Cinema-goers and TV watchers have long been able to see their favorite vehicles on the big and small screens, respectively. Just think about your favorite movie or TV show – there is probably a vehicle in it that stands out in your mind. (For me, it is the 1967 Chevy Impala in Supernatural, of which I proudly own a diecast model, but more on that in a moment.)
Filmmakers and showrunners have long relied on cool automobiles to make their work even more visually engaging for viewers. Whether it is the DeLorean from the Back to the Future trilogy or the orange Dodge Charger from Dukes of Hazzard, these classic cars are easily recognizable thanks to their silver and small screen appearances.
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1981 DeLorean DMC-12 (Back to the Future)
Back to the Future was a film series that demanded a cool time-traveling car, so what better than a 1981 DeLorean DMC-12? Yeah, sure, the three models used in the first film had to be modified to include a flux capacitor and keypad controls, but those swing-up wing-like doors? Those were standard issues.
If you want to find one of these vehicles today, you must visit the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, California.
1964 Aston Martin DB5 (Goldfinger)
The James Bond films fans will certainly recognize the 1964 Aston Martin DB5 from the film Goldfinger. The British automaker’s website even has information on the film’s DB5. In 2018, Aston Martin made 25 carbon copies of this iconic vehicle outfitted with cool spy gadgets. The cost for one of them rang in at $3.5 million.
1973 XB GT Ford Falcon (Mad Max)
As a post-apocalyptic film, the filmmakers of Mad Max had to think outside the box with the cars they used. One is the 1973 XB GT Ford Falcon, which was never sold in the United States. The film added a faux supercharger to the very real 351-CID V8 engine and tweaked the front hood to display the ‘supercharger.’
1967 Chevrolet Impala SS (Supernatural)
Fans of the show Supernatural know exactly which legendary classic car Dean Winchester drives – a 1967 Chevy Impala SS. The show had to use nine cars on set since they had to total them from various vantage points. Showrunner Eric Kripke got the idea for the Impala as a character from Knight Rider.
During filming, they would switch between two different license plates, one for Kansas and another for Ohio, which was kept on the car after it debuted in Season 2’s 20th episode. Also, a little-known fact: Dean drove a ’65 Ford Mustang in the original script. Kripke changed his mind when his neighbor suggested the Impala since you can fit a body in the trunk.
1982 Pontiac Trans Am (KITT from Knight Rider)
In the 1980s, the Pontiac Trans Am sold like hotcakes after the show Knight Rider debuted. The Knight Industries Two Thousand – or, for short, KITT – was an AI-powered car that could talk and think for itself. It fought crime with its driver, played by David Hasselhoff.
KITT was bulletproof, fire-resistant, and even had autopilot driving on land or water. Even our contemporary high-tech cars haven’t come that far.
1969 Dodge Charger (Dukes of Hazzard)
Bright orange with ‘01’ painted on the side, the 1969 Dodge Charger helped put Dukes of Hazzard on the map. Seeing this car fly down the roadway driven by the Duke boys is an iconic TV image.
This classic muscle car is typically outfitted with a sturdy V8 engine. The stunts on-screen needed a lifted front end to deal with big jumps, and to maintain trajectory, the rear was outfitted with a ballast. The doors got welded shut to keep with the street-race car tradition.
1958 Plymouth Fury (Christine)
One of Stephen King’s most eerie book-to-film adaptations is Christine. This nightmarish serial killer of a car is a 1958 Plymouth Fury; over 20 had to be used in filming. A few of them are still around today, as one just sold in 2015 to a collector who paid almost $200k.
Another ‘Christine’ was sold to a Florida-based collector in January 2020. This one had been sold for scrap after filming concluded but was salvaged from the junkyard and fully restored to its glory.
1961 Ferrari 250 GT (Ferris Bueller’s Day Off)
Now a cult classic from the 1980s Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, centered around the titular character taking his best friend Cameron’s father’s 1961 Ferrari 250 GT for a spin while bunking off from school.
In the wide shots, the crew used three different Modena Spyders, but they used the Ferrari up close. As you might imagine, Ferrari wasn’t thrilled about seeing its badging on the Modenas and filed a lawsuit against the Sypder’s manufacturers.
Moreover, the ‘Ferrari’ that took a nosedive out of the glass window was just a fiberglass shell built to be destroyed in this scene.
1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor (Ghostbusters)
If you know anything about the Ghostbusters film franchise, you are probably familiar with the Ecto-1. This massive 1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor stands out with the Ghostbusters logo on each side.
This car measures over 20 feet in length, weighs a whopping 3 tons, and has cruiser lights mounted to the top. During filming, the Ecto-1 died on the Brooklyn Bridge, causing a huge traffic jam. The film’s crew even got hit with a fine for this incident!
1966 Ford Thunderbird (Thelma and Louise)
In 1991, Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis went rip-roaring across the wide open desert in their ’66 Ford Thunderbird convertible, trying to escape the cops. Nothing about this vehicle had been modified for the film. Five models were used, including the one that (spoiler alert) took the fatal plunge off the cliff at the film’s end. It is an iconic scene featuring an iconic car.
This article originally appeared on MyCarMakesNoise.
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