It’s a rare occurrence when a car steals the spotlight from Hollywood legends like Keanu Reeves, Chevy Chase, or Bill Murray, but in the case of these famous films, the vehicles may be remembered best. Here are our favorite movie cars, in no particular order.
Counting Down our Favorite Movie Cars:
The 1979 Ford LTD Country Squire, driven by Chevy Chase in Vacation.
Clark Griswold and fam drove in not just one but five different Country Squires through the original Vacation, as the car got battered and bruised through the epic road trip to Walley World. According to Today, the film’s stunt coordinator also bet he could jump the wagon more than 50 feet in the desert crash scene — and he won! Our fave scene: Whey they placed their deceased grandma on the roof.
The 1958 Plymouth Fury, aka Christine
She’s definitely the most sinister car on the list, but what would you expect from master horror author Stephen King? Christine is the film’s star, as she possesses her owner (played by Keith Gordon) and discards anyone who gets in the way. Fun casting fact: Kevin Bacon was up for the lead but decided to star in ‘Footloose’ instead. 23 cars were used during the filming, and it proved to be quite a feat as the Fury was expensive and hard to find – so other models were also used, including the Plymouth Belvedere and Savoy.
The Ectomobile, aka 1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor in Ghostbusters
Filmmakers originally wanted the ghost-catching mobile to be black, but filming it at night wouldn’t look great, so they opted for white — a choice co-star and writer Dan Aykroyd was happy with. He initially envisioned an old ambulance as their ride but found the perfect fit with this ambulance-hearse combo. Everyone in the crew was super careful with the vehicle, which actually broke down when they were driving it across the Manhattan Bridge. Fortunately, primary filming had just wrapped. “Looking the way it did with the logo on the side, you had to smile, you had to laugh,” Akyroyd remembered.
The 1963 Volkswagen Beetle, aka Herbie the Love Bug
Herbie had to go through a screen test for the Disney film, much like actors. Producer/writer Bill Walsh explained the process: “As employees passed by on their way to lunch, they looked at the little cars, kicked the tires, and turned the steering wheels. But everybody who went by patted the Volkswagen. They didn’t pat the other cars, which was indicative. The VW had a personality that reached out and embraced people. Thus, we found our star.” More than 20 Beetles were used for the production of the 1969 classic. Lindsay Lohan starred in the reboot of the movie, ‘Herbie: Fully Loaded,’ which came out in 2005.
The 1969 Mach 1 Mustang in John Wick
In John Wick, badass Keanu Reeves goes on a rampage after his prize possession is taken: his 1969 Mach 1 Mustang. Five of these babies were destroyed during film production, which makes us very sad. In real life, Reeves reportedly owns the much rarer version of the Mustang, the 1969 Boss 429. His first car was not as tough; it was a good old sturdy green-hued Volvo 122, which he drove from Toronto to Hollywood to pursue his acting dreams.
The 1981 DeLorean DMC-12 in Back to the Future
Without the DeLorean, there would be no time travel for Marty McFly and Doc Brown, thus, no big blockbuster action film. The car was chosen because of its alienesque, futuristic look, and by the third film, it was a main character in its own right. In real life, Michael J. Fox admitted not loving driving the 2-speed, saying it would take a lot to get back into that “hunk of junk.” Apparently, whenever the door slammed, he would get pushed into the flux capacitor, which caused various injuries. Fans disagree with Fox, as the DeLorean has quite the cult following.
The 1964 Aston Martin DB5 in Goldfinger
If you ask many people what the most iconic movie car is — they will say it’s the Aston Martin DB5 with Sean Connery behind the wheel. The car was so coveted it appeared in 6 of the James Bond films, as it was a vital wingman for the charming spy. The various gadgets added to the vehicle included an oil slick sprayer, an ejector seat, a machine gun, a smoke screen emitter, a machine gun, and a rear-facing water cannon. Did we mention it also had a champagne cooler in the armrest? Years after his Bond days, Connery purchased his very own Silver Aston Martin DB5. It sold at auction in 2022 for 2.4 million.
The Cars of The Fast and the Furious
The cars in the 10 Fast and the Furious series are arguably just as famous as the cast. From Vin Diesel’s 1970 Dodge Charger to the 1995 Toyota Supra driven by the late and great Paul Walker (that came from his own garage), the franchise is singlehandedly responsible for introducing JDM cars to a much wider audience. And to think it all started from an article about illegal street racing in Vice magazine! If you haven’t heard, The Rock is finally returning as Luke Hobbs to the series for the 11th untitled film. In yet another fun fact, the idea for the casting of The Rock came from a Facebook fan of Vin Diesels, who suggested him for a role. The two, engaged in a bitter feud for years, have mended fences, according to The Rock.
It’s impossible to name them all, but here are some more movie car favorites from our team:
5 famous cars from Quentin Tarantino films
Transformers: Rise of the Beast Cars
List of Cars from Gone in 60 Seconds
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