The 16 Most Iconic Cars To Grace The Silver Screen!

For the last few months I've been working at Empire Magazine as an intern. I've done a few film reviews (check the upcoming July edition for my brief appearance), a boat load of website work and another boat load's worth of sub-editing. So, the other day I was asked to compile a list of the top 16 cars in movie history for the magazine's upcoming spread on Fast & Furious 6. It turns out that I had so much fun with this task that I wanted to turn into a blog post of my own. So without further ado... here... we... go...

16. Little Miss Sunshine (1973 Volkswagen Transporter (Type 2))

When you have a dysfunctional family like the Hoovers there’s only one thing you need for a hit movie: a dysfunctional yellow VW van. Yes, the van gives the Hoovers a run for their money – what with its broken clutch, hilariously stuck horn and a door which marches to the beat of its own drum. It’s as memorable as any of the stellar actors in the film… and you wouldn’t be blamed for thinking of the van as an actual character in the film.

Doors are overrated.

   15. Transformers (1977/2009 Chevrolet Camaro)

As you can see here, Bumblebee has a wide range of emotions.

Arguably the best actor on screen, Bumblebee was Michael Bay’s saving grace when it came to the revamped Transformers franchise. Originally a VW Beetle, which would explain the yellow and black funkadelic colour scheme, Bay updated the car to a 2009 Chevrolet Camaro, which went down a lot smoother with rev-head/action-movie buffs.

   14.Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1961 Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder SWB)

Could you imagine Ferris Bueller cruising down the streets of the Windy City in anything but a bright red 1961 Ferrari 250 GT?

We think not.

And don’t worry Ferrari enthusiasts; Cameron didn’t destroy a real Ferrari in the film – just a replica. Yes, it’s still blasphemy.

Cameron's (pre)quarter life crisis begins.

    

 13. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (Customised Paragon Panther)

Wright brothers be damned!

If you go and ask your Mum, Dad, or even Gramps about the movie, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, you’ll likely get this response – “It had wings... and could fly!” Yes, in 1968 Hollywood revealed Caractacus Potts’ (Dick Van Dyke) flying car to the world through this musical comedy.

The movie was a hit, the car was immortalised.

And let’s face it, who doesn’t want a customised Paragon Panther that can fly? Oh shut up, greenies! 

    12. Ghostbusters (1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor)

When you have a bunch of misfits running around New York City zapping ghosts with proton blasters strapped to their backs, you know their car has to match their slightly off kilter lifestyle. Enter, Ectomobile.

 

The car was, well, a work in progress. According to Ghostbuster extraordinaire, Dr. Raymond Stantz (Dan Aykroyd), the car needed "suspension work and shocks, brakes, brake pads, lining, steering box, transmission, rear end... new rings, mufflers, [and] a little wiring." Yet while the Ectomobile probably wouldn’t pass an inspection, the car was a hit with audiences and was brought back for two subsequent Ghostbuster sequels... and even a television series in 1997.

    11. The A-Team (1983 GMC Vandura)

I pity the fool... who doesn’t recognise this ride as a shoe-in for this list. Sure, if a black 1983 GMC Vandura van was parked outside my house I’d likely call the cops, but isn’t that just part of the A-Team charm?

Free tires + naked Bradley Cooper = Jackpot!

"Don't shoot, I'm only a seedy van!"

Hollywood obviously thought so, as 23 years after the television show finished, The A-Team hit the silver screen... van in-tow. 

  10. Christine (1958 Plymouth Fury)

It’s 1957 and somewhere in America’s industrial heartland (try Detroit, Michigan) the Chrysler Corporation is rolling out a line of white Plymouth Fury’s. Here’s the catch though, one of the cars possesses a colour (red) and a (maniacal) mind of its own – enter Christine.

Bumblebee has competition for emotion range...

What follows is road rage of an entirely new breed… and a car which demands to be recognised as something iconic, even if the plot is entirely B-grade. 

    

  9. Dukes of Hazzard (1969 Dodge Charger)

How many cars are able to say that they kept an otherwise predictable, and dare I say dud (and offensive – see the Confederate roof!), series alive for six seasons? This All-American muscle car can. And not only that but it seems the iconic car was convincing enough to adapt to the silver screen – where we saw Jessica Simpson immortalise the stereotype of babes, soap suds and cars. 

Everyone likes a racist and offensive General, eh?

This car had a similar vertical leap to Michael Jordan...

It's good to see the Colonel found his way into the Southern party scene.

No words needed.

     8. Scooby Doo (Mystery Machine)

Even if the movie left a lot to be desired of, a whole generation of Daphne-loving blokes and Fred-flirting dames still went to see Scooby-Doo in 2002. And nothing says Scooby-Doo like the Mystery Machine, which offers crime stopping adventure for kids and a trip down memory lane for baby-boomer parents. 

I would feign sickness to stay home and watch Scooby Doo as a boy.

I don't like Freddie Prinze Jr. - yes, that's all I can think of when I see this picture.

     

 7. Starsky and Hutch (1976 Ford Gran Torino)

Red seems to be the colour of fun when it comes to cars in films, huh? Starsky’s Gran Torino agrees with this thought as the custom paint job made the car unforgettable in the 1970s.

How memorable was the car? Well ask Ford, the American car company had to assemble thousands of Gran Torinos after the TV show came out in 1975 – and then again after the movie adaption’s release in 2004.

The worst hair to ever grace the silver screen... ever.

I dig the white stripe.

     

 6. Dumb and Dumber (1984 Ford Econoline)

One day I will get me one of these beauts.

Hands down the funniest… and furriest… thing on four wheels. I can honestly say I spent too many hours watching this movie growing up… and dreaming of owning the ‘Mutts Cutts’ van. For you see, some young men get a car to help land a girl, while others get a van (which is hairy, has a nose and a wagging tongue) to relive cinematic brilliance.  

Whatever floats your boat, mate.

     

 5. Bullitt (1968 Ford Mustang GT390 Fastback)

When you land Steve ‘I’m as cool as the other side of the pillow’ McQueen to headline your action thriller, you better have a sweet-ass ride for him to hop into. How about a 1968 Ford Mustang?

Nice.

    4. Batman (The Tumbler)

As soon as I saw this beast I threw out my 'Batman Forever' toy..

Leave it to Chris Nolan to take the slickness which was the Batmobile and blow it up into a tank-like street dominator. Every man alive now beats his chest and grunts when “The Tumbler” rumbles across the screen! 

When you first see “The Tumbler” “The Tank”, you must be wondering two things. Firstly, how wide are the streets in Gotham? And secondly, why does Bruce Wayne get all the fun? 

Some people just do it better.

    

 3. Back to the Future (1981 De Lorean DMC-12)

This car, created by the genius Doctor Emmett Brown, has it all – a flux capacitator (don’t ask…), a larger than life remote control, the ability to HOVER, and a generator of some epic sort. Oh, and have I mentioned that it reaches 141.6km/h and leaves a trail of fire in its wake when it decides to go time jumping?

 Your serve, 007. 

Remote control? Check.

Flux capacitator... Shiny lights? Check.

Hovering? Check.

    

 2. Mad Max (1974 Customized Ford Falcon XB Interceptor)

What’s the one thing you need when you decide to make a dystopian action movie?

A badass car.

The Pursuit Special, driven at the outset by the escaped criminal, Nightrider, eventually lands in the hands of Max (Mel Gibson) – who uses the ferocious Holden Monaro to exact revenge on an outlaw motorcycle gang. The car was such a hit with audiences that George Miller reacquired the car when Mad Max II was made in 1981.

The only question left remaining is whether the original Pursuit Special will greet audiences again when the new Mad Max film races across screens in 2014? 

So is this what dystopian men dig?

     

 1. Goldfinger (1963 Aston Martin DB5)

If ever there was a car that matched Bond’s sex appeal and debonair charm – this was it. Even today you’ll find men all around the world lying on a shrink’s couch, confessing to the obsessive fantasy of getting behind a DB5. The Bond franchise also couldn’t get enough of the beaut; it appears in no less than seven of the blockbuster films. 

Debonair.

Copycat.