The world loves the movies. We are transported to another place while we watch them and many of us wish that we could live the lives of the people we see on the silver screen. We want their riches, super powers, personalities, and their cars.
The movies are full of all kinds of vehicles. The majority of them of every day run of the mill type cars and trucks that don’t require a further look. Every once in awhile a gem rolls across the movie screen and captures the attention of the audience. These cars aren’t always sleek and expensive looking by any means. Many of them possess strange and quirky characteristics but others are true performance legends. We gathered up 10 of our favourite cars from the movies and put them here for you.
Ghostbusters – 1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor Ambulance
American Graffiti – 1932 Ford Coupe Hot Rod
“American Graffiti” is one of the greatest movies about teenagers coming into their own in the 1960s. The fashion was on point as well as the sound track. The movie starred Ron Howard and Richard Dreyfus. The plot is sets on a typical evening in the United States with friends cruising the local streets before they head off to college. The yellow 1932 Ford Coupe driven by Paul Le Mat was an instant icon of the silver screen. The movie climaxes on “Paradise Road’ where the Ford Coupe lines up next to black 1955 Chevy. The two take off and the rest is history. Most people don’t know that George Lucas directed the 1973 classic and also that Harrison Ford played a small part in the film as well.
knight Rider – a 1982 Pontiac Trans Am
In both instances, KITT is an artificially intelligent electronic computer module in the body of a highly advanced, very mobile, robotic automobile
The original KITT as a 1982 Pontiac Trans Am, and the second KITT as a 2008/2009 Ford Shelby GT500KR. KITT was voiced by William Daniels in the original series, and by Val Kilmer in the 2008 series.The character of KITT (Knight Industries Two Thousand) in the original Knight Rider series was physically embodied as a modified 1982 Pontiac Trans Am with numerous special features such as Turbo Boost (which allowed quick bursts of speed or jumping over obstacles), the ability to drive ‘himself’, a front mounted scanner bar that (among other things) allowed KITT to ‘see’ (and a nod to series creator,Glen A. Larson and his “Battlestar Galactica”‘s Cylons), and ‘molecular bonded shell’ body armor, portrayed to be invulnerable to diamond headed drills, small arms fire, the impact of thrown objects, and even high speed impact with cinder block wall. The armor could also resist close explosive blasts although a direct hit could cause severe damage. A refit in the 1985 season included the addition of “Super Pursuit Mode” and a convertible top. The car’s voice was supplied by actor William Daniels.
Transformers – 2006 Chevrolet Camaro
The standout vehicle from 2006’s “Transformers” movie wasn’t Optimus Prime or Megatron. Everyone young and old know that Bumblebee is the king of the first installment of the Transformers franchise. The upcoming 2006 Chevrolet Camaro was tapped to don the famous yellow and black paint scheme. It was perfect for both parties. Transformers and Chevrolet received huge acclaim from the Camaro’s starring role in the film. To this day if you see a yellow fifth generation Camaro with black hood stripes you know you call it Bumblebee.
Smokey and The Bandit – 1977 Pontiac Trans Am SE
1977’s “Smokey and the Bandit” is perhaps one of the top five greatest car themed movies to this day. In the movie Burt Reynolds and Sally Field tear across county lines in a 1977 Pontiac Trans Am SE. The jet black sports car with the famous “fire chicken” character across the hood and its massive V-8 engine was the perfect platform for Smokey to drive while evading the pesky sheriff. The Trans Am SE has increased in value since the film’s release and has become collectors item that is sought after by many enthusiasts to this day.
Herbie The Love Bug – 1963 Volkswagen Beetle
Everyone in the world knows what a VW Beetle is. It is the world’s most produced vehicle and can be found in just about every area of the world except Antartica. In order to stand out in a crowd of over 22 million brothers and sisters you have to pretty special. Disney chose the Beetle platform for its 1968 production of “Herbie The Love Bug”. The film features a race car driver’s journey to becoming a champion with the help of a VW Beetle that has a mind of its own. The quirky VW battles against superior vehicles but conquers all of them with its crazy antics. The Herbie franchise quickly took of from there and several other movies, TV shows, and action figures have been released since. The most recent featured starlet Lindsay Lohan in a relaunch of the original film.
Dr. No and Skyfall – 1963 Aston Martin DB5
Ian Fleming’s James Bond character and Aston Martin have become synonymous with one another. Bond has driven Jaguars, Lotus, and even Fords but none can compare to the Aston Martin DB5. The British two seater has been featured in 12 of the Bond films to date including “Skyfall” and “Spectre”. The vehicle has been used in chase scenes, love scenes, and action sequences. Several of them were destroyed, some were modified with all sorts of spy gadgetry, and others were left completely stock. The DB5 is the famous Bond car by far.
Back To The Future – 1982 DeLorean DMC-12
This gull wing doored design rolled across the silver screen in Robert Zemeckis’ “Back to the Future.” The DeLorean DMC-12 was modified into a time machine by none other than Dr. Emmett Brown, played by Christopher Lloyd. Marty McFly, played by Michael J. Fox, is sent 30 years backwards in time while piloting the DeLorean as he is chased by terrorists. The DeLorean had already made a huge impression on the general public before the film’s release but a starring role helped make it one of the world’s most memorable vehicles of all time.
Gone In Sixty Seconds – 1967 Shelby GT500
The summer of 2000 theaters all over the world were thrust into high octane action with the release of “Gone In Sixty Seconds”. The films starred the likes of Nicolas Cage, Angelina Jolie, Giovanni Ribisi, and Robert Duvall. Cage’s character is a retired car thief named Memphis Raines who is forced from his quiet life to save his brother from his own mistakes. Raines and his crew have to steal 50 cars in one night and get them all into shipping containers by the deadline. The film contains a vast array of custom classics and high end exotics that are all boosted from under the noses of their owns. The climax of the film sees Raines steal a 1967 Shelby GT500 and put it through one hell of chase scene. The car’s name was Eleanor and to this day it has stuck.
The Fast and The Furious – 1970 Dodge Charge R/T
The Fast and The Furious franchise didn’t grow into the monster it is today because of the actors and their acting. It wasn’t the far fetched story lines either. The high performance cars of the street racing scene found in southern California made the movie. The 2001 film was full to the brim with Mitsubishi Eclipses, Honda Civics, and Acura Integras. Even the films “hero car”, a heavily modified Mk4 Toyota Supra was out shined by one car. That car was Dominick Toretto’s 1970 Dodge Charger R/T. This black painted beast thundered into the film with its stacked blown towering out of the hood. It was used in the final scene few scenes of the original film which include the famous drag race at between Dom and Brian. The car has been seen and used in every FnF film with the exception of Tokyo Drift. The Charger was already an icon of the muscle car community before the movie was released but since its fame has grown exponentially. When this car comes out on the screen in any form you know something big is about to go down.
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