In Goodfellas, the mobsters all dove flashy cars to go along with their garish rings, french cuffs and horse-choking wads of ill-gotten cash. Of course, for those mobsters, flashy meant Coupe devilles, Mark IVs and New Yorkers. In more modern times, mobsters have transitioned, both geographically – coming now from Russia and other Eastern European nations rather than Sicily – and in their predilections for what constitutes flashy. The modern mobster can still be seen in a Continental, however now that’s a Bentley GT, not a Lincoln. Back in Vito Corleone’s day, the make wasn’t as important as the presence- the more ominous the better. Early mobsters also demonstrated a preference for closed-top cars with running boards, the better to loop one’s arm through the window of while spraying the surroundings with your tommy gun.
So, if you were called upon to do a favor for the family – I’m not saying it would be today, in fact the opportunity might not ever come to pass -but let’s say it does, and you need to pick the baddest, most ominous ride in which for the Don to roll, what would you choose? You can pick from any era- from Angels with Dirty Faces to Donny Brasco and even what appears to be the end of the line for non-fictional gangsters of the traditional bent- John Gotti. What car would you pick that would project the proper image of power and populism?
Of course, out of all the mobster cars in all the mobster movies, my favorite is the Alfa Romeo 6C that Michael Corleone drove while in exile in Italy. Of course both that beauty and Michael’s beauty of a wife  met an untimely end at the hands of his enemies. Let’s stick to cars that are readily available in the U.S. and wouldn’t stick out like a sore Italian thumb for your options.
So, slip on your dicky and double breasted suit coat as well as for thinking fedora and decide- what’s the best ride for a mobster.
Image sources: [IMCDB.com, Guardian.UK]