Movie scripts are often plotted around human characters, but we have several instances where cars took center stage. Although, they sometimes have their capabilities exaggerated, nonetheless, some filmmakers now modify their movie cars to have the same functionalities seen during their onscreen heroics, in real life. A classic example of this is the Tumbler, a modern version of the Batmobile.
While they might not be too significant outside the screen, yet building movie cars with functional special features in real life is gradually becoming a trend – making the movies as realistic as possible, while also adding extra marketing advantage. That said, with or without special features, car movies – like the iconic examples featured on this list – are here to stay.
10 The Fast And The Furious
In the first installment of Fast and Furious, Ja Rule, playing the role of Edwin, said “…it’s not how you stand by your car, it’s how you race your car” and that sums up the whole plot of the movie – car racing. Currently, in its ninth installment, the Fast & Furious franchise as a whole is a massive plot of rubber-burning and adrenaline-pumping speed contest in a never-ending racing rivalry.
Paul Walker’s 1999 Nissan Skyline R34 GT R and the 1967 Ford Mustang Fastback featured in Tokyo Drift are some of the unforgettable cars in the movie.
9 Herbie: The Love Bug
In 1968, Walt Disney Productions released an American comedy film titled The Love Bug. Based on Gordon Buford’s 1961 book ‘Car, Boy, Girl,’ the movie is plotted around an anthropomorphic 1963 Volkswagen Beetle known as Herbie. Being a race car, the Beetle was painted in pearl-white and features a fabric-sunroof, as well.
Five more sequels have been produced after The Love Bug with the latest being Herbie: Fully Loaded, released in 2005. Riding on the influence of Herbie, The Love Bug remains the second biggest Disney film ever after 1964’s Mary Poppins.
8 Gone In 60 Seconds
Gone is 60 Seconds was originally released in 1974, 26 years later, a remake of the movie was released, starring popular American actor, Nicolas Cage. However, it was the first release that thrills us more due to a particular Shelby. With the storyline centered on car theft, Eleanor (a 1967 Shelby GT500), being the last of the cars about to be stolen, became the star of the heist.
As the prime target, Eleanor also featured in a thrilling, action-packed speed-chase with the police. The car is powered by a 351 Ford V8 crate engine producing 400 horsepower.
7 Transformers
Transformers featured several great actors, but it was the cars that reigned supreme. Speeding, transforming, fighting, and even talking, these cars could do it all. Collectively known as Autobots, they were the main acts with the most famous among them being the Bumblebee; depicted by a 1976 Chevy Camaro which later duplicated itself into the 2006 Camaro Concept.
Bumblebee has also been represented in several variations of the fifth-generation Camaro in subsequent installments of the movie. In 2018, a reboot of the serial fiction was released, it’s titled Bumblebee.
6 Bullitt
The movie Bullitt is a classic for three main reasons; the plot (though some might disagree), Steve McQueen (Bullitt himself), and of course Bullitt’s car – the Mustang. Steve McQueen was no doubt supposed to be the main star of the show, however, the 1968 Mustang GT Fastback featured in the film had other ideas.
The car’s moment in the movie peaked during an iconic chase scene involving Bullitt and two hitmen in a Dodge Charger. In 2020, the epic Mustang used for the thrilling chase scene was sold for a record $3.7 million at the Mecum Auctions.
5 Transporter
In The Transporter 2 and 3, Frank Martin moved his “goods” in an Audi A8. The car has a W12 6-liter 12-cylinder engine with an amazing 450bhp. Also, it was fitted with a Quattro four-wheel-drive system with 19-inch alloy wheels adding elegance to the wheel and tire area, while the whole car was finished in black paint.
The stunts from the car – with one involving ridding the car of a time bomb while in motion – were a major highlight of the movie, earning it an 8 of 8 on the silver screen for delivering sporty luxury.
4 Back To The Future
Sci-fi movie freaks love a time-traveling masterpiece. We saw this with the X-Men: Days of Future Past, Star Trek, and several other big-budget time-traveling movies. However, in ‘Back to the Future’ the producers unprecedentedly used a 1981 DeLorean DMC as the time-traveling machine – turning the movie into an instant blockbuster.
Converting the DMC DeLorean to a time machine entailed retrofitting it with a flux capacitor. Three of these cars were built with designations A, B, and C with A being the most detailed of them all.
3 Batman Begins
The Batmobile is one of the coolest movie cars to ever grace our screens. And that's not just because of its complex – but beautiful – aesthetics, but also due mainly to it being an actual car, irrespective of all the complexities. Yes, the Batmobile is real.
Although several have been built, the version featured in the ‘Batman Begins’ – the 2005 series of the movie – remains the coolest and the most popular of all. Called the Tumbler, this Batmobile was designed by Wayne Enterprises' Applied Sciences Division.
2 The Italian Job
Though an old movie, the significance of The Italian Job in the car movies segment hasn’t waned. There was an awesome remake of the movie in 2003, but nothing beats the original which was released in 1967.
Being a heist movie, Italian Job was a complete thrill involving several cars with the main ones being the three getaway 1969 Austin Mini Cooper S. The heist involves traveling from the UK to Italy to steal gold bullion from an armored security truck into the Minis, while escaping to Switzerland.
1 Goldfinger
James Bond’s 1964 Aston Martin DB5 is arguably the best car in movie history. Although it’s quite hard for any character – living or non-living – to outshine Bond in any 007 movies, the DB5 attempted it. The car was the latest Aston Martin car as of then and for special cinematic effects, it was fitted with cool features like the revolving license plate.
Though more of cinematic effects, the DB5 had other gadgets like wheel-destroying spikes and an ejector seat. For its amazing role in the movie, the 007 DB5 was extensively used in the promotion of Goldfinger.