Make no mistake, we absolutely love Back to the Future‘s DeLorean time machine, KITT from Knight Rider, The Munsters‘ Koach and Dragula, and all the Batmobiles minus the Joel Schumacher ones. But for this round of cool-cars from the screens both small and silver, we want to hear about your favorites that aren’t the all-time greats. Not the usual suspects, as beloved as they may be. Give us your deep pulls. You know, stuff like this:
From the top, that’s the AMC Hornet James Bond corkscrew-jumps in To Live and Let Die, the Porsche 911 from Death Race (2008), Jim Rockford’s Firebird (performer of TV’s finest J-turns), and the hot-rod Fiat 500 from Lupin III–the directorial debut of Hayao Miyazaki. He’s done a few things.
So watcha got? Whether your picks are over the top (like the Damnation Alley Landmaster included in the top shot), super obscure (like the Italdesign Aztec from Frankenstein Unbound, also in the top shot) or just regular cars that are well-cast, we want to hear about ’em. And throw in some stinkers too, why not. There’s no rules.
See you in the comments!
I honestly love the Toyota Tercel Jesse drives in Breaking Bad. It was supposed to show how desperate he was, to be driving such a shitbox, but dammit I love those cars! Apparently I’m not alone, because when I see them for sale they’re going for crazy prices.
Shelby cobra 427 street version that was converted to SC spec minus the roll bar for the gumball rally.
A close second would have to be the Ferrari 365 gts4 from the same movie.
The Pinchcliffe Grand Prix
A Norwegian stop motion animation film from 1975.
The car in there is just awesome if youve never seen it, do a quick image search on Google for it.
This movie ran on HBO in the US when I was a kid, and it was the most incredible stop-motion film I had ever seen up to that time. And then it just disappeared into a cultural black hole, because none of my friends had seen it, and nobody I have met since then has heard about it. I even forgot that it was Norwegian, although I probably did learn that fact during a Google factfinding mission 10 years ago.
I’ve really got to see that film again.
The lore is that this film is what inspired Christian von Koenigsegg, when he was a child, to build his own cars one day.
The first two seasons of Mannix had him working for a very large detective agency called Intertect. He was one step away from being an international spy and he had an outrageous spy car. A George Barris designed custom Oldsmobile Tornado roadster. It was the epitome of 1960’s American car porn.
GMC pickup from The Fall Guy and Jon’s GMC step side pickup from CHiPS.
I can very easily and very succinctly recall the movie car that began my illogical love and lusting for bad ass whips… 1986’s timeless classic The Wraith, with a pre-tiger blooded Charlie Sheen racing that absolute gorgeous and tantalizing Dodge M4S Turbo Interceptor… boom… mic drop
The DMC understandably gets all the attention in Back to the Future, but I was more interested in the truck Marty was after,1985 Toyota SR5 Xtra Cab. That thing was soooooo nice.
There are a number of Fiat 500s in the comments, my choice is the one from Roman Holiday (apparently a 1937).
Buckaroo Banzai’s Jet Car!
Its probably somewhere else in the comments already, but the Jaguar hearse from Harold and Maude.
I really loved all of the cars in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul.
04 Pontiac Aztek
89 Grand Wagoneer
12 Chrysler 300 srt-8
12 Dodge Challenger srt-8
98 Volvo V7
98 Toyota Tercel
Even the 12 Ford Edge that Skyler has late.
97 Cadillac DeVille (both shows)
98 Suzuki Western Esteem
00 Mitsubishi Eclipse
00 Pontiac Bonneville
88 Chrysler 5th Avenue
73 AMC Javelin AMX
70 Chevy Monte Carlo
98 Jaguar XJ8
There was clearly someone associated with that show who had perfect taste in character/car combos.
It’s a shitbox showdown for sure.
And somehow the Suzuki Esteem captures my attention more than the rest. That’s a damn well cast car.
Johnny Gage’s 1968 Land Rover series IIa from “Emergency”.
and since we’re on the greatest television show of my childhood, the 1965 Crown Firecoach Triple.
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Not because the car is so cool, but because it’s so obviously implausible. The movie differs considerably from Ian Fleming’s (yes, THAT Ian Fleming) original story, where the car has a sort of intelligence (a ‘la KITT) and all of its special powers were not invented by Dick Van Dyke, but just appear mysteriously at the moment they are needed.
1973 Chevrolet Caprice Convertible — a.k.a. “the Great Red Shark” from ‘Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas”
“It’s your turn to drive.” I hit the brakes and aimed the Great Red Shark toward the shoulder of the highway. No point mentioning those bats, I thought. The poor bastard will see them soon enough.”
RIP H.S.T.
Also the 1971 White Cadillac Fleetwood Eldorado convertible!
“Now this was a superior machine, 10 Grand worth of gimmicks and high priced special effects. The rear windows leapt up with a touch like frogs in a dynamite pond. The dashboard was full of esoteric lights and dials and meters that I would never understand…”
“Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming “Wow! What a Ride!”
-H.S. Thompson-
The white whale.
The whole plot of the book is an auto journalist and his funky buddy traveling across the desert to cover a motorcycle race.
The movie does it justice, but goes a little light on the actual fear and loathing that the book portrays.
Not to be confused with ‘White Rabbit’.
Fozzie Bear’s 1951 Studebaker Commander in “The Muppet Movie, especially after the groovy repaint courtesy of The Electric Mayhem.
Chuck Norris’s supercharged Dodge Ramcharger in “Lone Wolf McQuade.”
Slim Pickens’ silver 1976 Thunderbird in “White Line Fever.”
The pimped-out Porsche 911 in “Bachelor Party.”
The 1971/72ish Malibu “commandeered” by Sheriff Lyle (and crashed through the roof of a barn) in “Convoy.”
Benny’s black 1972 C10, and especially Clint’s 1974 Trans Am, “White Lightning,” in “Dazed And Confused.”
Clint Eastwood and Jeff Bridges’ 1973 Trans Am in “Thunderbolt And Lightfoot.”
John Wayne’s 1973 Trans Am in “McQ.” In Brewster green. Swoon.
Rocky’s 1979 Trans Am SE in “Rocky II.”
Kevin Spacey’s 1970 Firebird Formula in “American Beauty” – “I rule.”
I’ll stop there, because I could go on and on. Even if I limited myself to second-gen Firebirds.
Joe Dirt’s trash Daytona was iconic for me. Real core-memory-forming stuff.
I’m also a big fan of Misato’s Alpine from Evangelion, I get excited whenever she drives up, and not for the usual Misato reasons.
Let’s see… I also made an emotional bond with Vanellope’s everything-cake car from Wreck it Ralph, watching them build it together was nice. I wasn’t super crazy about how it looked at the end but I loved the feelings behind it. The gummy worms were a nice touch too.
I’m sure there are a bunch more that just aren’t coming to mind right now.
Has anyone mentioned Chuck Norris’ van in the movie Breaker Breaker?
4×4 with a huge eagle mural down the sides, pure 70’s awesomeness
Or the movie Drowning Mona where everyone in the whole town drives Yugos
For a car that hasn’t left the driveway in at least the first 3 seasons, Ted Wheeler (Mike’s dad)’s G-body Pontiac Bonneville in Stranger Things.
I can imagine the salesman having showed him a 6000STE but he just wasn’t ready to move on from the Brougham Era yet. He can afford a fancier car (it’s mentioned that he makes a 6-figure salary in 1985) but doesn’t see the point, and for those who know what a Pontiac Bonneville had been 20 years before the show’s setting it adds a touch of “I used to be cool” to his character.
Rally Vincent’s 67 Shelby GT 500 from Gunsmith Cats. That made me love that car before the cult of Elinor ruined it.
The movie Black Moon Rising with Tommy Lee Jones and Linda Hamilton, it was based on a WingHo Concordia (appropriate since the car company is based in Quebec). I think it gets as obscure as it gets (Canadian car company with a chinese name in a North American movie). It jumped buildings way before the Fast series, lasers to mess with CCTV and H2 to boot!
Inspector Morse’s Jaguar Mark 2
Indiana Jones’ Duesenberg (from Temple of Doom)
Ferrari Daytona Spyder (you all know the show, how was this not mentioned yet?!)
The Morris, Austin, and Rover (P4) from All Creatures Great & Small (1980s edition)
Most current pick: Natasha Lyonne’s Cuda from Poker Face
I saw one of my all time favorites, the ’72 deVille from License to Drive was already mentioned. So pulling deeper, I’m going with Count Olaf’s 1960 Imperial Crown Limousine from the 2004 film: Lemony Snicket’s Series of Unfortunate Events. What a magnificent beast.
And for Anime, my favorite has to be Sweet JP’s space Trans Am from Redline (if you recognize this, you just heard the music kick in).
No mentions of the Tercel hatchback in Jay Leno’s action classic: Collision Course? I am very disappointed in you all.
I can’t believe no one has mentioned the 1950 Mercury in Cobra. One of my all time favorites: https://www.imcdb.org/v008701.html
And then there’s pretty much anything from Mad Max: Fury Road, but especially the Gigahorse: https://www.autoevolution.com/news/the-rat-rods-of-mad-max-fury-road-gigahorse-cranky-frank-the-peacemaker-145687.html
’87 Dodge Aries in ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’ is arguably the only hero in the film, and gets almost the screentime it deserves.