The American love for the automobile goes beyond its use at drive-in movies, for drives in the country, or for trips to the state fair.   It is a tool indispensable to our way of life, and even to our way of crime.  This article surveys the use of cars in famous crimes, and tells a few gripping stories that have arisen from the pairing of car and criminal.

The Death Car

Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, the infamous pair of American robbers, were hiding out near Topeka, Kansas when they got information the law was onto their presence.  They stole a 1934 Ford Deluxe Sedan from the driveway of Ruth and Jesse Warren and hightailed it to the southwest.  A deadly cat and mouse chase ensued covering thousands of miles of backcountry roads, until a posse of six men overcame the duo with an ambush and ended their lives. 

The “Death Car” Bonnie and Clyde had been driving was riddled with bullets.  It has since traveled the country in shows and can now be seen at the Primm Valley Resort in Clark County, Nevada.  They purchased the old Ford for $250,000 in 1988, and it remains on display there to this day.

Getaway Vehicles

Bonnie and Clyde were by no means the only criminals that have come in need of a getaway vehicle.  Most often, getaway cars are used to flee the scene of a crime, usually a bank robbery.  Getaway cars are often stolen and, soon after the crime, abandoned in the hopes they will not be traced back to the criminals.   Sometimes criminals attempt to destroy the car to hide their tracks.  They might dump it in a river or set it on fire.  And sometimes the cars that criminals choose leave police and the public alike simply baffled.

In September, 2008, for instance, a Washington DC bank robber stole a minivan marked with large Stars of David and an ad for a synagogue on the roof.  He then used the minivan to rob a bank. "I don't know what he was thinking," said the mystified Rabbi who owned the vehicle. "He thought he would blend right in?" Remarkably, the robber did, indeed, get away.

Two young men from Toronto did not have so much luck.  In May, 2008, they robbed a convenience store and took off on foot.  They called for a cab from just down the road, but the police borrowed a taxi and went to pick them up.  The men emerged from the woods saying they had called a cab and were promptly arrested.

An even stranger getaway vehicle than a taxi was chosen by a man who robbed a bank in Washington State in September, 2008.  After macing an armed truck security guard, he ran into the nearby woods, and used an innertube to make his getaway down the Skykomish River.  The police even employed helicopters for the search, but the robber was never caught.

Chasing a Dream

Car chases have captured the affection of criminals and reality TV viewers alike.  The most famous chase in recent memory is that of OJ Simpson’s white bronco driven by friend Al Cowling. This was a slow speed chase covering 50 miles on I-405 in Orange County in 1994, during which Simpson reportedly held a gun to his head.

One of the more bizarre police chases occurred in 1995 when US Army Veteran and unemployed plumber Shawn Nelson stole a 57-ton M60 Patton tank from an Army National Guard armory and took it on a destructive rampage through San Diego, California.  The tank crushed several civilian vehicles before it bottomed out on a concrete freeway divider, and authorities climbed aboard, ultimately using lethal force on Nelson, who refused to surrender.

By Kimberly Alderman

Kimberly Alderman is a freelance writer experienced in copywriting, business writing, creative writing, and sales. She has worked on everything from screenplays and greeting cards to business plans and web copy.