Most Famous TV Show Cars
Jane Lu
· 4 min read
From foreign cars to American muscle, we’ve seen many
car brands
grace the small screen in over 70 years of TV. Some of these models left a bigger impression than others.From the Starsky and Hutch Ford Gran Torino to the Miami Vice black Ferrari Daytona Spyder, TV cars captured our imagination. Some of these cars were built from scratch, and others were limited editions or exterior packages for existing models.
The Batmobile, 1955 Lincoln Futura concept car in ‘Batman’
The only sedan to make the list appeared on the TV show, Batman. Bruce Wayne's alter ego drove a Lincoln, but unlike the one your granddad might've driven, his was a Futura concept car. One of many customized cars by George Barris, a Hollywood mechanic/body working legend, the Batmobile came from Italy.
Lincoln had updated its Mark II and in 1965, Barris purchased the concept vehicle for $1. In the few weeks that 20th Century Fox gave him to design the Batmobile, he modified the Futura with symbols, an updated steering wheel, and many other tweaks. But he left out air conditioning, much to the chagrin of series stars Adam West and Burt Ward.
Since the car began as a concept vehicle, the feature didn't help sales of that model, but it certainly didn't hurt the luxury brand. The original Batmobile sold for $4.6 million in 2013, not a bad return on investment for a $1 purchase.
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The General Lee, 1969 Dodge Charger from ‘The Dukes of Hazzard’
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Nearly every child of the ‘80s remembers The General Lee, the souped-up muscle car driven by characters Bo and Luke Duke. While their cousin, Daisy, did wonders for Jeep sales, the actors playing Bo and Luke often showcased the famed Charger.
Although there's only one John Schneider and one Tom Wopat, more than 300 Chargers, from 1968 to 1969 model years, got used on the set. The car became a beloved vehicle, appearing in pinups with Schneider and Wopat. Today, the Dodge Charger continues production, but it looks little like The General Lee.
Pro golfer Bubba Watson owns the original vehicle used in the TV show, dubbed "Lee 1." He purchased it for $110,000 in 2012 and painted over the Confederate flag with the U.S. flag.
A Pinto, Mustang, and Mustang Cobra II from ‘Charlie's Angels’
Charlie's Angels featured some of the first empowered female characters on TV. Sabrina, Jill, and Kelly all graduated police academy and went to work as private investigators for the mysterious Charlie. Each of them drove a sporty ride—a Ford Pinto for Kate Jackson's Sabrina, hard-top Mustang for Jaclyn Smith's Kelly, and Mustang Cobra II for Farrah Fawcett's Jill.
Ford landed the mother lode of publicity with this series that spawned lunch boxes, posters, and, yes, cars. The show became so popular that Ford offered an appearance package for the Cobra II to make it look just like Jill's. It sold 25,000 units—more than five times the company's expectations. It also came out as a die-cast miniature in 2013.
The Munster Koach from ‘The Munsters'
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You couldn't buy the Munster Koach off the Detroit manufacturing line. Barris also worked on this car and built the car body by combining the parts from a hearse and three Ford Model Ts.
He created the casket handles and spider-web headlamps from scratch. Adding red velvet upholstery to the interior, the vehicle became the perfect ride for the Munster family; an 18-foot-long open air hearse with a 289-cubic-inch Ford Cobra V-8 engine.
The Model T was already a collector's item by the time the TV show went into production in 1964, so it did nothing for sales. But Barris created an iconic original vehicle in just three weeks.
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