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The French connection: The car crash during the chase sequence, at the intersection of Stillwell Ave. and 86th St., was unplanned and was included because of its realism. The man whose car was hit had just left his house a few blocks from the intersection to go to work and was unaware that a car chase was being filmed. The producers later paid the bill for the repairs to his car.
The principal car chase scene was widely considered to be the best ever put on film at the time, overtaking Bullitt (1968) for that honor. William Friedkin later attempted to outdo himself with a chase sequence in To Live and Die in L.A. (1985).
In at least one glimpse of the Manhattan skyline (as the car is being unloaded from the cargo ship), you can see the first of the World Trade Center towers under construction.
The French license plate on the 1971 Lincoln Mk III used to smuggle the heroin is 18 LU 13. The real life "French Connection" car, a 1960 Buick Invicta, had French plate 18 LU 75. According to Robin Moore, the Invicta was popular with drug smugglers in the early 1960s because it had a large space under the body behind each front wheel well. Most of the heroin was hidden in these spaces in the French Connection car, but some was hidden under the rocker panels, as depicted in the film.
Gone in 60 Seconds: The ultra-rare McLaren F1 was originally supposed to be in the movie, but after the producers couldn't get their hands on one it was replaced with another supercar, the Jaguar XJ220.
The list of cars, with their codenames, is as follows: (Note: Some of the codenames listed here do not correlate with what is actually said in the movie as each car arrives) o 1 1999 Aston Martin DB7 - Mary o 2 1962 Aston Martin DB1 - Barbara o 3 1999 Bentley Arnage - Lindsey o 4 1999 Bentley Azure - Laura o 5 1964 Bentley Continental - Alma o 6 1959 Cadillac El Dorado - Madeline o 7 1958 Cadillac El Dorado Brougham - Patricia o 8 1999 Cadillac Escalade - Carol o 9 2000 Cadillac El Dorado ETC (El Dorado Touring Coupe) - Daniela o 10 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air Convertible - Stefanie o 11 1969 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 - Erin o 12 1953 Chevrolet Corvette - Pamela o 13 1967 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Big Block - Stacey o 14 2000 Ford F350 4x4 modified pick-up - Anne o 15 1971 DeTomaso Pantera - Kate o 16 1969 Dodge Daytona - Vanessa o 17 1998 Dodge Viper Coupe GTS - Denise o 18 1995 Ferrari 355 B - Diane o 19 1997 Ferrari 355 F1 - Iris o 20 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB4 - Nadine o 21 1999 Ferrari 550 Maranello - Angelina o 22 1987 Ferrari Testarosa - Rose o 23 1956 Ford T-Bird - Susan o 24 2000 GMC Yukon - Megan o 25 1999 HumVee 2-Door Pickup - Tracy o 26 1999 Infiniti Q45 - Rachel o 27 1994 Jaguar XJ 220 - Bernadene o 28 1999 Jaguar XK8 Coupe - Deborah o 29 1990 Lamborghini Diablo - Gina o 30 1999 Lexus LS 400 - Hillary o 31 1999 Lincoln Navigator - Kimberley o 32 1957 Mercedes Benz 300 SL/Gullwing - Dorothy o 33 1999 Mercedes Benz CL 500 - Donna o 34 1999 Mercedes Benz S 600 - Samantha o 35 1998 Mercedes Benz SL 600 - Ellen o 36 1950 Mercury Custom - Gabriela o 37 1971 Plymouth Hemi Cuda - Shannon o 38 1969 Plymouth Roadrunner - Jessica o 39 1965 Pontiac GTO - Sharon o 40 1999 Porsche 996 - Tina o 41 2000 Porsche Boxster - Marsha o 42 1961 Porsche Speedster - Natalie o 43 1988 Porsche 959 - Virginia o 44 1997 Porsche 911 Twin Turbo - Tanya o 45 2000 Rolls Royce Stretch Limousine - Grace o 46 1966 Shelby AC Cobra - Ashley o 47 1967 Shelby Mustang GT 500 - Eleanor o 48 2000 Toyota Landcruiser - Cathy o 49 1998 Toyota Supra Turbo - Lynn o 50 2000 Volvo Turbo Wagon R - Lisa
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