The 25 most iconic film and TV vehicles

The Batmobile has taken many forms over the years, from its humble beginnings as a Cadillac or Mercury in the early TV serials of the 1940s, to the gadget-packed convertible in the Adam West-helmed ‘60s series, to the modern-day versions in the film adaptations by Tim Burton, Joel Schumacher and Christopher Nolan. The latter films utilized a “Tumbler” design, but the most recent iteration, in the DC Extended Universe franchise, is an even more elaborate vehicle that sort of combines all the previous versions into one super-deadly superhero weapon on wheels. 

James Bond is one of the coolest dudes in film history, which makes the Aston Martin DB5 one of the coolest vehicles in automobile history. First appearing in 1964’s “Goldfinger,” the third Bond film, the DB5, although not the original car driven by Bond, was the first equipped with gadgets like spike strips, a smoke screen, a revolving license plate, an oil dispenser and an ejector seat — and has since become the most iconic Bond car. Updated over the years, the Aston Martin DB5 was later featured in “Thunderball” (1965), “GoldenEye” (1995), “Tomorrow Never Dies” (1997), “Casino Royale” (2006), “Skyfall” (2012) and “Spectre” (2015).

The USS Enterprise is a warp-speed capable, fusion-powered starship, and the primary mode of transportation of Captain Kirk (William Shatner), Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy) and the other stars of the sci-fi series “Star Trek,” which premiered in 1966. The Enterprise was also the ship featured in “Star Trek: The Next Generation” (1987-1994), “Star Trek: Enterprise” (2001-2005) and every film in the franchise. Launched in the year 2123, the Enterprise measures nearly 1,000 feet in length and can hold 100 crew members and 850 passengers.

When solving mysteries, one needs a reliable means of transportation. For Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy and Scooby-Doo, that would be the Mystery Machine, a blue and green ‘60s panel van that features both its name and a few flowers emblazoned in orange on the side. Fred is technically the van’s owner, but that didn’t stop Shaggy, Scooby and Scrappy from borrowing it for their spinoff show. The Mystery Machine first appeared in the original 1969 TV series and has been used in every spinoff and reboot since.

Even saying the title “American Graffiti” usually makes people think of the bright yellow 1932 Ford Deuce Coupe driven by John (Paul Le Mat) in the 1973 George Lucas coming-of-age film. In the movie’s climax, John races Bob (Harrison Ford) and his 1955 Chevrolet 150. We shouldn’t give away the ending (even though “American Graffiti” came out 46 years ago), so let’s just say we probably wouldn’t be writing about the Deuce Coupe if it had lost.

“Smokey and the Bandit” was released in 1977, and the car Bandit (Burt Reynolds) drove was a brand new 1977 Pontiac Trans Am (although it was actually a ‘76 with a ‘77 front end). Given that Bandit’s role in the beer-smuggling scheme was basically to attract the attention of authorities and then evade said authorities — and also because Burt Reynolds was a total bad**s — the Trans Am became an incredibly popular car, with sales of the model doubling in the two years following the film’s release.

The ship that made the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs, the Millennium Falcon is a YT-1300f light freighter capable of reaching 0.5 past light speed according to smuggler Han Solo (Harrison Ford), who pilots the vessel alongside his Wookiee co-pilot Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew). Solo acquired the Falcon from fellow smuggler Lando Calrissian (Billy Dee Williams), who lost it in a game of sabacc. It was first seen in the “Star Wars” franchise in the original 1977 installment when Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) and Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness) hitch a ride with Solo at the Mos Eisley Cantina. In all, the Millennium Falcon appears in Episodes III through VIII as well as in 2018’s “Solo: A Star Wars Story.”

Bo and Luke’s pride and joy, the General Lee, is a bright orange 1969 Dodge Charger that features a Confederate flag on the top, “01” on the doors and a horn that plays the beginning notes of “Dixie.” Featured on “The Dukes of Hazzard” throughout the action-comedy’s seven seasons, the General was portrayed by somewhere between 255 and 325 cars, according to various estimates. Bo and Luke (and various other characters, sometimes comedically) had to climb through the car’s windows because its doors were welded shut — an aspect that wasn’t originally planned. However, while filming an early chase sequence, the original General’s door handle was damaged, and actor Tom Wopat (Luke) improvised by climbing through the open window. The move stuck, and the rest is history.

Throughout eight seasons of “Magnum, P.I.,” Thomas Magnum (Tom Selleck) was usually seen with four things: his signature mustache, a baseball cap (usually repping the Detroit Tigers), a flowered shirt and his Ferrari 308 GTS. Well, technically it was Robin Masters’ car, but Magnum was allowed to use it and any other vehicle in his duties as Masters’ hired P.I. Masters also owned an Audi and a GMC Jimmy, but the Ferrari was Magnum’s ride of choice.

People might think David Hasselhoff was the star of “Knight Rider” from 1982-1986, but people are wrong. KITT, an artificial intelligence-equipped 1982 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am, was the true star of the show. Sure, Michael Knight (Hasselhoff) is a skilled and capable FLAG agent, but when he got in a tight spot, it was his ride that bailed him out time and time again. KITT, an acronym for “Knight Industries Two Thousand,” was voiced by actor William Daniels (best known for his role as Mr. Feeny on “Boy Meets World”), who asked to be uncredited on “Knight Rider” because he was also starring on “St. Elsewhere” at the time.

We can’t see a station wagon without thinking of the 1983 comedy “National Lampoon’s Vacation,” picturing the Griswolds’ Wagon Queen Family Truckster and hearing the song “Holiday Road” play in our heads. After all, the bulky, avocado-green, wood-paneled car was a big part of the road trip movie, as it transported the family from its Chicago suburb to California’s Wally World amusement park. The Wagon Queen didn’t appear in another film in the franchise until a cameo in 2015’s “Vacation,” where it could be seen parked at the B&B owned by Clark and Ellen Griswold.

Based on the 1983 book of the same name by Stephen King, the John Carpenter-directed “Christine” (1983) is one of the only films in which the antagonist and killer is a car. A 1958 Plymouth Fury destined for the scrap heap, Christine was bought by outcast teenager Arnie Cunningham (Keith Gordon), who began fixing her up. However, Arnie and his friends soon discover Christine is possessed and boasts supernatural powers, including the ability to repair herself, as well as an unquenchable bloodlust toward anyone who harms her or her owner. This of course leads to an epic showdown in the film’s finale. 

When bad stuff was going down in the mid ‘80s, there was only one vehicle helpless civilians hoped would show up: a black and metallic grey GMC Vandura with a red stripe across the side. Waiting inside would be Hannibal (George Peppard), Faceman (Dirk Benedict), Howlin’ Mad (Dwight Schultz) and B.A. Baracus (Mr. T), four former U.S. Special Forces members who were court-martialed for a crime they didn’t commit, escaped from custody and became mercenaries. That was the gist of the ‘80s NBC action series “The A-Team,” which was turned into a big-budget film starring Liam Neeson and Bradley Cooper in 2010.

When there’s something strange in your neighborhood, who you gonna call? Ghostbusters. And when the Ghostbusters arrive, what will they be driving? The Ecto-1, or “Ectomobile,” a white, ambulance-converted 1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor with the Ghostbuster logo painted on the side. It was featured in the original 1984 film “Ghostbusters,” the 1989 sequel “Ghostbusters II” and also the 2016 reboot “Ghostbusters: Answer the Call,” albeit with a bit of an update. When that vehicle pulls up and Peter (Bill Murray), Ray (Dan Aykroyd), Egon (Harold Ramis) and Winston (Ernie Hudson) get out (or any of the ladies from the 2016 version), you’ll know help has arrived.

We wanted to include at least one bicycle in this list, and what better option than Pee-wee Herman’s bright red 1940s Schwinn cruiser bike? Basically the entire plot of the Tim Burton 1985 cult classic “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure” revolves around that bicycle, which is stolen and pursued by the titular character for some 91 minutes. About 15 Schwinns were used in the film, and one of them is proudly on display at Bicycle Heaven, a transportation museum in Pittsburgh that’s home to more than 30,000 bikes. 

Dr. Emmett L. Brown (Christopher Lloyd) turned an ordinary DMC DeLorean into a time machine in the 1985 sci-fi adventure classic “Back to the Future.” As any nerd will tell you, the most crucial (and cool) part of the DeLorean is the flux capacitor, which makes time travel possible when the vehicle reaches a speed of 88 mph — assuming 1.21 gigawatts of electricity is available. The second coolest part, of course, is the pair of falcon-wing doors. The DeLorean is featured in all three films in the “Back to the Future” franchise, and is primarily driven by Doc Brown or Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox).

Ferris (Matthew Broderick) had a point: He and Cameron (Alan Ruck) would never be able to spring Sloan (Mia Sara) from school in some P.O.S. car. But that doesn’t mean the trio needed to take Cameron’s father’s prized 1961 Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder for the whole day. But when Ferris Bueller has a day off, as shown in the 1986 John Hughes comedy “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” he does it in style. However, to this day, what eventually happens to the car is still difficult for us to watch.

A powder blue 1976 AMC Pacer with flames painted on the side, the Mirthmobile is the primary mode of transportation for Wayne Campbell (Mike Myers) and Garth Algar (Dana Carvey) of “Wayne’s World” (1992) and “Wayne’s World 2” (1993). It’s the car the duo lay on when talking about life and watching planes land, it’s the car used to spoof “Thelma and Louise” at the end of the first film and, of course, the Mirthmobile is also the setting of the most iconic scene in the “Wayne’s World” franchise: the “Bohemian Rhapsody” lip-synching sequence. Among other features, the car has a cassette deck, a CD player, a water hose, a stash of disposable cups and a red licorice dispenser in the ceiling. Party on, Mirthmobile! 

Hey, we never said the vehicle needed to be an automobile, spaceship or boat/ship — and there’s no denying that a magic carpet is, in fact, a vehicle. After all, Aladdin and Jasmine rode the heck out of that floating rug in the 1992 Disney animated film “Aladdin,” and the two even sang a song about it. With the live-action reboot of the film currently in theaters, we figured this entry was suddenly relevant again.

It’s easy to recognize the vehicles from 1993’s “Jurassic Park,” as they are painted in bright yellow, green and red hues, have the words “Jurassic Park” emblazoned in large letters across the side and are usually shown surrounded (or getting destroyed) by one or more dinosaurs — something you don’t see every day. A total of seven Explorers were gifted by Ford to Steven Spielberg for use in the film. And if you’re wondering how the filmmakers got their hands on autonomous vehicles in 1993, they didn’t; the effects crew instead figured out a way to stash the drivers in the SUV’s trunks. 

Before setting off on a cross-country trip to Aspen (“mmm…California. Beautiful!”) with his best buddy Lloyd (Jim Carrey), Harry (Jeff Daniels) was employed as a driver for a dog-grooming service and subsequently spent his life savings turning his van into a giant pup — or, more specifically, as a police officer states later in the film: “An ‘84 Sheepdog” (most likely a Ford Econoline). Among the ride’s many features, our favorite was the giant dog leg that must be lifted to access the fuel tank. The vehicle, at one point referred to by Lloyd as a “shaggın’ wagon,” has since become an instantly recognizable film icon — which is pretty impressive considering the van was traded “straight up” for a scooter about halfway through the movie.

“I saw this in a movie about a bus that had to speed around a city, keeping its speed over 50— or else it would explode! I think it was called "The Bus That Couldn’t Slow Down.” - Homer Simpson. Well said.

We also never said the vehicles had to be fictional. The 1997 James Cameron film “Titanic” won 11 Academy Awards, earned nearly $2.2 billion at the box office, provided a breakout role for Leonardo Dicaprio and, of course, was based on the true story of the ill-fated RMS Titanic, which sank in the icy waters of the North Atlantic a few hours after striking an iceberg on the evening of April 14, 1912. As the film accurately portrayed, of the 2,224 passengers and crew making the voyage from England to New York on the luxury liner, some 1,500 souls perished in the disaster.

No pirate ship is more notorious nowadays than the Black Pearl, the vessel that was the focus of “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.” As the 2003 adventure film’s name suggests, the ship was indeed cursed thanks to its crew stealing 882 pieces of Hernán Cortés’ Aztec gold. By the end of the film, the curse is lifted and the Pearl is returned to the command of its rightful captain, Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp). It continued to play a part in each of the movie’s four sequels, including the most recent, 2017’s “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales.”

When the wealthy Bluth family lost everything, it was forced to sell the company jet but managed to keep the stair car that went with it. As a means of transportation, the stair car did the job (once the operator mastered accelerating, braking, the hydraulic flaps and the riser system), but Michael Bluth (Jason Bateman), George Michael (Michael Cera) and anyone else driving it still had to deal with unwanted hop-ons, the accidental ripping down of numerous banners and unintentionally helping prisoners escape over their compound’s walls. The stair car was a fixture on “Arrested Development” for its initial three-season run and has been seen numerous times in the current Netflix revival.