In the early days of the car, motorsport used to sell cars. With the proven adage of “win a race on a Sunday, sell a car on a Monday”, auto companies used to invest the bulk of their marketing budgets in motor racing. Thankfully, many still do invest in motorsport. However, with an eye on broadening the appeal to a bigger potential customer base, many car companies also realize that associating their brand with a celebrity can have a positive impact on sales numbers.

2025 BMW M5 Sedan 8.4 /10 What is Buzzscore? MSRP $119,500 Engine 4.4L V8 Hybrid Drivetrain All-Wheel Drive Transmission 8-speed automatic Horsepower 577 HP @5600 RPM Torque 553 lb.-ft. @ 1800 RPM Expand

Some car companies even went a few steps further, recruiting top Hollywood directors to create spectacular, mega-million short stories that were aimed squarely at the internet. BMW’s E39 M5 is a prime example of such a collaboration, directed by Hollywood legend Guy Ritchie. This list includes 10 car commercials, including some short film-style offerings, that are not only cool, but classic too, ranging from the original Crocodile Dundee to Morpheus to Frank Sinatra to George Washington to Madonna. This list has it all.

This list came about thanks to YouTube algorithms. After YouTube suggested a classic car commercial featuring Eddie Murphy and a Toyota Celica, we felt compelled to venture further down this rabbit hole. This list is the result.

10 Toyota Celica

The story: Eddie Murphy and a Toyota Celica (1990)

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Engine 2.0-liter, turbocharged, inline-4 Horsepower 221 hp Torque 224 lb-ft 0-60 8.8 seconds

Toyota launched its fifth-generation Celica in 1989, landing on Toyota dealership floors in the USA in 1990. To broaden the appeal of the all-new Celica, Toyota roped in superstar Eddie Murphy. At the end of the 1980s, comedian Murphy was the talk of Tinseltown and a household name, with the Beverley Hills Cop movie, especially, turning out to be a huge box-office hit, elevating Murphy to Hollywood A-lister fame. In the series of commercials, Murphy conveys some of the natural charm that turned him into a star.

9 Kia K900

The story: ‘Morpheus’ and the Kia K900 get some Matrix on

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Engine 5.0-liter V8 Horsepower 420 hp Torque 376 lb-ft 0-60 6 seconds

In 2015, the Kia K900 was the brand’s first sedan to come with a 5.0-liter V8 engine. With 420 hp in the game, the luxury saloon has a fair turn of speed. And to celebrate this speediness, Kia’s marketing team tapped into the allure of the 1999 science fiction movie, The Matrix. Actor Laurence Fishburne plays the role of the wise Morpheus in the movie, and features in the commercial, along with some ‘Agents’. The commercial is called ‘The Truth.’

8 Subaru Outback

The story: The ‘War Boys’ attack Crocodile Dundee

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Engine 2.5-liter flat-4 Horsepower 175 hp Torque 162 lb-ft 0-60 9.5 seconds

When Subaru introduced the Outback Limited in the late ’90s, it described the Outback as the world’s first sports utility wagon (SUW). To promote the new model’s unique features, all-wheel-drive system and sporty handling, Subaru created a very cool commercial, not only featuring long-standing brand ambassador Paul Hogan (Crocodile Dundee), but also a handful of ‘Bad Boys’, in a rather spectacular Mad Max skit. Hogan appeared in a number of Subaru Outback commercials, in a long-standing association with the brand.

7 Ford Thunderbird

The story: Colonel Wilma Deering feat. Ford Thunderbird

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Engine 4.2-liter V8 Horsepower 115 hp Torque 191 lb-ft 0-60 14 seconds (estimated)

Ah, Colonel Wilma Deering, so ably portrayed by actress Erin Gray. In 1980, posters of the lovely Colonel from the science fiction series Buck Rogers in the 25th Century featured on a lot of teenagers’ bedroom walls, all around the world. So Ford contracted Gray to help them sell the lumpy Thunderbird.

At the time, the Thunderbird, powered by a 115-hp V8 engine (a five-liter V8 with 131 hp was optionally available), featured all kinds of futuristic technology. Like a keyless, push-button entry system, and funky digital instrumentation. Right up Colonel Deering’s alley.

6 Mercedes-Benz

The story: Weird Al Yankovic impresses some wannabe gangsters

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Engine 4.0-liter, twin-turbocharged V8 Horsepower 476 hp Torque 479 lb-ft 0-60 4.1 seconds

Weird Al Yankovic is quite a character, and there’s even an award-winning film about his illustrious life. He first rose to fame after he turned hit songs into his own parody versions. In this commercial, the controversial musician, who has also written books and appeared in countless productions and specials and was even a guest editor for Mad magazine, shows some young wannabe gangsters how to really impress the ladies. Driving a Mercedes-AMG, and decked out in all types of Mercedes memorabilia, Weird Al Yankovic seems, weirdly, like the perfect celebrity for the job.

5 Frank Sinatra

The story: Frank Sinatra takes a drive. And sings a song.

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Engine 5.2-liter V8 Horsepower 140 hp Torque 240 lb-ft 0-60 13.1 seconds (estimated)

The Chrysler Imperial has an illustrious history, with the first model making its debut as far back as 1926. In 1955, Chrysler decided to make the Imperial a stand-alone brand with a clear plan for the Imperial to become a higher-end luxury brand. Much like Toyota would later go on to do with the Lexus brand. By all accounts, it seems that the marketing drive behind the new high-end marque was not sufficient to distinguish an Imperial from lesser Chrysler models, and by the early 80s the Imperial brand, as a stand-alone entity, was discontinued.

The Imperial name was revived in 1981 with a new, luxurious two-door coupe. Called the Chrysler Imperial, famous singer Frank Sinatra featured in the television commercial. The Imperial’s V8 engine came standard with fuel injection, and could do more than 100 mph. By 1983, though, it was clear that not even Sinatra’s star power could sway buyers the Imperial’s way, and it was discontinued.

4 Volvo FM

The story: Action hero Jean-Claude Van Damme takes a split decision

Volvo Trucks

Engine 12.8-liter, turbocharged, inline-6 diesel Horsepower 500 hp Torque 1,838 lb-ft 0-60 N/A

Volvo Trucks launched its new FM range in 2013. It came with a range of engines that peaked at 500 hp, and a number of technological innovations. One of these systems was dynamic steering response (DSR), which provides additional steering stability in adverse conditions, such as when negotiating strong cross winds, or uneven road surfaces. To show how smartly the computer can control the steering system, Volvo recruited action hero star Van Damme to perform a split… while suspended between two trucks, while they are reversing. The commercial is famously known as ‘Epic Split.’

3 Dodge Challenger

The story: George Washington squares off against the English Army

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Engine 6.1-liter HEMI V8 Horsepower 425 hp Torque 420 lb-ft 0-60 5.2 seconds

When Dodge introduced the third generation Challenger in 2008, it came with more than 400 grumpy American horses under the hood, and plenty of heritage.

So Dodge decided to play on the Challenger’s celebrated heritage when it produced the television commercial for the latest incarnation. It did so by adding a dab of ‘George Washington’, and a skirmish with some English soldiers. It’s all Stars and Stripes, big V8s howling. Best viewed on Independence Day.

2 Jaguar F-Type R

The story: Tom Hiddleston, Ben Kingsley, and Mark Strong go mad on power

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Engine 5.0-liter, supercharged V8 Horsepower 550 hp Torque 500 lb-ft 0-60 4 seconds

Oh, the good old days, when Jaguar was about class and power. Lots of power. And not so much about weird, colorful characters running around on a set that looks like it came straight out of a Teletubbies episode, as depicted in a controversial advertisement in 2024. In this promotional video, Jaguar gathered three famous English actors to portray ‘the bad guys’. Tom Hiddleston, Ben Kingsley, and Mark Strong are all after one thing: power. And that is, of course, where the 550-hp Jaguar F-Type R comes into the picture. We sure miss these good old Jaguar days!

1 BMW M5

The story: Madonna gets nasty. Madonna gets a lesson.

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Engine 5.0-liter V8 Horsepower 400 hp Torque 369 lb-ft 0-60 5.3 seconds

In 2001, BMW created a series of short films called The Hire. Each video, tailor-made for the internet, starred one of BMW’s cars, and was directed by a Hollywood great. The series was so popular, it continued for years, with the last video making its debut in 2016. These videos featured a number of star actors too, and directors such as John Woo, Tony Scott and Guy Ritchie.

The 2001 BMW M5 short film, simply named ‘Star’, was directed by Guy Ritchie. This is arguably the best automotive commercial ever made, featuring pop star Madonna (Ritchie’s partner at the time), as well as actor Clive Owen. In the film, driver Owen is tasked with transporting a rude and unpleasant star to the next venue. It starts off calmly enough, but when Madonna insists that the driver step on it, Owen obliges by unleashing the E39 M5’s 400 hp V8. The result is one of the greatest action driving scenes ever filmed, featuring realistic driving sequences without computer-generated imagery spoiling the fun.

The short film is filmed with typical Ritchie flair. Real BMW M5s were used for the action driving scenes. The famous ‘jump’ was real too, using a BMW M5 fitted with some additional safety features. However, we suspect that the jump car did not make it onto the BMW showroom floor after the filming was completed.