Picture Car Glossary
breakaway vehicle
What is a breakaway vehicle?
Updated June 2026 · Revolution Picture Cars
Also called breakaway.
A breakaway vehicle is a picture car engineered with structural weak points or pre-scored panels designed to shatter, crumple, or separate cleanly on cue for a stunt sequence.
Unlike a standard stunt car that is reinforced for crew protection, a breakaway vehicle is purpose-built to collapse predictably so that the camera captures the correct visual result such as a door flying off, a roof collapsing, or bodywork peeling away. The extent of breakaway engineering is specified by the stunt coordinator and SFX team during pre-production.
Example
A door pre-scored to separate on impact, and glass swapped for tempered candy glass, let a stunt performer go through it safely at a repeatable moment. The panel is built to break once, so a second take needs a second build.
Figures are illustrative, chosen to show the mechanics rather than to quote market rates.
Where you'll see it
Built by special effects and stunts on prep days, and single-use by design.
Common mistake
Planning multiple takes on a single breakaway build. The panel or glass is engineered to fail once, so a second take needs a second build and the prep time to make it.
Related questions
- What makes a vehicle a breakaway?
- Pre-scored panels, weakened structure, or candy glass engineered to break, crumple, or separate cleanly and safely at a predictable moment.
- How many takes does a breakaway allow?
- One per build. Sequences that may need several attempts are budgeted with several builds, not with one and optimism.
Official sources
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