The NEC Classic Motor Show comes to the NEC this month (November 9-11); the biggest and most popular show of its kind in the UK, it showcases 1,000 of the finest cherished cars from all eras, veteran, vintage, classic and future/modern classics. That all got us thinking about classic cars - and classic car chases. The movies are full of great sequences - not least in the James Bond franchise; here are our favourites, in no particular order:
 The Italian Job (1969)
No, not the 2003 rubbish remake but the Sixties original, in which Michael Caine and chums hijack a delivery of gold bullion, take off in three Mini Coopers and are chased through the streets of Turin by the highly inept Italian police. Countless great moments - from the wedding on the church steps to driving though the sewers (filmed in Coventry, trivia fans) all to a great soundtrack, this has it all.
The Bourne Identity (2002)
In one of the film's finest moments, Bourne (Matt Damon) and Marie (Franka Potente) tear through Paris (popular amongst chase filmmakers!) in her battered old Mini, chased by countless police cars. Hmmm, sound familiar? Okay, so it gives a nod to The Italian Job, but is fantastic all the same.
The Man With The Golden Gun (1974)
An AMC Hornet is the star of this chase, as Bond (Roger Moore) and accidental passenger Sheriff JW Pepper pursue Scaramanga through Bangkok, ending up on the opposite bank of the river - until 007 spies a collapsed bridge and flies across the water, turning mid-air, before landing safely and continuing the chase. Sadly the villain gets away when, in true Bond film style, he converts his AMC Matador into a plane.
Terminator 3: Rise of The Machines (2003)
Great sequence in which John Connor (Nick Stahl), Kate Brewster (Claire Danes) and the T-850 (Arnie) escape in an animal clinic truck, only for the T-X to come after them using several police cars, a fire truck and large crane. Cue lots of devastation and a brilliant stunt in which the crane (plus Arnie) plough through a row of buildings. Bullitt (1968)
Often cited as the definitive car chase, it centres on Frank Bullitt (Steve McQueen) in his Ford Mustang GT 390 Fastback chasing two hit men in a Dodge Charger through the streets of downtown San Francisco. Not Paris, for a change. The French Connection (1971)
No music here, as Popeye Doyle (Gene Hackman) commandeers a passing car to drive at breakneck speed through traffic to chase down a suspect who's on the subway track above him. Much of the chase - which lasts 26 blocks through busy streets in Brooklyn was done for real, with only a handful of stunted moments thrown in. For Your Eyes Only (1981)
A Citroën 2CV has to be one of 007's most unusual modes of transport; he and Melina Havelock (it's her car) are chased through the Spanish countryside by two Peugeot 504 sedans, crashing down hillsides, flying through the air... you know, the usual kind of thing you do in a Citroën. Ronin (1998)
A BMW 5 Series and Peugeot 306 are the unlikely stars of this breathtaking sequence through the Parisian streets. The Blues Brothers (1980)
The Richard J Daley Memorial Plaza in Chicago is the location for the film's finale, following a frenetic car chase involving the Bluesmobile and a squadron of police. The film used 13 different cars to depict the Bluesmobile - a 1974 Mount Prospect, Illinois Dodge Monaco patrol car. Over 60 cars were used for the police pursuit. For the scene when the Blues Brothers finally arrive at the Richard J. Daley Center, a mechanic took several months to rig the car so it falls apart. At the time of the film's release, it held the world record for the most cars destroyed in one film. Duel (1971)
Directed by a young Steven Spielberg (his feature-length debut), this is perhaps the creepiest chase in our list. The perfect example of road rage gone crazy, travelling salesman David Mann (Dennis Weaver) spends most of this TV movie pursued in his Plymouth Valiant by a sinister truck which tries to drive him off the road on more than one occasion. Gripping stuff. www.necclassicmotorshow.com
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