I am sure that this comes as no surprise to anyone, but there are a lot of movies and television shows out there. The list is essentially endless, and everyone has their own specific tastes for what they like and don't like. Beyond that, I am sure that it is no surprise that there have been some pretty iconic cars that have emerged throughout the film and TV world.

These machines have made people both laugh and cry throughout history and they have stood the test of time. Even if not in their original forms, their inspirations have lived on much longer than the rusting steel on their bodies. In some cases, the cars and trucks actually end up as bigger stars than the actual celebs in the shows themselves.

This car-ticle is all about people who have taken inspiration from film and TV vehicles. These people have been driven to go out of their way and make their own versions of the iconic cars, trucks, and vans of the film and TV world. That being said, this list is touching more on those who have tried to make up their own versions of these vehicles and have done, well, maybe an admirable job to some extent, but they have ultimately come short of a true replica.

Here are 25 different attempts of replicating some incredibly iconic film and TV cars and why they have fallen somewhat short of the real deal.

25 Tow Mater

This is probably not one that anyone really expected to see here in this article but this is an obvious choice when it comes to popular film vehicles. I know, it's by no means a classic or iconic choice (at least not yet) but this animated character in the form of a truck is a film vehicle whether we like it or not. Now, I'll applaud the effort of the person who tried to piece this together. Using the Route 66 plates to seem like his buck teeth and the interesting facade on the windshield to make up the eyes for the character all seems cute...but how is anyone supposed to drive this thing?

24 The A-Team

Alright, here's the thing, the A-Team is definitely a classic choice but there are some things about this rather modern replica that just do not cut it in terms of accuracy. First of all, I don't recall the A-Team van being jacked up quite so high as this one. If they took a sharp turn in a chase, they'd flip this van for sure. The coloring is mostly right, though the grey is a little too light, if we're going for full accuracy. There is a big decal on the back...and the big clincher on this one, though, is the fact that this is a Ford van and the A-Team drove a GMC Vandura. There is more than just a slight difference between those two vehicles.

23 Audi Shaggin' Waggin'

Ok, I don't care what anyone else thinks about this but it is a travesty in two very different ways, in my opinion. I mean, aside from the fact that this car does not even have the Mutt Cutts logo on its body at all (like a replica should), this is also, I think, some may have noticed, not a van! This is an Audi RS6.

Also, in this same line of thought...THIS IS AN AUDI RS6!?

What were they thinking!? It would be one thing if they took a Pinto and covered it in fur and gave it a tongue. No one cares about that car. But this isn't exactly a cheap nor a low-grade car. I'm sure it's cuddly, but it's not accurate.

22 Jacked "Original" Batmobile

So, I'm not sure if there are many people here who are familiar with the 1960s Batmobile but let me say a few things about this interesting replica in comparison to the original. It does share some similarities, for sure. Don't get me wrong here. The coloring and the bubble windshield are pretty on point. I mean, most of the design is fairly solid as well. Where it starts to lose the plot is the backend. The cut of the top trim is slightly off and too sharp in some places. Not to mention the lacking of red on the rear light covers...and where is the hatch on the back to the mobile crime computer? Honestly a very good try but for something so pristine, the smallest details put me off.

21 Tow Mater

Here is a little tip for those here who may be looking into making up some interesting replica of a film or tv car. When going out of one's way to make an accurate representation, it might be best to start with the right vehicle. Aside from the fact that this truck looks way too similar to a car with a tow line on the end...this is just clearly not the rust bucket truck that epitomizes the character of Tow Mater. On top of that, the facial build of this replica seems to just be made out of paper that is already ripping at one of the headlights. And if someone needs to advertise on the doors just what this vehicle is supposed to be then they didn't do a good enough job replicating it.

20 Red XA Bat 

What carfiend or petrolhead does not like to look at the many cars from Mad Max every once in a while? There is something about them that is both strange and exciting. I'd want one because of how cool they look but at the same time, I wouldn't because of worrying about how they might run.

Anyway, in the case of the Bat from Mad Max 2, this replica is pretty on point except for a few things.

The stacks on the hood are too far apart, the face of the bat on the hood is too far of from the center, oh, and the big one, this car is way too shiny. If this is supposed to be a replica then it should be covered in dirt with a dent in the roof and no shine to be seen anywhere.

19 Starsky & Hutch Reliant Robin

I do not really think that I need to actually explain why it is that this person may have been in error to try and replicate the car from Starsky & Hutch using a Reliant Robin. First of all, the only thing that the Reliant Robin is good for (as depicted in an episode of Top Gear years ago) is taking sharp turns with, with the only reason to do so in order to flip such a ridiculous three-wheeled car. Not to mention that the paint job on this car has already seen better days (probably because of flipping too often). This is probably the first of all the replicas in this article that actually pains me to look at.

18 Batmo-Vette

I can understand someone wanting desperately to be able to drive a Batmobile. I mean, he's not my favorite superhero by any stretch of the imagination (I think he's sort of the sadder, boring, emo version of Iron Man), but I get the impulse to want that car. However, taking a Corvette and wrapping it in (what I at least hope is) aluminum plating does not really make for a great car. Especially since the plating job looks far more like the additional body mods have been made with cardboard. Also, the person who built this clearly missed a spot behind the front wheel well where is a whole section of panelling missing.

17 General Lee Sebring Vanguard

This very much reminds me of the Reliant Robin but this is actually what is called the Sebring Vanguard. This is a car that I did not know even existed until I happened upon this photo. This is a car that no one should know has ever existed, if I'm being honest here. Now, to take a pitiful car like this and try to replicate the General Lee from The Dukes Of Hazzard with it is just something that I cannot abide. I mean, it really is a sort of sacrilege when it comes to people who actually care about and love cars. Sure, I bet them Duke boys could easily get through those windows, but they are not escaping from anyone in that car.

16 Starsky & Hutch Pinto...

Well, look, at the very least the person who made this replica at stayed in the bounds of the same automotive company. That being said, the Ford Pinto is a huge insult when compared to the Ford Gran Torino. Especially if the plan is to paint up the thing to look like the Starsky & Hutch car. I'm sorry, but there really is no other way to go about this replica without a Gran Torino...and I'm not even sorry, actually. The Ford Pinto hatchback was good for pretty much nothing and while this paint job does make the car itself look better, it still taints the reputation of Starsky & Hutch.

15 Mystery Machine

I have to give props here. This is actually a pretty good design when it comes to replicating the Mystery Machine from Scooby-Doo, except for the choice of  vehicle. I'm sure it's an easy sell to pretend that the Mystery Machine is a VW Microbus, but all one has to do is look at the original animated van to know that this isn't the case. The headlights would be reversed with indicators below and headlamps up top. There would be a spare tire mounted on the front like an old Chevy Sportvan. There wouldn't be near as many windows, and while the Mystery Machine has two big back doors that go from top to bottom, the VW has two hatches, one for the back entrance and the other for the engine.

14 Mach 5 Mini Cooper

For those who know anything about Speed Racer, the instant eyes are laid on this Mini Cooper Mach 5 replica, there will (or should be) some disappointment and sadness welling up.

I mean...the Mach 5 is a racer. The Mini Cooper, on the other hand, is most certainly not.

Sure, they got the basics of the paint job right, but considering that the animated and fictional Mach 5 car more closely resembles a Ferrari 250 P5 from 1968, I think there is every reason why someone could be upset by this ridiculous attempt at replication. And I know that anime fans can get pretty intense about missing details in cosplay, so imagine what this means to them.

13 Ecto-Vette

First and foremost, I have to draw everyone's attention to the background of this pic and point out just how good of a job was done on the gas-powered Jurassic Park Jeep. That is some solid replica work right there. It even features the yellow Jurassic Park rain jacket that I believe Dr. Grant leaves there. Well done. But then there is the very interesting and obviously very inaccurate Ecto-1...in the form of a Corvette, for some reason. I wonder why someone would go out of their way to make such a pristine replica for the JP jeep and then just upset the balance by trashing a Corvette to make a mockery of the Ghostbusters' car.

12 Strange Batmobile

Ok, this is just sad. It really is. First of all, this car looks like it's a late-80s or early-90s Chevy Caprice and I am not sorry to say that these sorts of cars are just in no way meant to be turned into a Batmobile. That is just not a thing that works, not by any stretch of the imagination. On top of that, literally, the back Bat spoiler is truly a spoiler and is gigantic. I do not know what it's made of but it seems like it's a good thing the engine is actually up front, lest the car be lifted until the tail drags along on the pavement. It looks ridiculous, and in no ways does justice to Batman or the Batmobile.

11 Mad Max Interceptor

Look, I know that this is a convention that the car happens to be sitting at and I know that there is every reason why someone would want to shine up this pretty accurate replica but I have to say a few very important things about the Mad Max Interceptor that I think any viewer of those movies would know. First off, it's not a pretty car! It's not a clean car! There is never a moment in the original film where this car shines. Why, when presenting such a well-designed replica, would someone want to actually make it look unlike the film they are trying to give an homage to?

10 Family Truckster

This makes me want to sigh fairly heavily, I'll be honest here. Anyone here who has seen National Lampoon's Family Vacation will know all about the Wagon Queen Family Truckster. This is the epic station wagon that facilitates the family vacation in the first place.

However, there are a few notable differences between the original and this replica of the wagon.

This is the wrong model, to begin with. The original was green with a section of wood panelling. The whole thing did not look like one big wood panel. And there was nothing about God being good scrawled on the back. I see that they have written Truckster 2, as well, but that is just in poor taste.

9 Ecto 1

At a very first glance, I am sure that this Ecto-1 looks not all that bad to readers here. But take a closer look. Just even take a single second glance and I think we can all agree that this is not a very good rendition of the classic Ghostbusters car at all. Sure, the latest film gave us an Ecto-1 that was an 80s hearse. But the original car is actually a conversion from a 1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor. I would be inclined to say that this car is actually a Caddy, though it's in terrible shape so who knows, but there are some clear differences between this one and the original Ecto. There are obvious panel replacements along the side of the car, the gear up top is not a replica of the original, and the cab of this car does not sit as high as the classic.

8 Mad Max Mustang? 

Alright, I can't honestly fault the person who did this replica for choosing the car that he did. It is, at least, from the same company that gave the original Pursuit Special Interceptor life to begin with. However, the original Interceptor was designed off the back of a Ford Falcon GT. I don't know if anyone can tell the difference here but if there are people who can't, well, I've suddenly lost a lot of respect for the world. This happens to be a Ford Mustang. Not a Falcon. It's also jacked up much higher than the original Interceptor. But I can say that at the very least they dirtied this car up to make it look like it could be running across the Australian desert.

7 Jurassic Racer

Alright, alright, this is just too much. I get the impulse to want to have a car on the track that makes people smile with reminiscent joy as well as laugh out loud at the ridiculousness of a situation. But doing up a race car in the Jurassic Park electric rail car form is just a bit much. Sure, at least this guy is racing a Ford and the original electric car for park tours was a Ford Explorer (though it was a Chevy Land Cruiser in the original book), but that Explorer definitely did not have a ridiculous spoiler and a body kit that almost drags on the pavement.

6 Greased Lightning Rental?

Ha! Okayyyyy now, there is something very wrong with this world when a car like this can pass as an actual rental for a Greased Lightning replica. I don't know how many here have ever seen the movie Grease, but there is a 1948 Ford Deluxe that is used as both the race car that the T-Birds use, as well as the final car that Danny and Sandy fly off (literally) into the sunset with. Anyone who knows that red 48 Ford will know that there is actually a clear case through which one can see the engine. There is also an incredible shine to it, and not a matte finish. It is also a real car and does not have a fake grille, a non-existent windshield, and a frame that looks like it was made from cardboard.