Several types of unique and stylish cars have been featured throughout the years in some of the most popular movies ever made. Many of these cars are rare and are far beyond most people’s budgets. They have served as a symbol of fantasy and envy for moviegoers. Here are the top 15 coolest cars from the movies ever:
15. 1976 AMC Pacer (from Wayne’s World)
Cue up Bohemian Rhapsody on the stereo, and you can practically watch heads begin to nod along. Thanks to that scene alone, Garth’s blue AMC Pacer has rightfully earned its spot here.
Nicknamed the Mirthmobile, it sports flame decals along the sides and more glass than anyone would care to clean. The team even installed a red licorice dispenser up in the roof. When your car spends this much time carting friends around town, having a snack close at hand is a handy bonus.
14. 1965 Lincoln Continental (from The Matrix)
Long before Neo (Keanu Reeves) makes his choice between pills, this Lincoln gives him one seriously bizarre ride. Trinity’s team scoops him up on a rain-slicked street, then uses a gadget to extract a squirming tracking bug from his body. It’s a harsh way to be introduced to his new friends.
The black 1965 Continental features long, flat flanks and rear doors hinged to swing open toward the back. You get to see Neo slide into the center of an interrogation room on wheels. Everyone around him seems to already understand the rules, and that makes the roomy back seat feel much less inviting than it appears.
13. Citroën DS Cabriolet (from Gattaca)
In Gattaca, Uma Thurman’s Irene Cassini enjoys a privilege few can claim: the keys to a Citroën DS Cabriolet. With its curved nose and rear wheels tucked partly beneath the bodywork, this open-top car wears a silhouette you’d recognize from the far side of any parking lot. Just listen the moment it drives off. That vintage Citroën is given an electric whine by the film.
It fits a world where sharp suits are the office uniform, and the commute is a mission into space. The result is a future that feels truly lived in, where a French convertible is still worth holding on to. As Irene and Vincent begin to know one another, the roof stays down, giving us a clear view of them both.
12. Chevrolet Nova (from Death Proof)
Stuntman Mike’s notion of car safety is thoroughly self-serving. His black Chevrolet Nova is built to shield him in a crash, and he turns it into a weapon to kill people. Whoever he welcomes into the passenger seat ends up with a far worse bargain. The skull and crossbones painted on the hood serve as an honest warning.
Kurt Russell can chat away for what feels like forever before Mike finally lets the car inflict its damage. By that point, you’ve had plenty of time to take in the blunt nose and listen to the engine growl. Tarantino turns a parked muscle car into something you’d cross the street just to steer clear of.
11. 1967 Pontiac GTO (from xXx)
Xander Cage is handed a 1967 GTO that appears primed for the drag strip. Its hood scoop and side exhaust pipes are anything but understated. Vin Diesel unleashes it in xXx, steering the old Pontiac through a spy mission set in Prague.
Picture car builder Eddie Paul purchased genuine GTOs for the movie, and a modified LeMans joined the stunt fleet as well. Once you know that, certain jumps become a little hard to watch. The car takes a beating, yet its wide stance and stacked headlights still cut a fine figure whenever the film lets it rest.
10. Pontiac Firebird Trans Am (from Smokey and the Bandit)
For a guy with that many squad cars on his tail, Burt Reynolds looks remarkably at ease. The black-and-gold Pontiac Trans Am he’s driving certainly doesn’t hurt. That giant golden bird spread across the hood makes the car unmistakable, which is handy when Bandit is busy pulling attention away from a beer truck.
There is, however, one small wrinkle involving the model year. On screen, the car is billed as a 1977 Trans Am, yet the production actually ran 1976 models dressed up with the newer front fascia. Audiences are mostly caught up in the jumps and the CB radio banter. As for Sheriff Buford T. Justice, his grievances about the car go well beyond a matter of bodywork.
9. 2006 Subaru Impreza WRX (from Baby Driver)
Once the bank robbers hop in, Baby’s red Subaru hardly ever enjoys a peaceful stretch. In Baby Driver‘s opening chase, the 2006 Impreza WRX drifts through Atlanta’s traffic while Baby syncs the escape to Bellbottoms playing on his music player. It’s easy to see why Edgar Wright picked a compact sedan for the task.
It blends right in with the surrounding cars, and the hood scoop offers a hint of the power lying in wait. To capture the shots, the stunt crew relied on multiple WRXs with varying setups, meaning the car you watch spinning and reversing wasn’t expected to pull off every trick in a single configuration.
8. 1966 Ford Thunderbird (from Thelma & Louise)
Thelma and Louise kick off their journey in a turquoise 1966 Thunderbird, top down and ready for the road. Both friends have plenty of space to stretch out, and that long body seems made for those deserted desert highways. The white interior matters to its appearance just as much as the paint does. And then the final leap arrives.
For that particular shot, the crew relied on Thunderbirds that had been specially modified. One of the jump cars started out life as a coupe before its roof was sliced away. That’s a handy bit of trivia if the ending leaves you fretting over a rare convertible along with the people inside it. Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis make it awfully difficult to watch that Ford roll toward the brink.
7. 1974 Dodge Monaco Bluesmobile (from The Blues Brothers)
Jake Blues is less than thrilled when his brother picks him up from prison in an aging police cruiser. Elwood spots a real steal. That beat-up 1974 Dodge Monaco still packs the gear for a pursuit, and before long the brothers put it through far more than any patrol shift ever would.
The Bluesmobile sails over a drawbridge as it rises and blasts straight through a shopping mall, while Jake and Elwood hardly bat an eye. Its black-and-white livery makes it stand out easily among the wrecks. By the time the thing finally comes apart, you might get the feeling the car has clocked in more hours than the band itself.
6. Audi R8 (from Iron Man)
Tony Stark’s garage is crammed with cars, which means the silver Audi R8 faces some tough competition for the spotlight. The low-slung body and dark side panels get the job done. It’s the car that Robert Downey Jr.’s character drives in the first Iron Man, before later films hand him other iterations of the R8.
This first-generation coupe carries a V8 nestled behind the seats, on view through the rear window. That adds yet another machine to the display in a film where Stark devotes much of his time to taking things apart to figure out how they tick.
5. 1981 DeLorean DMC-12 (from Back to the Future)
This futuristic automobile, which was able to transport Marty McFly to different periods in time, also made appearances in the film’s two sequels. It was equipped with a set of unique gull-wing doors.
The particular model used in the films was modified into a fictional vehicle featuring a flux capacitor requiring 1.21 gigawatts of electricity in order to successfully travel through time. The restored main car used in the trilogy is displayed at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, on loan from Universal Studios Hollywood.
4. Ecto-1 (from Ghostbusters)
This automobile was a 1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor, a limousine-style combination hearse and ambulance. In the movie, the car was purchased in a dilapidated state and was refurbished and modified to fit the needs of the crew.
It was equipped with a distinctive siren and was used to transport all of the necessary equipment for catching ghosts.
3. 1964 Aston Martin DB5 (from Goldfinger)
James Bond used this elegant silver car as a means of transportation and for fending off villains while on his mission. The movie showed the car equipped with a set of machine guns, a tracking device, an oil slick sprayer, and even an ejection seat.
In 2010, the only known remaining model used in the film was sold at auction for 2.6 million GBP before fees.
2. Batmobile (from Batman)
This version of the Batmobile was used in the 1989 movie as well as its sequel, released three years later. The unique automobile was designed by Anton Furst and used the chassis of a Chevy Impala.
The futuristic car featured machine guns, smoke emitters, and a system operated by the use of voice-command technology. The Batmobile was also equipped with retractable armor to protect it while parked.
1. 1961 Ferrari 250 GT Spider California (Ferris Bueller’s Day Off)
This luxury car, coated in sleek red paint, belonged to Cameron’s dad in the movie; sadly, it met its demise toward the end of the film when it crashed through a glass window and plummeted to its death.
Fortunately, the car destroyed in the movie was only a replica with a body made out of fiberglass. Replicas were used for the driving and stunt scenes to avoid risking a valuable original. Ferrari manufactured just 56 short-wheelbase 250 GT California Spiders.
These cool cars from the films added to the storylines of the mentioned flicks. They have each become iconic and earned a notable spot in the history of cinema. Their legendary appeal will continue to live on, even as the years progress.