Successful movies inevitably tend to kickstart a cascade effect; a kind of Midas touch that extends to actors, producers, sponsors, and generally anyone associated with the movie title in some way. Inanimate objects are no exception here too as there have seen cases where a product becomes hugely popular just by being depicted in a movie; consider how the popularity of the MKIV Supra soared by virtue of its connection to the Fast and Furious movie franchise.
Cars featured in hit movies invariably go on to become highly valued items and collectors will often part with insane sums of money to acquire them. Check out these ones that easily rank among the priciest examples.
10 Lotus Esprit S1 (The Spy Who Loved Me) - $997,000
The story behind this oddity is as intriguing as the movie it was featured in. In 1989, a couple reportedly paid $100 to acquire a storage unit at a blind auction, meaning that neither they nor the seller knew what was inside. Imagine their surprise when they opened the container and found the extensively modified 1976 Lotus Esprit used in the filming of the Bond movie.
They held onto their find and sometime in 2019, the car was sent to auction where a ‘secret’ bidder paid almost a million to acquire it. That bidder has since been revealed to be Elon Musk. One can just imagine what crazy plans he has for the vehicle.
9 1967 Ford Mustang (Gone in 60 Seconds) - $1 Million
The closing stages of this action-soaked movie featured Hollywood actor Nicholas Cage, driving in an Eleanor Mustang. It was not an original Eleanor but was one of 11 replicas built specially for the movie.
According to reports, only 3 out of that number were actually drivable and when 1 of them popped up at an auction in May 2013, it did not take long for a bidding war to start. It only ended when the price hit the million-dollar mark.
8 1929 Dusenberg Model J Murphy SWB Convertible coupe (Gay Divorcee) - $2.37 Million
The Dusenberg was America’s response to the Rolls Royce; a well-loved brand enjoyed by the nobility and members of the high society at the time. This particular one started out as just a rolling chassis before it was sent to the famous coachbuilder, Walter M. Murphy out in California.
The completed product would go on to feature in the 1934 movie, ‘Gay Divorcee’. It subsequently passed through a number of hands before it was sold for about $1.9million at a 2012 RM Sotheby’s auction. It changed hands again less than a year later for a cool $2.37million.
7 1955 Ferrari 750 Monza Spider (On The Beach) - $2.53 Million
Only 35 units of this Ferrari were ever built, making it something of a collector’s item. However, this one, number 8 out of 35, had an edge over the others because of its role in the controversial 1959 movie, ‘On the beach’—a film about the after-effects of World War III.
The car was driven by actor Fred Astaire as he barrelled through the competition while partaking in a Grand Prix. In 2011, the car surfaced at an auction where it was snapped up for a total of $2.53 Million.
6 1968 Ford Mustang GT390 (Bullitt) - $3.71 Million
In January 2020, the hammer came down on this unremarkable-looking Ford Mustang for a cool sum of $3.71 Million (inclusive of buyer’s premium), smashing it into the record books as one of the most expensive Ford Mustangs ever sold.
The car’s value rested mainly on the fact that this was one of the actual movie cars featured in the iconic 1968 Bullitt movie. Prior to the sale, the car had belonged to an American family who held onto it for decades, wisely leaving the car in its original condition, complete with a camera mount still attached.
5 1966 Batmobile (Batman) - $4.6 Million
Batman is one of the most popular DC Comics characters and movies based on the hooded superhero continue to rake in quite a significant fortune for producers. In 1966, the first full-length screen adaptation of Batman was released.
That movie also introduced us to the now-iconic Batmobile name; used for whatever Batman's ‘official’ ride is as he patrols the dark, dangerous streets of Gotham. The Batmobile featured in that first movie ended up being bought by a logistics company owner in 2013 for a staggering $4.6 Million.
4 Aston Martin DB5 (Goldfinger) - $4.6 Million
Aston Martin enjoys a special place in the Jame Bond movie franchise and this was the movie that kickstarted that relationship. Two Aston Martin DB5s were actually used during the production of the movie back in 1964. One of them was actually the first DB5 ever built and served as a kind of testbed for other DB5 models.
In 1997, this DB5 prototype was unfortunately stolen from an airport storage facility in Florida. The other DB5 movie car was refurbished after the movie and used in another James Bond movie. In 2010, a collector did not mind splashing $4.6million to acquire the classic vehicle.
3 Ferrari 375MM Berlinetta by Pininfarina (la Fortuna di Essere Donna) - $4.62 Million
This Ferrari 375MM was featured in a popular Italian comedy whose title means, ‘Lucky to Be a Woman’. The movie was released in 1956 and starred the bombshell actress, Sophia Lauren.
Another star on the set was this unique Prancing Horse styled by the legendary Italian designer, Pininfarina. It was still in the care of its first owner when it was borrowed for the movie. Only seven units were ever built so you can understand why this one commanded such a high value when it was put up for sale.
2 1956 Ferrari 250 GT LWB Berlinetta Scaglietti ‘Tour De France’ (The Lovebug) - $6.71 Million
The Love Bug, released in 1968, was a car-themed American comedy that followed the adventures of ‘Herbie’, a Volkswagen Beetle, and other human characters. It went on to become a huge commercial success and was actually the second highest-grossing movie of 1969.
Herbie might have taken center stage but there were other gems like this Ferrari that featured in the movie. Only nine units were ever built and in the real world, this one proved to be much more valuable than ‘Herbie’ could ever be after it was sold for over $6.7 million in August 2012.
1 1968 Ford Gulf GT40 (Le Mans) - $11 Million
There were many incredible cars that featured in this iconic 1971 movie but this gulf-liveried Ford GT sits at the top of the pile. Interestingly, it was used both as a camera car in the movie to film some of the epic racing scenes and as a subject car in the movie itself.
Apart from the movie though, this Ford Gulf GT40 is a legend in its own right that participated in real-world racing events like the 1968 Le Mans trials. It was the first of three lightweight production GT40s, purpose-built for racing and one of only two still surviving. Now, that $11 million price tag must look like a real bargain deal.