The Best Ever TV & Movie Cars
The peak years of seminal TV and movie cars were the 1970s and 1980s. But where did the whole idea of the car being the star of the screen begin? And which cars make the Best Ever TV & Movie Car list? Take a journey with us through the decades…
The 1960s : Batmobiles, Bond & Bullitts
Looking back to the 60s, two big US TV shows both featured one-off custom cars alongside the human stars.
Monkee magic & Batman
The Monkees pop band had loads of fun in their unique Monkeemobile, while superhero Batman had the original Batmobile parked ready to go in his batcave.
Batman’s first (and most famous) of all the Batmobiles was actually based on a one-off prototype Lincoln Futura. This was modified with longer ‘batwing’ fins and wider round wheel arches. There was even a jet pipe at the back. And that’s what made it the classic Batmobile.
And did you know: the screen car was so popular that it featured in the original comic strip after being on the TV show!
Distinctly Bond
Possibly the most iconic film car of all time is the original silver-grey James Bond Aston Martin DB5 that first featured in Goldfinger in 1964. Being stylish, exclusive and very cool the DB5 was perfect for a top British secret agent.
The car was packed with trademark 007 gadgets and gizmos. Passenger ejector seat, machine guns behind the front lights and handy revolving multiple number plates. The DB5 has returned to star alongside many different Bond actors over the years.
As cool as the McQueen
Meanwhile over the other side of the pond, American ‘King of Cool’ Steve McQueen was playing cop Frank Bullitt. The hard-hitting detective is forever associated with his dark green Ford Mustang GT muscle car.
The movie ‘Bullitt’ features probably the longest and most famous movie car chase scene of all time. The tense pursuit between Bullitt’s Ford Mustang and a black Dodge Charger through the streets of San Francisco set the standard for many years to come. It also made the 1968 Ford Mustang almost as cool as Steve McQueen himself!
The 1970s : Car Chases & Star Cars
Bo, Luke, Daisy & the General Lee
The prime era of the late 70s started the phenomenon of the car becoming a bigger star than the actors. Let’s face it, you can’t recall any of the names of the actors in US TV comedy-action show ‘The Dukes of Hazzard’, but you sure know the ‘General Lee’ car!
Cousins Bo and Luke Duke were ‘loveable rogues’ whose adventures always attracted the attention of corrupt politician Boss Hogg and the local Sheriffs. Fortunately the Dukes’ trusty orange Dodge Charger ‘General Lee’ can always be relied on to get them out of trouble.
It is thought that as many as 300 cars were destroyed filming spectacular stunts over the years. So it is amazing that enough Dodge Chargers still survive today to be enjoyed as one of the Into The Blue movie star cars that you can drive!
All about the car chases
No self-respecting cop show on either side of the Atlantic in the 70s would be without frequent car chases. In the UK it was ‘The Professionals’, with Bodie and Doyle and ‘The Sweeney’, starring John Thaw and Dennis Waterman.
The Ford Motor Company was more than happy to supply their latest cars for use in both series – the airtime giving lots of free advertising. Over the years the Ford Granada, Escort and Capri could all be seen at the centre of the action.
Likewise in America. Ford supplied Starsky and Hutch’s Gran Torino in red with a white stripe, which was undoubtedly the third star of the show.
The 1980s : Superhero Motors, Supercars & Bangers
The most famous cars to hit our screens in the 1980s were sports cars modified to become superheroes themselves. Who could forget that stainless-steel DeLorean from the ‘Back to the Future’ movies which doubled up as a time machine?
And then there was KITT (Knight Industries Two Thousand). The highly intelligent, talking and self-driving Knight Rider Pontiac totally outshone David Hasselhof. Maybe Teslas and Artificial Intelligence are not as new or as smart as we think…
Meanwhile, back in the UK in the 1980s, the standard of character cars seemed to be going backwards. Del Boy’s shabby Reliant Robin van and Inspector Morse’s tired Jaguar Mark II looked a bit embarrassing next to the A-Team’s custom van or the glamorous Ferraris driven by Magnum, P.I. and Miami Vice.
The 1990s into the 00s : Slick, Quick & Very Marketable
Fast forward to more recent times… and the Fast & Furious movie franchise combines the best of classic muscle and modern performance cars to great effect. The films featured cars like the Nissan GTR, the Toyota Supra and Mitsubishi Evo, making them all instantly recognisable and very marketable.
So, if you’re feeling nostalgia for your lost youth or times past, then Into The Blue offers drives, passenger rides and even young driver experiences in many of the vehicles featured in this Best of TV & Movie Car list.
Check out the Muscle & Movie Car section for all the info and to get your vouchers.