you’d like it to be British, please.

This leads you to the most prestigious car being made by the most prestigious British car firm at the time. And that would be the big, wide and handsome Mark X, Jaguar’s top-of-the-range offering throughout the decade.

This large, lavish luxury vehicle was owned by the Kray twins and others. We can speculate on what its particular attractions might have been (a boot big enough to stash away anyone who's incurred your displeasure, perhaps?), but it's surely the sheer size and chutzpah of the thing that will have appealed most to any self-respecting 1960s wrong 'un.

A big, powerful straight-six engine, available in 3.8- and 4.2-litre displacements, also helped the big Jag to shift at a decent speed. Handy, if you needed to exit any situation that had become a little… uncomfortable.

The Mark X was rebranded as the 420G midway through its lifespan, in 1966. Changes were cosmetic – a central silver bar down the front grille, extra side indicator repeaters and a chrome line running down the flanks.

When it came to the Mark X / 420G's replacement, the XJ6, Jaguar toned down the size a little. They didn't return to producing anything quite as colossal until the long-wheelbase version of the 2003-2009 XJ limousine.

The Mark X remains, then, a symbol of a time – of big British opulence, as well as certain underworld connections. As such, any Mark X or 420G still around today will command some high prices, and will need to be protected with some specialist classic car cover.

Ford Cortina Mk II

OK, we're slipping off into the realms of fiction here, but we think we're on firm ground as the Mk II Cortina is indelibly associated with one of Britain's most iconic gangsters, from fact or fiction. Yes, we’re talking about Michael Caine's dogged, ruthless Jack Carter, protagonist of the classic 1970s crime caper Get Carter.

The film follows Carter, a prominent London gangster, as he heads back to his native Newcastle to investigate the circumstances around his brother's (apparently accidental) death.

There's something about Carter's choice of car that tells you all you need to know about the man. Not for him a lavish Jag or showy Ferrari. No, Jack Carter gets around in probably the most dependable and affordable large saloon of the late 1960s: a Mk II Ford Cortina.

It somehow suits a man who makes no fanfare of (and suffers no remorse from) his various crimes and acts of violence, that he should choose a car that values function over form. A Cortina will get the job done, rather than announcing its presence from the other end of the street.

The Mk II Cortina was replaced by the bigger, curvier and altogether more extrovert Mk III in 1970 – and that car also enjoyed some heady onscreen moments. DI Gene Hunt drove one, for example, in the 1970s-set police series Life on Mars.

However, the second-generation car got to enjoy a long and illustrious heyday. Besides its starring role in this 1971 film, it also got some major exposure in 1970 when every single member of England's title-defending World Cup Squad was loaned one – with an option to buy the car outright at a reduced cost. The great Bobby Moore and Geoff Hurst were among those who took up the option. Smart move, chaps.

Porsche 924

The sleek 924 was just one of a large fleet of cars owned by John 'Goldfinger' Palmer, a notorious 1980s criminal and fraudster who is alleged to have built up a fortune somewhere in the region of £300 million.

Palmer built up this legendary hoard via a mixture of nefarious activities including racketeering, extortion and – allegedly – his involvement with 1983's notorious Brink's-MAT robbery, in which gold bullion, diamonds and cash worth around £26 million (now closer to £88 million) was taken from a warehouse near Heathrow.

Palmer was said to have owned a £1 million yacht and a fleet of helicopters, plus various classic cars from the 1940s and 1950s – and sundry Ferraris and Porsches. Photographs of Palmer outside his home near Bath showed him standing near a white, C-reg (1985-1986) Porsche 924, so that’s the one we’re going for here.

A fine entry-level Porsche from the 1970s and 1980s, the 924 came about in the very early 1970s, when VW and Audi came knocking on Porsche's door. They wanted the sports car specialists to help them develop a 2+2 sports coupé. Porsche, for their part, were already hard at work on what would become the 928 grand tourer, and some of that expertise (front-mounted engine, rear-wheel drive) went into the 924, too.

Waiting in the wings, however, was the 1973 oil crisis, which promptly put paid to many development projects for larger, thirstier cars. Suddenly, VW weren’t interested, preferring to concentrate on smaller models instead (the Golf and Polo would both be along in a few years’ time). Porsche, having got so far already, carried on developing the car – and the 924 duly made its debut in November 1975.

Today, it’s an attractive used buy, offering dramatic, almost supercar-like looks and decent, if unspectacular performance at very affordable prices. What’s more, once you find the 924 for you, you can then join one of the UK’s friendliest owners’ clubs. Here, you will find a wealth of expertise and advice, plus social events.

Lancaster has a partnership with many UK clubs which means you’ll be able to get a discount on your classics insurance. Ask the team for more details when you get a quote.

Rover P6

Guy Ritchie’s classic London gangland caper Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels is notable for, among other things, harnessing the acting talents of well-known bad-boy footballer Vinnie Jones.

Playing ruthless debt collector Big Chris, the former midfield enforcer won himself a whole new arena of admirers. Previously, Jones had instilled fear on the football pitch: in the film, he (very convincingly) made his debtors quake in their boots.

Part of Big Chris’ swaggering tough-guy image came from the car he drove: a Rover P6. To this day, the P6 (the predecessor to the equally captivating SD1) remains one of the meanest, most purposeful-looking cars to come out of the British Leyland stable. That shark-like front end gives it real presence: this was a car to get out of the way of, if you saw it coming down the street towards you.

Big Chris’ model was the top-of-the-range 3500, with the famous Rover V8 engine that would also find its way into the SD1 and Range Rover. Usefully quick, the P6 was also a very safe car (winning industry awards for safety when it first appeared). That will have appealed to Big Chris, as he went out on many of his debt-collecting excursions with his young son, the imaginatively dubbed Little Chris, in tow.

Owning a P6 today? Smart choice. You can read more about the UK P6 owners’ club elsewhere on our site.

Lincoln Continental

We started with an American gangster classic… and we’re going to end with one.

The Continental, from Ford’s luxury US brand Lincoln, went through various generations through the 1960s, 70s and 80s. What they all had in common, though, was a certain popularity with the Mafia.

The 1970s fifth generation, for example, crops up in movies such as Casino, Goodfellas and Donnie Brasco. It’s easy to see why. With those sharp sides, huge ‘get-out-the-way’ chrome front bumpers, hidden headlamps and, most of all, that enormous, ocean-liner length, the Continental has simply massive road presence.

This wasn’t a car for a high-speed getaway from the cops: this was a car for gliding languidly down the Strip in Vegas, or any number of streets in Chicago, New York or Philly. Wind down your windows as you glide past the neighbourhood, and lower your tinted shades to give a meaningful glance at that rival mobster boss or young informant who’s ratted on you.

Wafting past in a palatial, imperious behemoth like this would strike fear into even the most hardened rival.

Is a Lincoln Continental a realistic ownership in the UK today? We’re not sure. On the plus side, there are plenty of US car enthusiasts on this side of the pond, and some excellent owners’ clubs such as the Classic American Auto Club where you’ll find advice, help with parts and possibly discounts on your classic car insurance.

However, we’re not sure we can imagine something this massive fitting comfortably down most British roads or in our garages! What’s more, the fuel and tax bills could be as daunting as the car itself would have appeared to those old Mafia rivals.

Classic car insurance from Lancaster

It’s funny to think that, for some of these cars, their connections with certain iconic criminals may only have increased their value. Underworld associations or not, though, it’s undeniable that all the cars we have profiled here are now much-cherished vintage vehicles.

They’re exactly the type of cars for which we are proud to provide insurance for your classic car. In fact, we are delighted to insure a whole host of vehicles from decades past.

Whatever old-school auto you own, or have your eye on, it’s likely we’ll be able to cover it - even hard-to-insure classics.

Contact us today for a classic car insurance quote.