What Are the Best Movie Cars of All Time?
Some cars are as big a part of a movie as the actors. But what cars from movies are the best of all time?
Written by Andrew Koole
Reviewed by Kathleen Flear
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Cars have been in the
movies
for a very long time, but some play a bigger role than others. You could argue that a few even steal the show from the humans in their stories. It doesn’t take style or power for a car to be one of the "best" cars in film, although these things play their roles at times. The best cars are the ones you remember long after the credits roll, the ones that their stories can’t live without.
Obviously, choosing the ultimate movie car is a subjective task, but the following are the vehicles that help make their movies the classics that they are. Without them, their stories would probably be forgotten—thanks to them, these films will be
fan-favorites
forever.Classic movies remembered for their classic cars
There are car movies, and then there are movie cars. Car movies like Transformers, Gone in 60 Seconds, and the Fast & Furious franchise are filled with amazing vehicles, and often, the cars are 90% of the reason we enjoy watching them. But car movies don’t necessarily make the best movie cars.
There are exceptions, though, and the most success comes when filmmakers find the right balance between jaw-dropping
sports cars
and a story that keeps us on the edges of our seats. James Bond movies are good examples, and the ‘64 Aston Martin DB5 Sean Connery drives in Goldfinger and Thunderball is one car that will go down in history as one of the best, not to mention the ‘76 Lotus Esprit in The Spy Who Loved Me that Tesla’s Elon Musk now owns.
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Cars that help make their movies great
MORE: Tom Hanks Is Auctioning off His Collection of Vehicles, Including His Movie Trailer
As we are seeing in this year’s classic car auction sales, the thing that makes a car great is often in the eye of the beholder. The same thing can be said about films, but sometimes the two concepts come together in a way that’s undeniable.
The DeLorean in Back to the Future could not be a more perfect example of this. The movie and the car would not be what they are to us if the writers had gone with their original idea of having Doc and Marty travel through time using a refrigerator.
Some of the best movie cars stand out for being anything but cool. The rusted-out Ford Gran Torino in The Big Lebowski, the "dogged-up" Ford Econoline in Dumb and Dumber, and Chevy Chase’s Ford LTD Country Squire in National Lampoon’s Vacation are good examples.
Could there be a greatest movie car of all time?
MORE: How 'Fast & Furious' Movies Make Drivers Feel More Connected With Their Cars
We all have our preferences on car models and movie genres, but some movies, and some cars, are just better than others.
I can only think of one car-and-movie combo that has it all: the "cool" factor, the central role, and the emotional moment at the film’s climax that cements the car and the story into our memories. It’s the 1985 Modena GT Spyder California in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.
The "replicar" Ferrari (as
Popular Mechanics
puts it) does everything a car movie needs to do. It means something different to so many characters throughout the story: the American Dream for its owner, Cameron’s father; emptiness and fear for Cameron; life, opportunity, and escape for Ferris. But the moment it’s sacrificed through the lifted garage window is the moment of redemption in the story. I don’t know of another story that hinges so heavily on four wheels.
Plus—it’s a friggin’ Ferrari!
Owning a classic car
Whether Ferris, Sloane, and Cameron’s Ferrari-powered joyride through
Chicago
tops your list, you want an over-the-top, one-of-a-kind item like the Batmobile/Tumbler from Batman Begins to take first prize, or you’re more a fan of something like the ‘66 Ford Thunderbird in Thelma & Louise, everyone has their favorite classic movie car.Often, seeing a beautiful car on screen will spur us to dream of owning one for ourselves one day. Classic cars are, on average, more expensive this year than most, but prices vary widely and no matter what model you choose,
classic car coverage
is much cheaper than regular insurance.If you want cheap car insurance quotes fast, go to
Jerry
. A licensed broker that offers end-to-end support, the Jerry app gathers affordable quotes, helps you switch plans, and will even help you cancel your old policy.Are you overpaying for car insurance?
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