Top 10 Greatest Movie Cars
Multiple cars of all shapes and sizes have played vital roles in all kinds of movies, some that are commonly drove on our streets everyday. The roles that these cars have played in famous movies have helped their manufacturers to make sales from the specific cars that featured in the movies. You’d be shocked with the number of people who chose to buy a Volkswagen Beetle following the release of ‘Herbie: Fully Loaded’ in 2005. Cars are an element of a film that makes it iconic. Months before a new James Bond film, car fans are talking about and debating what he will be driving as the anticipation for the new release builds up. You could say cars in some films play just as large of a role as the actors, or an even bigger role! For this reason, we have selected the most renown, most incredible and by far the greatest movie cars of all time!
10. Mini Cooper – The Italian Job
The Mini Cooper is one of the most iconic British cars in automotive history. It is crazy how many Mini Coopers we work with at our garage every year! In the movie ‘The Italian Job’, three Mini Coopers were used as an escape vehicle to evade the police in Turin. During the scene, the British icon cars dip and dive through a shopping centre, an arcade and even an enormous sewer. This action packed scene cemented the mini’s reputation in the automotive industry.
Did you know that the Mini Cooper was one of the first cars to fit an engine transversely? This was for the purpose of allowing more room for people and luggage in the inside. The original Mini Cooper dashboard was also simple and the body panels were thin, this made the vehicle also very light. With the vehicle being very light, it meant that the Mini was incredible for racing and became greatly successful in rally racing.
9. Ferrari 250 GT California – Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
Ferris Bueller’s epitome of cool was by far the 250 GT California and for many of us, it still is. Its intense italian charisma, gorgeous lines and its beautifully crafted engine are enough to charm any car lover. Just 4 years ago, a Ferrari 250 GT sold for more than $15 million, yes you heard that right! The sale of this car has gone down as one of the most expensive car sales in history. Ferrari’s 250 line of cars is one of their successful ranges in the famous brand’s early history. Besides the California, the most famous car to that iconic namesake is the 250 GTO, which stands for Grand Turismo Omologato. This car was build so Ferrari could compete in a specific race series. In 2013, a GTO was sold for a staggering $38 million! Incredible.
Ferrari 250 GT California’s are also iconic convertibles and have been seen in many pictures driving in the sun. If you do not own a convertible, please make sure to have a working air conditioning system in your car this summer. Having a working air conditioning system in your car prevents the need to have your windows down or to have regular breaks during driving. For a more enjoyable driving experience this summer, please ensure you have a working air conditioning system. For multiple years, AP Autocare has installed high-quality air conditioning systems and repaired air conditioning systems in the Bristol area. For more information, please refer to our air conditioning page.
8. Ford Falcon XB – Mad Max
In Mad Max, the Falcon XB was almost unrecognizable due to the extent of the modifications. Alongside the enormous supercharger sticking out of the bonnet, the falcon was coated in all black, with chunky tyres, huge pipe organ exhausts, and covered lights. Honestly, it looked incredible. The Falcon is a stalwart car of Ford’s Australian range. The Falcon today is similar to the Mondeo in Europe, except the Falcon has a much larger engine. In the UK, the most similar car to the Falcon would be the similarly V8-powered Holden Morano. Holdan Morano’s were introduced to the UK in 2005, badged as a Vauxhall.
7. Volkswagen Beetle – Herbie, The Love Bug
Competitive, mischievous, stubborn, but also incredibly loyal. Herbie is the only car on this list with a mind of its own. His appearance in the 1968 movie ‘The Love Bug’, helped millions to fall in love with the Volkswagen Beetle. Herbie, coated in cream, with red, white and blue racing, won countless races, helped to stop a widow’s house being destroyed and even falls in love with a Lancia Montecarlo in The Love Bug. Herbie last appeared in 2005 in the movie ‘Fully Loaded’ alongside world-famous actor, Lindsay Lohan.
The Volkswagen Beetle is one of the few cars that is recognised widely across the globe, as well as many other Volkswagen vehicles. That’s why here at AP Autocare, we specialise in the servicing and repairs of Volkswagen vehicles. Not only do we just specialise in Volkswagen, but we also specialise in 5 other German car manufacturers including BMW, Seat, Audi, Skoda, and Porsche. For more information on the exceptional quality German Car services that we offer in Bristol, please refer to our German Car Service Center page.
6. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang does not just look astonishing, but also has the incredible ability to fly. The car (or aircraft) is named after the noises that it makes when it coughs and splutters into life. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang has the look of classic car’s that roamed the streets in the 1920’s. It was constructed by actor Dick Van Dyke using an old boat hull and even metal parts from a chimney to cover the engine. Since it was a mish-mash of parts, it’s hard to nail down exactly what model of car Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was derived from. We do on the other hand know that the musical film had 6 CCBB’s made, one of which was road legal and registered in the UK.
5. Ecto 1 (Caddilac Miller-Meteor) – Ghostbusters
At the beginning of the movie, the Cadillac Miller-Meteor was a rusty black wreck. However, afer Ray completed extensive repairs, it became ‘Ecto 1’ and became a symbol of the iconic movie, Ghostbusters. It was capable of carrying all the kit Ghostbusters Peter, Ray, Egon and Winston needed to do their job properly. Ecto 1 is by far one of the most memorable components in the Ghostbusters movies.
4. Chevrolet Camara – Transformers ( Bumblebee)
Perhaps Transformers most famous car. The Autobot before it transforms is a Chevrolet Camara in a bright yellow colour. Its American muscle shaped body and bright yellow colour has transformed (pun intended) him in to one of the most renown characters in the movie. This car has a mind of its own, but only when it transforms, so, unfortunately, we can’t put Bumblebee on the same level as Herbie. Bumblebee is probably not Transformers most iconic character, that would belong to Optimus Prime, however, as Optimus Prime is a fire engine, he would not fit into this list.
3. DeLorean DMC – Back to the Future
Back in the day, the DeLorean DMC-12 was heavily flawed. It was highly underpowered, mediocre to drive and had a mish-mash mechanical parts from a variety of different manufacturers. Even DeLorean itself did not do too well for itself as a car manufacturer. The factory they built in Dunmurry, Northern Ireland was a year behind schedule and the workforce that they hired had never built cars before. This meant that orders took far too long to fufill.
Despite the inefficiency of DeLorean, the DMC actually look impressively cool. In Back to the Future, Doc and Marty used the car to travel back and forward through time, iconically having to accelerate to 88 mph to activate the flux capacitor. The car in the movie was heavily modified to be able to travel through time, but despite this reliability issues still persisted. This made the movie so very true to life, making the DeLorean DMC one of the greatest movie cars to date.
2. Aston Martin DB5 – Goldfinger (James Bond)
Quite possibly the most famous (real) car in history, and that is owed to its role in one of the greatest James Bond films of all time, Goldfinger. Bond’s DB5 had everything you’d want; gorgeous looks, speed and a multitude of gadgets to get you out of any difficult situation. The world famous Aston Martin was equipped with front-mounted machine guns, an ejector seat, tyre shredders, a bulletproof screen, a GPS tracker, an oil slick, and even more. This car is by far one of the most impressive to feature in the movies.
1. Batmobile – Batman
At number one, what other movie car would we choose other than the Batmobile? The Batmobile is the fictional car that is drove by Batman in his attempts to fight crime. The Batmobile has shape-shifted in different Batman movies but in each one has consistently remained cool, slick and the ideal vehicle for Batman himself. If you have never seen the Batmobile before, it is heavily armored, jet-powered and weaponised. It is definitely not a car that you would want to mess with. Additionally, to this, it even has its own garage, the Batcave, which can only be accessed through a hidden entrance.