The Fast and the Furious hit theaters with a vengeance on June 22, 2001, and introduced audiences to a crew of gearheads planning a few high-speed heists on their nights off, alongside the cops trying to catch them and the culture they were immersed within. No one could have foreseen that the likes of a few relatively unknown actors like Paul Walker, Vin Diesel, and Michelle Rodriguez would eventually become some of the biggest movie stars in the world, much less that the original movie would spawn one of the most successful franchises in Hollywood's long history.

Eight films, over $5 billion in ticket sales, and countless additional cast members later, and the Fast and Furious series is still going strong. The original film focused on Los Angeles street culture but by the third installment, Tokyo Drift, the franchise had set its sight on an international audience and was well on its way to the current international espionage plotlines that make up the movies today.

As the box office receipts have come pouring in, the movies have grown in budget and scope, with more movies and even spin-offs in the works. Established action stars like Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, Jason Statham, Charlize Theron, Kurt Russell, and more have joined the swelling ranks of characters, even as the untimely loss of Paul Walker leaves many fans heart-weary to this day.

But the stars of the movies have always been the cars, ever since the JDM tuners burst onto the screen almost two decades ago. Plenty of young kids who fell in love with street racing in the movie theater are now old enough to turn a wrench on their own cars—though the results aren't always as stellar as the movies consistently turn out.

20 Volkswagen Jetta

via Vtwctr

The Volkswagen Jetta that appeared in the original film, The Fast and the Furious, really had no place being in the movie and zero percent of the audience was surprised when Jesse lost to an S2000 at race wars. The front-wheel-drive commuter car may have had some ridiculous pieces of plastic bolted on (and may have been missing brake calipers, hilariously) but it was evidence, in and of itself, that a body kit does next to nothing for performance. Why this person decided to make a replica of Jesse's Jetta—and do a bad job in the process, no less—is a mystery. The fact that even the paint scheme is wildly wrong doesn't bode well for it driving anywhere any time soon.

19 Honda Del Sol

via Pinterest

At first glance, this car looks a lot like the S2000 that Suki drove in 2 Fast 2 Furious. That is, until it becomes apparent that this is a Honda Del Sol impersonating its much more respectable, much more legit big brother, the S2000. All it's got is a pink paint job with some fairy bubbles, a body kit, that wing, and those wheels. Oh wait, don't forget the brand stickers along the rocker panel—like they'll actually convince anyone that the Del Sol is the mid-engined sports car it should have been, rather than a re-bodied Honda Civic with less daily driveability.

18 Mitsubishi Eclipse

via Super Street

Of all the cars to choose when selecting a vehicle to make a Fast and Furious tribute car, the Mitsubishi Eclipse might be the most popular, and for good reason. Plenty of amateurs think the combination of a turbo and all-wheel drive on the GSX make it a potential tuner's dream—until they realize that the engine bay is a packed-in mess, the car weighs way too much, and the styling is a cheap knock-off of other, more well-known JDM products. Predictably, they'll then turn to ridiculous aesthetic mods rather than investing time and energy into real performance and end up with Lambo doors, a baby blue paint scheme, and maybe a Hot Wheels sticker.

17 Honda Civic

via Deskgram

"Built to crumble" barely covers it for this unfortunate Civic. Sure, the first film in the Fast and Furious franchise was a little bit misleading (opting for matte-black Civics that probably would have been the last choice for Dom and his crew to use during their heists), but even those cars are worlds ahead of this literal garbage heap. Cardboard, tin foil, duct tape, and mismatched wheels aren't typically desirable features anyone wants for their car and it seems unlikely this hatchback can make it down the block and past the first stop sign without completely disintegrating and leaving a pile of recyclables in the street.

16 Honda CR-V

via Reddit

Under the comedic exterior of this custom build lies a Honda CR-V. Built as one of the automotive world's pioneering crossovers, the CR-V has lasted to this day by being reliable, affordable, and perfect for hauling kids to soccer. What it isn't is a good off-roader or—in any way—a performance vehicle. But apparently, someone couldn't wait for the 25-year rule to apply to a Nissan Skyline GT-R and they just had to get their Fast and Furious Brian O'Conner on as soon as possible. Surprisingly, the build quality looks respectable, but one attempt to drift during a street race is going to lead to some quick crumbling (and tumbling) for this CR-V build.

15 Nissan Silvia

via Pinterest

Ah, the Mona Lisa of drifting—what could be better. Unfortunately, the car in the movie was an S15 Silvia, whereas this S14 example has gone into the route of stance over drifting potential. The sad fad of 'stance' has ruined many cars but most bottomed-out Civics and Subarus don't pull on the heartstrings like seeing a Silvia that can't actually turn its front wheels anymore. The model's clean lines, weight distribution, and reasonable power output make it a legit base for a performance build. (Domestic audiences have to settle for the slightly less impressive 240SX that still looks good today.)

14 Acura NSX

via CarThrottle

The groundbreaking first-generation Acura NSX makes a few appearances in the Fast and Furious franchise—namely, at Tej's garage in 2 Fast 2 Furious and as a prison-break getaway car driven by Letty in Fast and Furious and Fast Five. Honda broke the supercar mold with the NSX during the 1990s, hoping to produce a Ferrari-beater at a fraction of the price. The result is one of the most awesome products ever made, with input coming from the likes of Ayrton Senna and actual fighter jet pilots. Why anyone would feel the need to ruin its aerodynamics like on this car would leave Honda's brilliant engineers speechless; the factory NSX reportedly only increases its road-handling as it approaches 100 miles per hour.

13 Mazda RX-7

via Pinterest

Mazda's series of rotary-powered sports cars can lead to some long-term debates among car aficionados, but everyone can agree this one is a sad sight to behold. Whether or not you're okay with burning gas and oil at a prodigious rate (and frequent engine rebuilds), having a four-inch exhaust that has to sneak its way up and over a rear diffuser at the cost of scorching the rear bumper (and causing frequent bumper rebuilds) makes absolutely no sense. The owner needs to be more worried about actually melting his car, in this case, than they do about waiting for it to crumble over time.

12 Fake Veyron

via AutoEvolution

As the Fast and Furious franchise has grown and expanded, the plots and purview have ballooned into international espionage thrillers rather than the backyard tuning that endeared the original crew to audiences back in 2001. But as $5 billion of box offices receipts prove, no one's turning away from the wildest car movies out there and one of the biggest advantages of huge ticket sales has been the steady increase in appearances by supercars in the movies. In Furious 7, a Bugatti Veyron makes an appearance. As arguably the world's premier piece of automotive engineering, the Veyron making a cameo was only a matter of time. This Veyron replica, on the other hand, should be a crime.

11 Mitsubishi Eclipse

via Carthrottle

In 2 Fast 2 Furious, Brian and his childhood friend, Roman Pierce, end up in Miami being placed as undercover operatives in a highly questionable scheme to catch some smugglers. Tyrese ends up at the helm of another Mitsubishi Eclipse, though it's a later-gen model than the one that featured in the first film. Tyrese's may have been a purple convertible, but this Eclipse's owner clearly got the Fast and Furious bug bad as a kid. The ride height looks off, the stickers are ridiculous, and overall, it's a car that only looks mediocre—even when sitting directly next to a stock Honda Del Sol.

10 Honda Civic

via Stance:Nation

All the hours and dollars that went into creating this stanced Honda Civic just create another question: why didn't they buy a better car in the first place? The Honda Civic is, and always has been, a perfectly solid and reliable choice for a commuter or family car. Even if Honda has lost a little bit of their focus with the latest, excessively winged and cladded, iteration, the underlying framework of a dependable vehicle is under there somewhere—and at an affordable price. But lowering, tinting, blacking-out, adding wheels, and customizing the interior can rack bills up into the many thousands, with the end result being that now everyone knows this car's owner doesn't like to actually drive.

9 Infiniti G35

via Speed Hunters

While there are similarities between the Nissan Skyline GT-R that features heavily (in two generations) in the Fast and Furious franchise, this baby-blue custom job is fooling absolutely no one. A lot of work went into making this car look the way it does (which is bad, by the way) and even if the Infiniti G35 wasn't quite the performance vehicle of its higher-performance brethren, it was still a great car when it debuted for the 2002 model year. With clean styling, a powerful V6 engine capable of up to 300 horsepower, and nearly even weight distribution, it was more accurately an upscale version of its contemporary 350Z. This one has lost its clean styling, ruined its performance potential, and there's a good chance absolutely zero work went into the engine.

8 Honda Del Sol

via ricercarmods

Much like the Civic on which it is based, the Honda Del Sol is a popular starting point for many tuning and modding projects. At the very least, it offers the targa design that is a little more inspiring than a base Civic, even if it suggests a potential mid-mounted engine layout that is a bit misleading. And Honda Del Sols have featured in the Fast and Furious films exactly for that misleading element, tricking audiences into thinking they're awesome tune-jobs when they're not. But maybe this owner tricked themselves; from the pink paint job to the tramp stamp dragon decal and the huge exhaust, it's clear they're going for image over actual enhancement.

7 Toyota Supra

via Oppositelock - Kinja

The fourth generation of Toyota Supra took the world by storm when it debuted for the 1993 model year. With range-topping examples that featured all-wheel drive, a twin-turbocharged inline-six engine that would become legendary, and classically smooth styling, the MkIV Supra was the perfect choice for Paul Walker's Brian O'Conner to drive in The Fast and the Furious. With tuning, Supras can easily crank out north of 500 horsepower and their quintessential design makes them easily distinguishable, both in real life and on film. This one, though, has a terrible paint color and nicked-up, powder coated wheels. And don't even ask about that rear wing, which undoubtedly adds more drag than it can possibly hope to create downforce.

6 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo

via Japan Bullet

Much of tuning culture focuses on Japan's larger brands (Honda, Toyota, and Nissan) but there's a solid undercurrent that loves their Subarus and, to a lesser extent, their Mitsubishi Lancers (in Evo trim, of course). And the Lancer Evo is a car that has proven to be divisive among enthusiasts. On one hand, it's got serious rally history, a powerful turbocharged engine, and all-wheel drive. On the other hand, it's pretty ugly and Mitsu deliberately neglected to adequately tone down the rattly, bumpy ride from its competition spec. All the mods that this owner has tacked on seem pretty likely to suffer from a single drive around rough city streets.

5 Mazda MX-6

via Super Street

Recognizing this car's actual make and model can be a little difficult. Is it a Ford Probe or a Nissan Silvia? No, it's the lesser-known Mazda MX-6, which actually shared its underpinnings with a Ford Probe. Calling it the MX-6 as a means of suggesting it might be related to the MX-5 Miata was a sneaky bit of marketing (not quite as bad as if Ford had gone ahead with releasing the Probe as the Mustang, but close). Instead, the MX-6 had front-wheel drive and zero performance potential—and bolting on a mismatched front aero fender, a roof scoop, and a rear wing won't fool anyone, in turns out.

4 Honda Civic

via Super Street

Sixth-generation Honda Civics may have been the peak for the model. The exterior became refined enough without losing its simplicity while the interior took a step up in quality and the engine options became (somewhat) more respectable. Especially the sixth-gen Civic Si, these are some cheap, reliable, fun cars. But though they may be tossable, no amount of tuning and modding will ever magically transform one into a true performer. And even less likely are the chances of fooling anyone with a list of brands whose products now populate the inside, outside, and engine bay of what is still a 20-second car.

3 Toyota Supra

via deskgram

Perhaps the ultimate crime on this list is this stanced MkIv Supra. Most of the rest of the cars that have been tinkered with (badly) have been base models or cheap commuters that received the ricer treatment—even the other Supra could still clear a speed bump or driveway. But this Supra's owner has relegated it to the status of driveway decoration because it rides so low there's no way that pristine black paint will survive even a sharply angled approach at getting more than twenty feet from the garage door. The tragedy is greater when people do this to what would otherwise have been an awesome car.

2 Toyota Corolla GT-S Coupe

via OwlGaming Community

There's absolutely nothing wrong with a Toyota Corolla from the AE86 generation that spanned the mid-1980s; these cars helped solidify both Toyota's philosophy and their presence on the international market. But just about everything is wrong with this specific Corolla GT-S Coupe. The laundry list includes that ridiculous exhaust, the excessive wing, the enormous wheels, the roll cage, the stickers, the body kit—and there's probably more that this picture doesn't reveal. At most, this car left the factory with a 1.6-liter inline-four producing 112 horsepower for the US market, though at least comes from an era when a commuter car could still have rear-wheel drive.

1 Mitsubishi Eclipse

via 9th Gen Civic Forum

Once again, a Mitsubishi Eclipse has been ruined by someone hoping to get that Fast and Furious look out of their car. This one suffers from a terrible body kit that's complete with fake vents, a wing that would look more at home on a Hot Wheels car, and a crusty exterior suggesting this owner might use its all-wheel drive for negotiating snowy city streets more than they do any actual spirited driving. But the worst part of all? Those exhaust pipes that are barely visible poking out from the grotesque body paneling. This Eclipse is more of a winter beater and its probably got unseen rust growing to match its unfortunate color.

Sources: Wikipedia, Fast and Furious Fandom, and IMDb.