50 – 46 | 45 – 41 | 40 – 36 | 35 – 31 | 30 – 26 | 25 – 21 | 20 – 16 | 15 – 11 | 10 – 6 | 5 – 1
Honorable Mentions
This week sees the long-awaited release of the live action Speed Racer, starring Emile Hirsch, Christina Ricci, John Goodman, and Susan Sarandon. But we all know the real star of the movie is the legendary Mach 5. After 40 years, the Mach 5 makes the jump from animation to the big screen, and to celebrate, we’re counting down the most memorable cars of all time.
A couple of quick notes before we get started. For the most part, we’re only picking one car per film. Also, a car has to show up in a movie to make it on the list, so KITT and the A-Team van don’t make it. And the rankings refer to how memorable a car is, not how cool it is (that would be a much different list). Lastly, a special thanks to our friends at The Internet Movie Car Database for use of their screenshots and car data.
Editor’s Note: In light of an overwhelming audience response, we’ve moved the Mustang from Bullitt into the top 5.
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50. Chili’s Minivan Type of car: 1994 Oldsmobile Silhouette Special features: It’s the Cadillac of minivans. Appears in: Get Shorty On his trip out to Los Angeles, shylock Chili Palmer (John Travolta) orders a Cadillac from the car rental service, but gets this minivan instead. And Chili is so cool that by the end of the film, the Oldsmobile Silhouette becomes the “must have” car for the discerning filmmaker. |
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49. The Dude’s Gran Torino Type of car: 1973 Ford Gran Torino Special features: Nihilists hate it. Appears in: The Big Lebowski It’s rare that a car fits its owner so perfectly, but the Dude and this car are a perfect match. By the time the movie is over, it’s been stolen, vandalized, crashed into a dumpster, and set on fire, but nonetheless, the Dude abides. |
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48. Jack Cate’s Cadillac Type of car: 1964 Cadillac DeVille Convertible Special features: Doesn’t look like a cop car at all. Appears in: 48 Hrs., Another 48 Hrs. This beat-up Cadillac has definitely seen better days, just like its owner. What’s really sad is that even with access to Reggie’s stolen drug money, Jack spends 25 grand to get another beat-up old Caddy in the sequel. |
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47. Lane’s Camaro Type of car: 1967 Chevrolet Camaro RS/SS 350 Special features: Muddy Waters theme song, attracts French exchange students Appears in: Better Off Dead Lane Meyer (John Cusack) has hidden this gem under a cover in the driveway for far too long. But his hot new friend Monique helps him get it running again so he can get a taste of winning. |
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46. Fozzie’s uncle’s Studebaker Type of car: 1951 Studebaker Commander Special features: Custom paint job Appears in: The Muppet Movie What better car for a cross-country trip than an old Studebaker? Okay, so there are a lot of better cars, but considering that it’s Kermit the Frog and Fozzie Bear taking the trip, this car fits them pretty well. |
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50 – 46 | 45 – 41 | 40 – 36 | 35 – 31 | 30 – 26 | 25 – 21 | 20 – 16 | 15 – 11 | 10 – 6 | 5 – 1
Honorable Mentions
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45. The Van Type of car: Customized Chevrolet Step Van Special features: Tail fins, custom “organic” paint Appears in: Cheech & Chong’s Up in Smoke Imagine you have a van. Imagine it’s made out of marijiuana (just go with us on this one). Who do you get to drive it? If it’s 1978, then the answer is Cheech & Chong. |
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44. The Car Type of car: Customized 1971 Lincoln Continental Mark III Special features: Demonic possession, George Barris design Appears in: The Car George Barris customized this Lincoln for a film about an evil car that’s terrorizing a Southwestern town. And this car may look familiar to those who have seen Bender turn into a werecar on Futurama. |
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43. Kowalski’s Challenger Type of car: 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T Special features: V8 Hemi, good for playing “Ship’s Mast” Appears in: Vanishing Point, Death Proof The Muscle Car Era inspired a lot of car chase movies, including this one about a cross-country car delivery that turns in to a multi-state car chase. The iconic Challenger was also seen in Quentin Tarantino’s Death Proof, used in an exciting game of “Ship’s Mast” (don’t try that one at home, kids!) |
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42. 1973 Volkswagen Transporter (Type 2) Type of car: 1973 Volkswagen Transporter (Type 2) Special features: Bench seats, detachable door Appears in: Little Miss Sunshine The Hoovers have a few problems with their VW Bus: a broken clutch, a stuck horn, and a door that comes off. Writer Michael Arndt says that all of those problems happened to his own family on a cross-country trip while he was a kid. |
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41. Eleanor Type of car: 1973 Ford Mustang Mach 1 Special features: Can survive really, really long chases Appears in: Gone in 60 Seconds (1973) The original Gone in 60 Seconds had no script, and no real actors, and it shows. But none of that really matters in light of the 40 minute chase scene at the end of the film. That’s where Eleanor, the only real star of the film really shines. |
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50 – 46 | 45 – 41 | 40 – 36 | 35 – 31 | 30 – 26 | 25 – 21 | 20 – 16 | 15 – 11 | 10 – 6 | 5 – 1
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40. Milner’s Deuce Coupe Type of car: Customized 1932 Ford Coupe Special features: Legendary license plate number Appears in: American Graffiti George Lucas was a hot rod enthusiast, and this film based on his own teenage years in Modesto, California definitely shows that. John Milner’s 1932 Ford introduced a whole new generation to this type of old style hot rod. |
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39. Cobretti’s Mercury Type of car: Customized 1950 Mercury Monterey Special features: Custom paint, nitrous injection system Appears in: Cobra Apart from relatively cartoonish violence, Cobretti’s 1950 Merc is probably the most memorable thing about the whole movie. Sadly, the car is completely destroyed by the end of the film. |
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38. Tucker Torpedo Type of car: 1948 Tucker Sedan Special features: Directional front headlight, rear engine, padded dash Appears in: Tucker: The Man and His Dream In an attempt to start his own manufacturing company, Preston Tucker came up with a car with innovative features and radical styling. The company closed down amid fraud allegations, and only 51 cars were ever made, making the “Tucker Torpedo” a very rare and collectible car. |
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37. Flounder’s brother’s Lincoln Type of car: 1964 Lincoln Continental Special features: Custom bodywork and paint Appears in: National Lampoon’s Animal House While on the ill-fated road trip with Otter, Boon, and Pinto, freshman Delta pledge Flounder severely damages his brother Fred’s Lincoln Continental. But no matter, D-Day “fixes” it just in time for Faber’s annual Homecoming parade. |
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36. Charlie Babbit’s Buick Type of car: 1949 Buick Roadmaster Convertible Special features: Can be driven slow on the driveway Appears in: Rain Man This classic convertible is the sum total of Charlie Babbitt’s inheritance, after his father passes away. It’s not the same as getting $3 million, but the car’s true value lies in bringing Charlie together with the brother he never knew he had. |
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50 – 46 | 45 – 41 | 40 – 36 | 35 – 31 | 30 – 26 | 25 – 21 | 20 – 16 | 15 – 11 | 10 – 6 | 5 – 1
Honorable Mentions
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35. Richard’s classic Plymouth Type of car: 1967 Plymouth Belvedere GTX Special features: Can carry stunned deer in back seat Appears in: Tommy Boy Another road movie with a classic car, but this one gets more and more abuse as the movie goes one. They lose the top. And the hood. And a door. And finally the car catches fire. But at least Tommy and Richard save the company… |
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34. Shaggin’ Wagon Type of car: 1984 Ford Econoline Special features: Custom bodywork and exterior fur lining Appears in: Dumb and Dumber Ask Harry and Lloyd; there’s nothing like having a company car. Even if it does look like a giant sheep dog. |
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33. Bumblebee Type of car: 1977/2009 Chevrolet Camaro Special features: V8 engine, robot mode Appears in: Transformers Although previously seen as a Volkswaken Beetle, Bumblebee makes his film debut as a 1977 Camaro. But he’s sensitive about how he looks, so he changes himself in to a 2009 Camaro. What else can he change into? A giant robot, natch! |
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32. Charlie’s getaway MINIs Type of car: 2003 MINI Cooper S Special features: Gold bar hauling capacity Appears in: The Italian Job (2003) When BMW reintroduced the MINI in 2000, it was only a matter of time before someone got around to remaking The Italian Job. The action moves from Rome to Los Angeles, but the idea is the same; watching MINIs outrun anyone trying to chase them. |
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31. Cole Trickle’s race car Type of car: 1990 Chevrolet Lumina NASCAR Special features: NASCAR racing specs Appears in: Days of Thunder It gets wrecked and rebuilt, and sees multiple paint schemes over the course of the film, but that’s to be expected for a typical NASCAR racing machine. |
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50 – 46 | 45 – 41 | 40 – 36 | 35 – 31 | 30 – 26 | 25 – 21 | 20 – 16 | 15 – 11 | 10 – 6 | 5 – 1
Honorable Mentions
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30. Toretto’s Charger Type of car: 1970 Dodge Charger Special features: Blower, wheelie bars Appears in: The Fast and the Furious This is the car that even Dominic Toretto admits he’s afraid of. And what’s better than watching the body twist as the engine revs? But it’s tragic to see this car get wrecked (even if the blower and wheelie bars are faked). |
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29. Buck’s Pussy Wagon Type of car: 1997 Chevrolet C-2500 Silverado Fleetside Special features: Custom paint, spoiler Appears in: Kill Bill Vol. 1 Buck is such a sleazebag that we’re glad to see Beatrix kill him. And his ride is as sleazy he is, but at least it’s easy to find in a parking lot. |
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28. Garth’s Mirth Mobile Type of car: 1976 AMC Pacer Special features: Custom flame job, cassette player Appears in: Wayne’s World Wayne may be cool, but his best buddy Garth isn’t, although he tries to be. Garth’s car is the same way: it’s isn’t actually cool, but it’s really, really trying to be. |
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27. The Family Truckster Type of car: originally a Ford LTD Country Squire Special features: Faux wood panelling, metallic pea paint Appears in: National Lampoon’s Vacation The producers of Vacation wanted to create an example of a completly disgusting and awful station wagon. It’s ugly, it’s badly engineered, and it’s unreliable. In other words, it’s a typical early 80s American car. |
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26. Pursuit Special Type of car: Modified 1973 Ford Falcon XB GT Coupe Special features: Siren, enlarged gas tank, anti-theft device Appears in: Mad Max The last of the V8 Interceptors is the only Aussie car on the list, and it’s a doozy. It’s loud, it’s fast, and it just plain looks mean. But it’s also a cop car, which means Max gets to use it to run down evil bikers. |
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50 – 46 | 45 – 41 | 40 – 36 | 35 – 31 | 30 – 26 | 25 – 21 | 20 – 16 | 15 – 11 | 10 – 6 | 5 – 1
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25. The Mach 5 Type of car: Racer Motors Mach 5 Special features: Auto-jacks, bullet-proof canopy, retractable saws, tire crampons Appears in: Speed Racer The Mach 5 historically known for the Japanese animated TV show, but is now the star of this week’s Speed Racer. The physical version of the Mach 5 is gorgeous, and lives up to fans’ high expectations (even though the movie didn’t). |
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24. Louise’s Thunderbird Type of car: 1966 Ford Thunderbird Special features: Good for flying off of cliffs Appears in: Thelma & Louise What is it about Road Movies that require old cars? Probably because a cross-country trip in a luxurious RV isn’t that interesting. In this case, Louise’s classic T-Bird convertible symbolizes the freedom that she and Thelma recklessly pursue. |
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23. Pepe, the Little Mule Type of car: Customized 1982 Ford Bronco XLT Special features: Both bulletproof and fireproof Appears in: Romancing the Stone Now this is our kind of drug mule; four-wheel drive, powerful V8 engine, and easily able to outrun Columbian Secret Police vehicles. Plus it’s driven by Alfonso Arau, who was better known as El Guapo in The Three Amigos. |
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22. Greased Lightning Type of car: 1948 Ford De Luxe Special features: Auto-matic, System-matic, and Hydro-matic Appears in: Grease There are two versions of Greased Lightning; there’s the white one that the T-Birds modify and race, and then there’s the red fantasy version that they dance around on. That’s the one that shows up at the end of the movie, and can apparently fly. |
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21. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Type of car: Customized Paragon Panther Special features: Pontoons, wings Appears in: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Although never mentioned in the movie, the original book by Ian Fleming(!) mentions that Chitty Chitty Bang Bang had been a famous race car called the Paragon Panther. In reality, multiple versions were purpose-built for the movie, including a fully functional road-going car. |
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50 – 46 | 45 – 41 | 40 – 36 | 35 – 31 | 30 – 26 | 25 – 21 | 20 – 16 | 15 – 11 | 10 – 6 | 5 – 1
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20. Christine Type of car: 1958 Plymouth Fury Special features: Self-repairing, evil Appears in: Christine When Plymouth introduced the Fury name in 1957, it was essentially a sport and trim package on the Belvedere model. And the red paint and interior were custom orders; those options weren’t regularly available on the real cars. But what other color works on a demonic, murderous car – beige? We don’t think so. |
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19. Joel’s dad’s Porsche Type of car: 1981 Porsche 928 Special features: Annoys pimps, falls off of piers Appears in: Risky Business Joel’s parents leave for the weekend, and tell him not to drive his father’s Porsche, but he just can’t resist. But Porsches aren’t meant to be U-boats, and it costs serious money to repair the water damage before Joel’s parents get home. |
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18. The Tumbler Type of car: Wayne Industries assault vehicle Special features: Rocket powered, armor plated Appears in: Batman Begins, The Dark Knight They never could get the bridge to work, but this baby works just fine, according to Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman). In reality, four street-ready versions were built, and were spied driving at extreme speeds (one was also in an accident) in Chicago before the release of Batman Begins. |
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17. The Lamborghini Type of car: 1980 Lamborghini Countach LP 400S Special features: Scissor doors, spandex jumpsuits Appears in: The Cannonball Run If you were a teenage boy in the 80s, you wanted one of these cars. The black Countach that appears in The Cannonball Run is a standout in a movie filled with hot cars, and it doesn’t hurt that it’s driving by a smoking hot, spandex-wrapped Adrienne Barbeau. |
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16. James Bond’s submersible Lotus Type of car: 1975 Lotus Esprit Special features: Oil slick, rocket launcher, submarine mode Appears in: The Spy Who Loved Me This is the second-coolest car that James Bond ever drove (we’ll get to his best car shortly). It looks good, it handles well, and it’s great for a day at the beach. No boat? No problem! |
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50 – 46 | 45 – 41 | 40 – 36 | 35 – 31 | 30 – 26 | 25 – 21 | 20 – 16 | 15 – 11 | 10 – 6 | 5 – 1
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15. Eleanor II Type of car: 1967 Shelby Mustang GT500 Special features: Custom bodywork and paint Appears in: Gone in 60 Seconds (2000) Like the Lamborghini in The Cannonball Run, Eleanor stands out in a film full of hot cars. Her appearance has proved so popular that it’s contributed to higher pricing of late-60s Mustang fastbacks, and there’s now a cottage industry based on creating Eleanor replicas. |
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14. Ben’s Alfa Romeo Type of car: 1966 Alfa Romeo 1600 Spider Duetto Special features: Attracts older women Appears in: The Graduate, Wayne’s World 2 The success of The Graduate turned the Alfa Romeo Spider into a worldwide icon, and definitely boosted sales of the car. The car’s fame and longevity would eventually inspire Alfa Romeo to introduce a “Graduate” edition. |
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13. George Barris Batmobile Type of car: Customized 1954 Lincoln Futura Special features: Bat-phone, bat-turbine Appears in: Batman: The Movie Already famous as a star of the Batman TV show, the 1960s Batmobile made the jump to the big screen in 1966. This is probably the most iconic George Barris design, and it’s based on the Lincoln Futura concept car. |
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12. Charlie’s getaway Minis Type of car: 1968 Austin Mk I Mini Cooper S Special features: Drives on sidewalks, stairs, roofs as easily as roads Appears in: The Italian Job (1969) The Mini was already a popular car in 1969, but The Italian Job is what helped make the car a legend in Europe. That, and a succession of mid-sixties Monte Carlo Rally wins. Although Michael Caine and Noel Coward are the stars of the movie, the Minis really steal the show. |
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11. The Bluesmobile Type of car: 1974 Dodge Monaco with police package Special features: Cop motor, cop tires, cop suspensions, cop shocks, and runs good on regular gas Appears in: The Blues Brothers After trading the orginal Bluesmobile (a Cadillac) for a microphone, Elwood picked this gem up at the Mount Prospect city police auction. “They were practically giving them away!” |
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50 – 46 | 45 – 41 | 40 – 36 | 35 – 31 | 30 – 26 | 25 – 21 | 20 – 16 | 15 – 11 | 10 – 6 | 5 – 1
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10. Mr. Frye’s Ferrari Type of car: 1961 Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder SWB Special features: attracts joyriding parking attendants Appears in: Ferris Bueller’s Day Off Cameron says his father loves this car more than life itself. Ferris scoffs at his priorities, but does highly recommend picking one up, if you have the means. It’s a simply beautiful car, and fortunately the filmmakers destroy a mere replica, not the real thing. |
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9. Tim Burton’s Batmobile Type of car: GM Batmobile Special features: Turbine, remote control, shields Appears in: Batman, Batman Returns The 1989 Batman needed to overcome a lot of the camp baggage left by the old TV show, and the new Batmobile was big step in that direction. Although the 1960s Batmobile was cool, this new one was simply mind-blowing. |
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8. Starsky’s Gran Torino Type of car: 1976 Ford Gran Torino Special features: Mag wheels, custom paint Appears in: Starsky & Hutch The long-running TV show helped make this car popular, but it’s the 2004 film the qualifies the iconic red Gran Torino hot rod for a high rank on the list. About ten of the cars were destroyed during filming, and only a couple have survived. |
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7. Bandit’s Trans Am Type of car: 1977 Pontiac Trans Am Special features: T-tops, CB Radio Appears in: Smokey and the Bandit, Smokey and the Bandit II Burt Reynolds’ previous stint as bootlegger in White Lightning involved a relatively boring Ford 500. But this time around, he drives the outrageously-styled Trans Am, complete with the “Flaming Chicken” decals. |
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6. Ecto-1 Type of car: 1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor Special features: Siren, sliding proton pack storage Appears in: Ghostbusters, Ghostbusters 2 According to Ray, it just needs some suspension work and shocks. Brakes, brake pads, lining, steering box, transmission, rear-end. Also new rings, mufflers, a little wiring. But hey, the old ambulance was only $4800. That’s only about $10,000 when scaled up for inflation. |
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50 – 46 | 45 – 41 | 40 – 36 | 35 – 31 | 30 – 26 | 25 – 21 | 20 – 16 | 15 – 11 | 10 – 6 | 5 – 1
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5. James Bond’s Aston Martin DB5 Type of car: 1963 Aston Martin DB5 Special features: Oil slick, smoke screen, ejector seat, radar tracking system, machine guns, revolving license plates Appears in: Goldfinger, Thunderball, The Cannonball Run, Goldeneye, Tomorrow Never Dies, Casino Royale This car is as much a part of James Bond lore as is the Walther PPK. Sean Connery can be seen driving it in Goldfinger and Thunderball, Pierce Brosnan drives one in Goldeneye and Tomorrow Never Dies, Daniel Craig drives one in Casino Royale, and Roger Moore uses one to goof on himself in The Cannonball Run. |
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4. Bullitt’s Mustang Type of car: 1968 Ford Mustang GT390 Fastback Special features: Makes you feel almost as cool as Steve McQueen Appears in: Bullitt Bullitt may be the coolest movie by the coolest actor ever, Steve McQueen. So naturally, his car has to be cool, too. Two identical Mustangs were used for filming the iconic chase scene; one was scrapped after filming, and it’s rumored that the surviving car has been stored in a barn in the Ohio River Valley. |
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3. The General Lee Type of car: 1969 Dodge Charger Special features: Extensive race modifications, musical horn Appears in: The Dukes of Hazzard Dumb movie, dumb TV show, awesome car. The General Lee is proof that you can keep a TV show on the air for 6 seasons simply based on the popularity of a single car (and Catherine Bach in tight shorts). Like some other cars on this list, the General was mainly known for TV, but found regained popularity when jumping to the big screen. |
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2. Herbie Type of car: 1963 Model 117 Volkswagen Type 1 (Beetle) Special features: Ultimate cruise control Appears in: The Love Bug, Herbie Rides Again, Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo, Herbie Goes Bananas, Herbie: Fully Loaded The 1968 Disney film The Love Bug was partly inspired by and helped push along the Beetle craze in the 1960s. The little grey race car with a lot of personality has since gone on to star in 4 sequels and a TV movie, with co-stars ranging from Bruce Campbell to Lindsay Lohan. Why is Herbie at #2 on this list? Try finding someone who doesn’t know who Herbie is. |
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1. Doc Brown’s De Lorean Type of car: 1981 De Lorean DMC-12 Special features: Flux capacitor, remote control, hover conversion, Mr. Fusion generator Appears in: Back to the Future, Back to the Future Part II, Back to the Future Part III The Back to the Future movies were all blockbusters, and were all based around one thing – a De Lorean-turned-time machine invented by the eccentric Doctor Emmett Brown (Christopher Lloyd). |
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50 – 46 | 45 – 41 | 40 – 36 | 35 – 31 | 30 – 26 | 25 – 21 | 20 – 16 | 15 – 11 | 10 – 6 | 5 – 1
Honorable Mentions
As we put together this list, we came up with enough cars to fill a good-sized parking structure. And so that you don’t think we simply forgot them, we’ve put together this list of cars that may not be as well-known as the cars in the previous list, but still deserve an honorable mention.
