All The Cars Vin Diesel Has Driven In The Fast & Furious Movies

The Fast & Furious movies are a blockbuster success and have helped popularise car culture worldwide. With many billions of dollars in box office revenue, the movies have captivated audiences with their high-octane action, exotic cars, and larger-than-life characters. Much of the story revolves around one man  Dominic Toretto, played by Vin Diesel, and as a key character, he has driven some of the most iconic cars in the franchise’s history. 

From the 1970 Dodge Charger R/T to the 2014 Lykan HyperSport, Dom's cars are always a sight to behold. In the recently released Fast X, Dom continues to rip, race and stunt some of the most powerful and stylish cars on the road. Given that he does drive a lot of different cars throughout the movies, many versions in each considering they get broken in stunts or at the end of a race, we will be skipping out on some of the cars that were not key players in the storyline. Let’s take a trip down memory lane, right to the first instalment, and check out the most notable cars that saw Vin Diesel at the wheel:

1970 Dodge Charger R/T (The Fast and the Furious, Fast & Furious, Fast Five, Furious 7, Fast 9 and Fast X)

This is one of the quintessential Fast and Furious cars, a star from the very first film that was released in 2001. The 1970 Charger R/T is part of Dominic Toretto’s origin story, representing his personality with its sleek styling and brute performance potential, and has been an integral part of the franchise ever since. Its recurring presence, starring in six of the ten movies (so far), has made it one of the most recognisable cars associated with Vin Diesel's character.

The Dodge Charger R/T is a classic American muscle sports coupe, most popular for drag racing thanks to its large V8 engine with immense capacity for performance upgrades. In its most famous movie form, it features a large supercharger strapped to it that comes up and out of the bonnet.

The car undergoes modifications throughout the series, featuring custom paint jobs and personalised details. That said, iconic as this car is, it’s not the first car we see Dom drive. 

1993 Mazda RX-7 (The Fast and the Furious)

That honour goes to a modified RX-7 in red, with red underglow and of course, a Veilside body kit. It’s a cool car even before you get into tuning and modifying it, and as such an icon independent of the F&F movies. The RX-7 established the character’s prowess as a street racer and was perhaps the only JDM car to be raced by Toretto on screen.

This is the third (and last) generation of the Mazda RX-7, best known for its high-revving – and sweet-sounding – rotary engine. Its front-engine, rear-wheel drive layout with the cabin sitting close to the rear axle gives it sporty and fun driving characteristics. In stock form, these things only offered around 250PS and 294Nm but were renowned for the driving feel as a pure enthusiast’s car.

1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS (Fast & Furious)

We didn’t get to see Toretto in the second movie and he had an almost blink-and-miss cameo in the third. But he returns in the fourth, racing a modified Chevelle SS. As a Dodge guy, this is one of those rare moments that he drives a Chevy without being forced to in a chase sequence. Instead, this one stars in his first drag race scene since the first movie of the franchise, in the qualifier race that would get him closer to the movie’s antagonist, Braga. This is the car he uses to beat Brian’s Bayside Blue Nissan Skyline GT-R (R34), with a bit of rough driving.

The Chevelle SS got a choice of many engine options from the factory, the biggest being a 7.4-litre V8 making around 370PS. In the movie, the car is heavily modified and fitted with nitrous oxide tanks as well.

2010 Dodge Charger SRT-8 (Fast Five)

This is the first time in the franchise that the most iconic car was a four-door, and what better choice than the ridiculous Dodge Charger SRT-8. Covered in matte black, fitted with rear-mounted winches, and modified for more performance, this is the car driven by Dom and Brian to steal the vault and drag it around the streets of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Toretto also added NoS to his Charger for the big finale of pulling the vault with his car alone.

In stock form, these family sedans came with a 6.1-litre Hemi V8 churning out 431PS and 569Nm, sent to the rear wheels via a 5-speed automatic. At the time, this was the most powerful engine that Chrysler had fitted to a production car.

1969 Dodge Charger Daytona (Fast & Furious 6)

Dominic Toretto must have the best connections for sourcing iconic old Dodge cars from the late 1960s and early 1970s. In the sixth instalment, fighting an enemy that can hack into modern cars with lots of electronics, we see the family man get behind the wheel of a 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona.

The 1969 Charger Daytona is a legendary muscle car that was built to dominate NASCAR races. With its aerodynamic design and powerful Hemi V8 engine, the Daytona was able to reach speeds of over 200mph (320kmph), making it one of the fastest cars on the track. 

In the movies, we see this NASCAR machine racing around the streets of London, completely out of its element. It is last seen in the big tank chase sequence and Dom eventually crashes into the side of a bridge so that he can propel himself into the air to save his partner, Letty.

1970 Plymouth Road Runner (Furious 7)

We’re introduced to Dom in the Plymouth Road Runner towards the end of ‘The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift’, where he encounters Sean, bringing the franchise’s Japanese branch in connection with the core characters. He mentioned acquiring the car from Han, leading to its connection with ‘Furious 7’ when Dom journeyed to Tokyo to collect Han's belongings after his supposed demise. It is memorable for the impactful scene rather than its performance.

However, it makes another appearance as a different unit in Fast 7 where Dom drives one to chase down Deckard Shaw (played by Jason Statham) who was driving a Maserati Ghibli. This Road Runner meets its end when the two baldies drive their cars directly at each other in a game of chicken and neither pulls out, resulting in an epic stunt moment.

The Plymouth sports coupe’s name draws inspiration from a popular cartoon character, based on the actual bird, and each Road Runner model featured a distinct horn that mimicked the character's sound. Like other muscle cars of that time, the biggest engine you can get it with was a 7.2-litre V8 which made around 450PS.

2014 Lykan HyperSport (Furious 7)

The poster child of the seventh movie in the series, the 2014 Lykan HyperSport emerges as a legendary machine. This one-of-seven hypercar, known for its striking design and jaw-dropping performance figures, has become a coveted asset. However, much like real life, you don’t really see it driving and racing other supercars in the movie. Instead, Dom and Brian end up driving it from one skyscraper and through another, before letting it fall down hundreds of stories. It is one of the most iconic stunts in the entire series till date.

On paper, the Lykan is the work of a company based in the UAE called W Motors. It is better known for its diamond-encrusted multi million-dollar headlights and rear-hinged scissor doors than any performance records. That said, the manufacturer claims the HyperSport’s 3.7-litre twin-turbo flat-six produces a maximum of 750PS and 960Nm. 

1950 Chevrolet Fleetline (Fate of the Furious 2017)

The 1950 Chevrolet Fleetline plays a minor yet notable role as Dominic Toretto's choice of wheels during a thrilling street race in Havana, Cuba. With its vintage charm and classic design, the Fleetline captures the spirit of the bustling city as Dom skillfully manoeuvres through the vibrant streets. As the engines roar and the Cuban crowds cheer, the 1950 Chevrolet Fleetline adds an authentic touch to the exhilarating race sequence, becoming a memorable part of the franchise. Like most of Dom’s rides, it too ends in a pile of fire and smoke, but only after he wins the race.

1971 Plymouth GTX (Fate of the Furious 2017)

After Dom goes rogue on his “family”, we see him driving around New York in a heavily modified Plymouth GTX. It stars in one of the movie’s main scenes as his former teammates try to spearhook his car into submission. But Toretto’s car, modified to have more torque than all eight supercars combined, breaks free. The scene is of course unrealistic, but the GTX looks amazing in that blacked-out spec with the spoiler.

1968 Dodge Charger Ice (Fate of the Furious 2017)

This is perhaps still the most extreme modification for the classic muscle car in the franchise. It is purpose built for driving on ice, is bulletproof, gets a turbine boost engine at the back, and can house a military-grade EMP device. That’s exactly what you need when taking on a vicious crime lord bent on taking over the world, and their nuclear submarine. The Charger Ice gets taken out in the end by heat-seeking missiles, which is a cool way for it to go. No word on specifications, but Tej Parker would probably tell you it has thousands of units of performance.

2020 Dodge Charger Hellcat (F9)

The crazy family car that is the modern-day Dodge Charger remains the modern car of choice for Vin Diesel’s character. In the first heist scene of the ninth movie, Dom gets behind the wheel of the latest (at the time) Charger Hellcat to chase after his brother, Jakob, who’s driving a modified Ford Mustang GT350. Both cars are well out of their element in the greens of Montequinto but don’t seem to be slowed by the foliage. Their chase ends with Dom driving the Charger off a cliff, but with a bit of rope bridge stuck around the front axle, turning the car into a big rope swing.

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In its 2020 iteration, the Charger Hellcat was powered by a 6.2-litre supercharged Hemi V8 producing 717PS and 880Nm from the factory. Its AWD was a must to put all that power to the ground rather than lighting up the rear tyres everytime you put your foot down on the throttle. 

1968 Dodge Charger Hellacious (F9)

Another custom built Dodge Charger takes the centre stage with Dominic Toretto at the wheel towards the end of the movie. It is heavily modified in terms of looks and the engine is now rear mid-mounted, putting out a speculative few thousand PS of power. More importantly, it also has a super powerful electromagnet that Dom uses to take down his enemies in a chase through the city of Tbilisi. It certainly earns the name as the ‘Hellacious’ Charger.

2023 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye Widebody (Fast X)

The most recent instalment of the franchise does not offer much in terms of racing, instead offering plenty of insane stunts with the big finale starring another modified 1970 Charger R/T. However, the opening stunt features the newest version of the Charger super sedan that Dominic drives in Rome in an attempt to stop a ball-shaped bomb from destroying the Vatican City.

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The 2023 Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye Widebody features the same 6.2-litre supercharged V8 but it now puts out an eye-watering 808PS and 959Nm. Even before it reaches the Fast and Furious crew, it features an uprated transmission, cooling systems and retuned suspension. It is the big daddy of the modern day Chargers and the last one of its kind as the combustion engine nameplate is being retired at the end of 2023.

We can see from this list that Dominic Toretto has a special spot in his heart for muscle cars from a specific era and they make up a good chunk of his driving history. Other notable cars that were driven by Vin Diesel in the Fast and Furious franchise but did not have a significant role on the big screen:

• 1993 Honda Civic EJ1 (The Fast and the Furious) - used to rob trucks.
• 1987 Buick Grand National (Fast & Furious) - used to rob fuel trucks.
• 1973 Chevrolet Camaro F-Bomb (Fast & Furious) - used in final tunnel chase and driven to kill the villain’s main henchman.
• 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport Stingray (Fast Five) - robbed in the opening train heist and then driven off a cliff.
• 2010 BMW M5 (Fast & Furious 6) - used while working for the agency to hunt down Owen Shaw.
• 1970 Dodge Charger R/T Off-road - used in the opening stunt as a heavily modified version ready for off-roading and with suspension suitable for an airdrop landing.
• 1970 Plymouth Barracuda (Furious 7) - used to drive Letty down to Race Wars to try and bring back her lost memories.
• 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon (Fate of the Furious 2017) - used in the EMP heist before going rogue on the team to side with Cipher.