Movies, by definition, move. Which is probably why Hollywood loves cars—and why we love the cars the movies showcase. Nothing gets the blood pumping quite like a good high-speed car chase, or defines a character as well as the wheels he (or she) chooses to drive.
Here, in ascending order, are (arguably) the Top 10 Movie Cars of All Time—Ever!*
(10) 1969 Mercedes-Benz Cabriolet from The Hangover (2009). What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas—or maybe just comes back a bruised, battered and banged-up to all get-out. (And that’s just the four lead actors!) As for this handsome example of Vietnam-era German engineering, well, it takes a bigger beating than any of its human occupants and still manages to keep its dignity. (Which is more than you can say for Zach Galifianaikis.)
(9) 2003 Mini-Cooper S from “The Italian Job” (2003). Like the movie itself, the agile British imports in this 2003 remake were somewhat larger, more high-tech and more polished than those in the 1969 original. Yet they still proved to be the perfect getaway vehicles, able to turn tighter—and fit through tighter spaces—than their bulky American counterparts. Perhaps this was a metaphor for the GM and Chrysler bankruptcies to come?
(8) 1977 Camaro from “Transformers” (2007). Okay, virtually all of this car’s tricks—and most of its personality—come courtesy of 21st century CGI. But there’s still plenty to love here for classic mid-70s muscle-car styling and raw gas-guzzling power. Heck, it was sure way cooler than the Volkswagen “Bug” featured in the original 1980s-era cartoons.
(7) 1974 Dodge Monaco from “The Blues Brothers” (1980). Cop engine. Cop tires. Cop transmission. Cop shocks. And a one-use cigarette lighter. Not to mention a killer roof-mounted sound system. Now that’s the car you drive when you’re on a “mission from God.”
(6) 1948 Ford De Luxe aka "Greased Lightning" from “Grease” (1978). It’s got overhead lifters and some four barrel quads, oh yeah. A fuel injected cut-off and chrome-plated rods, oh yeah. With a four-speed on the floor, they’ll be waiting at the door… You know that ain't no....Oh, heck, you know the rest.
(5) 1961 Ferrari 250 GT from “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” (1986). Best friends’ dads always have the coolest cars—not to mention the coolest garages. Both were put to perfect use in this perfect depiction of a “perfect day” in this mid-80s John Hughes classic. (Important Life Lesson: Never try to rewind an odometer by putting a car in reverse.)
(4) 1977 Pontiac Trans Am from “Smokey & The Bandit” (1977). Together, Burt Reynolds and this black-and-gold Trans Am ignited a whole generation of car-stunt movies (Cannonball Run, The Gumball Rally, Hooper, The Blue Brothers, etc.), not to mention the CB radio fad and bad porn-star mustaches. This would have been the #1 movie of 1977 had it not been for a little indie film called "Star Wars."
(3) 1968 Ford Mustang GT390 from “Bullitt” (1968). More than 40 years after-the-fact, virtually no one remembers the plot of this Steve McQueen cop drama. What people do remember—even people who have never seen the movie—is the kinetic, shock-smashing, transmission-busting overhill car chase that cemented McQueen as the premiere action star of his generation—and the Ford Mustang GT as car worthy of his coolness.
(2) 1981 DeLorean DMC-12 from “Back to the Future” (1985). “The way I see it, if you’re gonna build a time machine into a car, why not do it with some style?” And style the DeLorean DMC-12 had in spades—since it offered little else. But add a plutonium-powered 1.2 gigawatt electric generator, a flux capacitor, another 1,000 pounds of high-tech trunk junk and, as a final add-on, a 21st century hover-kit, and you’ve got a Dream Machine Buck Rogers could love.
(1) 1964 Aston Martin DB5 from “Goldfinger” (1964). Super secret agent James Bond has driven many notable cars over the 40-odd-year-long career, including a Lotus Esprit (The Spy Who Loved Me), a BMW Z3 (Goldeneye) and even a—gasp!—AMC Hornet (The Man with the Golden Gun). But the car forever associated with cinema’s greatest action hero is the Aston Martin DB5, first featured in the template for all James Bond films to come, 1964’s “Goldfinger.” Complete with revolving license plates, bullet-proof shield, pop-out machine guns, oil slick cannon, on-board homing signal tracker and, of course, a passenger ejection seat, the DB5 was popular enough to warrant a reappearance in 1965’s “Thunderball” as well as Pierce Brosnan’s “Goldeneye” (1995) and Daniel Craig’s “Casino Royale” (2006).
Want to Make Cool Cars Your Career?
If you have an interest in becoming a professional auto mechanic/technician, consider Automotive Technology training from WyoTech, the official technical school of the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA). For information on courses in automotive, motorcycle, diesel, collision/refinishing, marine and other specialties, contact WyoTech today!
* This list is restricted to actual production cars, not “fictional” cars created for specific movies, e.g. the Batmobile, Mach 5, etc.
Co-host of Spike TV's "Xtreme 4X4"
"At WyoTech, I received the skill set necessary to take me as far as my imagination will lead me."
Jessi Combs' motto, "It's not how big you are in the fight; it's how big the fight is in you," has taken her a long way...