The greatest car movie of all time?

According to a recent survey by Honda, The Italian Job is the greatest car movie of all time. I find it hard to disagree with the result as I've been a fan of the film since I was a child. Every Christmas I'd sit down to watch what some folk refer to as a 'comedy caper', but in truth there was one stand out moment. The sequence starting with the three Minis escaping with the gold and ending with the coach perched perilously on the edge of the mountain road is the stuff of cinematic genius.

The start of the film is another classic. The combination of Matt Munro, a Lamborghini Miura and a twisty Alpine road is enough to stir the imagination of any petrolhead. We all long for an 'On Days Like These' moment, but perhaps without the sudden and fatal end involving a tunnel and a bulldozer.

Of course, there rest of the film is pretty good too. Michael Caine is an obvious stand out, but Benny Hill deserves great credit for what was perhaps his finest moment. But despite all of this, the film will forever be remembered for the red, white and blue Minis and a few famous quotes. "Hang on a minute lads, I've got a great idea" and "You're only supposed to blow the bloody doors off" will be quoted forever and a day.

I'm encouraged by the fact that my two small children enjoy the film too. Well, I say the film, but in reality I just mean the Minis. For them, The Italian Job isn't a feature film, it's a ten minute car chase, a few crashes and a balancing coach. They also don't refer to it as The Italian Job, to them it is 'The Self Preservation Society DVD'. Love it.

So I'm not going to argue with the Honda survey. But I do take exception to some of the notable absences from the list.

1. The Italian Job

2. Grease

3. Blues Brothers

4. The Fast and the Furious

5. Thelma and Louise

6. Smokey and the Bandit

7. The Love Bug

8. Bullitt

9. The Cannonball Run

10. The French Connection

Grease? GREASE? Really?

And where is Ronin? Surely one of the ultimate movies of all time, let alone car movie? The Citroen XM and the Audi S8 do it for me!

And what about the original Vanishing Point? Fantastic film and a wonderful Dodge Challenger to boot.

I think my top five would be The Italian Job, Ronin, Vanishing Point, Bullitt and Taxi (remember this?!). What would be your top five?