The Fast and Furious film franchise is a series of movies that turned the automotive industry upside down. The success of the films not only broke box office records, but also changed the way automotive enthusiasts looked at cars. Back in 2001, when the first installment hit theaters, a new breed of “car guy” hit the streets in the form of newly minted street racers. All around the world, people modified their cars to look like the cars they saw in the popular film, and racing culture hasn’t looked back since—almost certainly because of the franchise has garnered so much international attention.

But to say that “car guys” are the only to have benefited from the franchise would be a terrible understatement, as many women have turned to a life as gearheads. And when putting the pedal to the metal, they have given the many men who have made cars their lives a run for their money…literally.

Enter Letty Ortiz. Vin Diesel’s Dominic Toretto wasn’t the only hero behind the wheel in the first installment of the film franchise. Letty Ortiz, played expertly by Michelle Rodriguez, was just as much as an influence, if not more so than the bald-headed hero of the franchise. Because of Letty, many women donned platform boots and learned all they could about cars and the engines that made them run. That character opened the doors for so many of the other female characters that would add color, grace, and strength that only a woman can to a film and the story behind it.

All the female characters drive all sorts of cars on the big screen, but have you ever stopped to wonder what cars these women who brought these iconic characters to life drive in their everyday lives? Keep scrolling and you may find yourself surprised.

15 Michelle Rodriguez's Jaguar F Type

Michelle Rodriguez was born in San Antonio, Texas, back in 1978. Her rise to fame came at the turn of the century in the films Fast and The Furious, Resident Evil, and Girlfight. Her tough as nails characters and inherent tenacity won over many in the crowds that went to see her films and thus, her star was born.

Having worked on the Fast and Furious franchise, a love for cars was developed within her and she learned as much as she could, and as she acquired more money from her acting career, so did her car collection grow, which includes this awesome ride pictured here.

14 Jordana Brewster's Chevy Tahoe

Jordana Brewster's taste in cars is quite different from the cars she has driven in her many appearances in the franchise. Being a serious mother and career woman, practicality seems to be her main focus when choosing the cars she drives.

This Chevy Tahoe is just one of the many SUVs she drives on a daily basis.

She can often be seen in many paparazzi shots shuttling her children to and fro around town while running the many errands she runs. We just wonder if she sticks to the speed limit when driving this beast around, as her character in the movies certainly doesn't.

13 Charlize Theron's Mini Cooper

Charlize Theron walked on set of the Fate of The Furious, the eighth installment of the franchise--and what has been considered one of the best--and brought with her impeccable conviction as an actress. Her scenes are among the most intense ever seen in the franchise and the character's cold heart shines through with every scene...almost as brightly as her crystalline eyes.

But this franchise was not her first foray into car film culture, as she was also in The Italian Job with Mark Wahlberg back in the early 2000s. In that movie, there are many iconic scenes of her driving a Mini Cooper through some European streets. And apparently, she drives one of these in real life too.

12 Michelle's Ferrari 458

Michelle's tastes in cars seem to be a little more exotic than her movie character's. Pictured here is her Ferrari 458, one of the most prized items in her collection.

Usually, Letty would be rather comfortable behind the wheel of some imported and modified car in the early installments of the film, or even a backyard-tuned muscle car, but as the film progressed from installment to installment, so did her tastes in vehicles change, much like her paramour in the film, Dominic Toretto, played by Diesel. Muscle cars don't quite seem to make the cut in Rodriguez's personal collection, however, as this Italian stallion demonstrates.

11 Eva Mendez's Lexus LX 400H

Eva Mendez hasn't acted much these days, but at the early portion of the new millennium, she was in quite a few films, including the second installment in the Fast and Furious franchise where she played an undercover cop who may or may not have been "on the take" so to speak.

In 2 Fast 2 Furious, her character shined right alongside Paul Walker's Brian O'Connor and she did a great job in the role. 

She made a brief cameo appearance at the end of Fast Five and was the character responsible for bringing news of Letty being alive to the desk of Hobbs, played by Dwayne Johnson. In real life, she seems to be a little more in favor of comfortable and practical cars—very much like Jordana Brewster, as this Lexus proves.

10 Gal Gadot's Jaguar F Type

Yes, indeed...that is, in fact, Wonder Woman. But before she played the iconic DC superhero character, she played Gisele Yashar in 3 installments of the Fast and Furious franchise, showing up in the fourth, fifths and sixth movies.  Her character offered up a great dynamic for audiences as compared to many of the other female leads in the films.

She was completely different from all the rest, bringing a more refined character into the mix.

As it turns out, she had a love for cars way before getting on set and she's got a collection that can rival any collector's out there. This Jaguar proves that, I'd assume.

9 Michelle's Lamborghini Aventador

Not many people out there can afford a Lamborghini like this one. That's a fact, we're afraid. But after you've been a part of one of the greatest and most successful franchises in history like this young woman here, we're more than positive that she can afford the expense. And let's face it, she deserves it, as she's great at what she does.

Her characters are always great and her portrayal as Dominic Toretto's significant other has endeared her to us like no character before.

Letty's adventure and plight is one that we have pathos for and as an audience, we want this character to be happy after everything she's been through. Kudos to Rodriguez for the conviction she's brought to the role.

8 Gal Gadot's Dodge Charger

To fans of The Fast and The Furious, the Dodge Charger is a fairly important car, as it is the main vehicle of the main character, Vin Diesel's Dominic Toretto. His character actually has had his hands on many models of the car, but this car has practically become a character in itself in its own right.

We wonder if that was what influenced Gal Gadot to purchase one for her very own collection, given her attachment to the franchise, and her particular character's relationship to Toretto. But regardless, it is truly a fine car to have in the garage, if not one of the greatest muscle cars out there.

7 Jordana's Prius

Like we said before, Jordana Brewster's tastes for vehicles don't exactly go hand-in-hand with those of her character. Now, playing the sister of the main character, Dominic Toretto, she grew up having had years to learn about cars. Even their father was a mechanic, for crying out loud. A woman learns things in such circumstances.

And if you don't believe that, just ask any woman who grew up with brothers and she'll tell you.

In real life, she's nothing like her character, it seems, but that's great, because it proves what kind of actress she is, and by our standards, she's quite good, as it turns out.

6 Ronda Rousey's Honda Accord

Ronda is enjoying a fairly good start in the industry of professional wrestling, after an excellent career in the world of MMA. She is also parlaying her talents to the big screen and she has been in many films to date including The Expendables 3, Mile 22 and of course, the 7th installment in the Fast and Furious films, where she played a hench-woman and bodyguard.

This is an incredibly interesting story and it proves what kind of drive this young woman has.

At the start of her career, she drove a Honda Accord. To save money in pursuit of her dream, she actually slept in the car. When she started to acquire the money and notoriety she deserved, she autographed the car and put it up for auction. Pretty cool if you ask us.

5 Charlize's BMW X5

Many people don't know this, but Charlize Theron was actually born in South Africa. She was born in 1975 and only officially became an American citizen in 2007. But she started acting in 1995 and has a huge amount of successful films to her name. Some include Mighty Joe Young, The Cider House Rules, Monster, and so many others. She has won many well-deserved awards for her work. Her performance in the 8th Furious film was definitely on-point, as we've already suggested.

In real life, she appreciates quality, as her car collection shows, and as anyone who drives a BMW X5 will tell you, a quality car it definitely is. But that's only if you can afford the expensive repairs, but we'll have to assume that that wouldn't be a problem for her.

4 Devon Aoki's BMW 3 Series

Devon Aoki's brief stint in the franchise definitely left a mark, despite the fact that she doesn't have all that much screen time playing the character of Suki, a street racer, in 2 Fast 2 Furious. 

Her career blurs the line between model and actress, while some of her other film credits include: Sin City, Mutant Chronicles, and War.

In many ways, her real-life car choice is similar to the Honda S2000 that her character drives in the film, as she can be seen in many paparazzi videos on the internet driving around in a sporty BMW much like the one pictured here.

3 Gina Carano's Pontiac G8

A few years back, Gina Carano did a photo shoot for Maxim Magazine with a Pontiac G8 in the background of a UFC-style ring. Rumor has it, she walked away with one of those cars after the shoot was over. Pretty good payday, huh? It was seven years ago that Pontiac closed its doors after 84 years of producing vehicles for the masses. Many epic cars come to mind, particularly the GTO, which enjoyed some great years at the top of the muscle car game.

Gina Carano, an ex-MMA fighter—and a great one at that—was in the 6th installment of the franchise where she played Hobbs' new partner on the trail of the international criminal, Shaw. Her scenes were in fact quite exciting and her fight scenes with fellow star Michelle Rodriguez were amazing and have gone down in the books as being some of the most exhilarating fight scenes ever committed to film.

2 Gal Gadot's Mercedes E. Cabriolet

Talk about luxury cars. The Mercedes E Class Cabriolet is definitely at the top of any car collector's list. The E-Class comes in many different engine and body design configurations, but the whole group of cars is definitely top of the line, and there's no arguing that point, whether you like the car or not. We must call a spade a spade, dear readers.

As it turns out, Gal loves the car as well, as she's got one of these cars in her extensive car collection. And it figures, too, as the car is right up her alley, fitting in well with the rest of her vehicles.

1 Ronda Rousey's Cadillac Escalade

There was a time when the Cadillac Escalade was the symbol of "making it." After years of struggle, that's what you bought to prove your worth and newfound wealth. Back in the day, it was pretty much the same, only with a different model.

When Elvis Presley gained notoriety, fame, and money, he bought a whole bunch of Cadillacs and gave them all to his friends and entourage—keeping a few for himself and his mom, of course.

Well, we don't know if Ronda Rousey bought one for her mom, but we sure know she's got one of these beasts in her garage.

Sources: imperiya.by, latimes.com, and youtube.com.