Fast and Furious is one of the longest-running modern film franchises. The franchise has entertained audiences for two decades. It involves some of Hollywood’s brightest stars and the world’s coolest cars. The storyline can get convoluted fast and make some viewers furious, but the real reason folks come out is to see what Dom and the gang are driving. Here are some surprising facts about the Fast and Furious franchise and the awesome vehicles that make it so great.

The ‘Fast and Furious’ franchise

The original Fast and Furious film was centered around Dominic Torretto (Vin Diesel), a street racer with a crew that commits heists using modified high-speed vehicles. LAPD officer Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker) goes undercover to find the crew. He quickly gets entangled with Dom’s sister Mia Torretto (Jordana Brewster) and the fast life.

Brian ultimately lets Dom escape making a future ally for life. The first film launched a franchise that has just premiered its ninth installment. The first movie included cars like the 1995 Mistubishi Eclipse, 1993 Mazda RX-7, 1994 Toyota Supra, Honda S2000, and Dom’s iconic 1970 Dodge Charger R/T and 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS.

Fast and Furious films usually include a heist, a muscular main antagonist, and some of the coolest cars in existence. As the film budgets have increased the list of featured vehicles has only gotten better. Some supercars have even appeared in the films as well as expensive special models.

Facts about the furious

The original film only had a reported budget of $38 million. 2 Fast 2 Furious had double the original film’s budget at $76 million. Fast 9‘s budget is projected at between $200 million and $225 million.

The franchise has destroyed over 2,500 vehicles for filming purposes. The films have no shortage of major accidents and explosions. To make a great car movie, some cars have to bite the dust.

According to MotorTrend, Furious 7 was the highest-grossing installment of the Fast and Furious franchise. The film grossed over 1.5 billion dollars. The newest film, Fast 9, can potentially dethrone it as folks head back to movie theaters.

The cars behind the franchise

The Lykan Hypersport used in Furious 7 was actually a custom replica. There are seven total Lykan Hypersport vehicles in the world, and they all cost around $3.4 million. The folks behind the film decided to use W Motors to make several custom lookalike vehicles as a more cost-effective alternative.

The Toyota Supra featured as Brian O’ Connor’s car in Furious 7 was actually part of actor Paul Walker’s car collection. Paul was an automotive enthusiast long before landing the role of Brian, and his time playing the character only made his love for Japanese domestic market vehicles grow. Paul Walker was the perfect fit for the role and will forever be remembered as an amazing actor and car enthusiast. Brian’s JDM vehicles and Dom’s American muscle cars have occupied the minds and hearts of every car enthusiast for years. The cars play just as big of a role as the actors themselves.

The Fast and Furious franchise has made billions of dollars and impacted people internationally. Vin and Paul have inspired generations of auto enthusiasts. The franchise has survived because it somehow keeps producing bigger stunts in every film. Fans have developed emotional ties to the cast, the characters, and, most importantly, the cars. The Fast franchise has taught us that life is all about surrounding yourself with friends, family, and fast cars.