There are thousands of vehicles that were used in movies, but only a few that were made famous by Hollywood. Here, I’ve siffed out 10 of the best and most memorable Hollywood cars which are ranked according to popularity, speed, general characteristics and overall authenticity of where these cars would fall under or over each other. I have ranked them in matters of which stand out above the rest from the most common to the most sought after as well as the more speedier ones. Check them out! Be sure to make your own suggestions in the comments section below.
10. DeLorean DMC -12 (Back To the Future)
Well, if you’ve noticed 80’s movies while growing up, then in the movie “back to the future” You would have seen a Ferrari looking car with a whole lot of crazy lights covering every inch of it. That was actually a DeLorean DMC – 12 back then which has been one of the most anticipated cars since the 80’s since now in this era, we have a few dudes now and then making a few DMC replica’s of their own which meant the car no matter how old it is right now, still means something in modern day by several car enthusiasts who don’t mind spending a few thousands more to replicate this time machine in our ever-changing times. Some have went above and beyond In making their very own time machine style DMC DeLorean’s over the years and have even had the honor of driving one at high speeds on the local streets to show off. Before this movie was made, showcasing this car and bringing life to it in another futuristic manner, the DMC DeLorean has been rather not so famous and we can safely say that its gained its shining armor of recognition to the world, after Hollywood made it famous.
9. VW Beetle – 60’s Model (Herbie)
Hollywood’s one and only love bug. Movies have shown us several types of classy Volkswagen cars over the years. These however were all standard stock models as well as the common types that we’re so used to seeing, that we hardly even paid as much attention or notice to it, should it appear on screen. Due to Volkswagen being a very common car to be seen driving around the streets, making a heck of a lot of rowdy noise as well with it’s usually 1.4 or 1.6 engines which comes stock to most of the cars, people tend to take the name brand of an outstanding economy class vehicle for granted anyway. Can you blame them? The most famous 60’s style VW Beetle though can immediately paint a picture in one’s mind of a white bugger with Blue and Red stripes on the hood and a large “53” number plated on the side of it. What’s the name of that car again? Herbie! Who could you forget one of the most popular car’s made famous by Hollywood back in the Hey Days. Herbie was a classic car with a classic name that still lasts proud as ever and is talked about since the 60’s of its comical Hollywood Motion picture series release. They haven’t stopped there and have still along the years revived and reprised its role as the car that stands the test of time literally to the finish line of where it’s glossy white tradition started from. Herbie rides again, reloaded still today, by being on this post ,some 48 years later of its birth as a television star, widely loved.
8. Dodge Viper RT 10 Roadster (Viper TV series)
Who said Knight Rider’s ‘kitt’ car was the only 4wheeler, computerized talking and controlled machine mainstreamer to hit the streets? Dodge Viper RT 10 Roadster is the Name of which made a successful TV series after all. We would think that Hollywood has made this Dodge Viper RT 10 Roadster famous but on the flipside of the coin, it’s actually the car that made the series famous, giving it and living up to its name so to speak, the Viper series. Now obviously not the retail version of the car as shown and used on-screen one of our favorite 90’s show, but a tweaked and modified version custom built to suit the nature and storyline of ‘Viper’ as a whole and with an entirely new dimension of this car over all. Viper, the TV series had made sure that with this one, they’ve outlined their version of Viper as a car and its purpose and how to be driven from the rest of the cars in production with that badge. Now…If you’re a movie analyst etc. You would have probably picked up long ago that generally weapons or other things are used as assault mechanisms, but it’s very rare to see a car being turned into the ultimate assault vehicle, built to take down the major maniacs of the streets. The Dodge Viper RT 10 Roadster has certainly made its mark and as a standard now in the industry due to the amount of popularity it’s gained from the series.
7. 1969 Dodge Charger (Dukes of Hazzard)
While the Dodge Viper Roadster has been a huge hit in recent times as mentioned above, The Dodge Charger has been the granddaddy since the 60s and still absolutely roaring with power even in this day. Emerging elegant and powerful as it stands and idles a raw so powerful and the best part is that it hasn’t even started revving as yet. The Dukes of Hazzard movie as the last part of that title suggests, has purposefully been plotted for causing havoc and havoc requires a stint amount of power, velocity, courage, bravery, boldness and a whole lot of roarrrr!!! To it in order to pull it off and do justice to the intended chaos in mind. Hollywood, for this specific movie couldn’t have chosen better in terms of the ideal junkie car with just the perfect amount of ‘bad ass’ to it in order to make their movie a success. You can have a look HERE at the amount of ‘Hazzard’ the self-proclaimed dukes have caused using this rumbling long floor sitting, fat tired ,ground shaker and panty dropper of a car. The 60’s Dodge Charger is certainly one even in its classic American Muscle shape to have topped the Dodge Viper RT in this regard, in terms of being naturally in its pure unchanged design and form and to still be one of the most dark knight vehicles to hit TV screens. This granddaddy never gets old in the Car industry and in the linage of Dodge productions. A Granddaddy Dodge Charger driven ‘mad’ by the Dukesters and still standing strong is evident that the Dodge Charger muscle is one of the stern standing vehicles of its time.
6. Ford Mustang GT (Knight Rider The movie)
The Knight Rider TV series has been David Hasselhoff’s biggest hit’s since the 80’s and millions who grew up enjoying Television since the development of “color TV” will surely appreciate the distinctiveness and uniqueness of the classic knight Rider Vehicle, known as ‘Kitt’. Seeing this, hearing the theme or thinking about Knight Rider in general, automatically bounces you back to a nostalgic rollercoaster ride all the time. In the classic Knight Rider Series though, an ordinary 1982 Pontiac, customized to appear retro and dreamy or the typical 80’s vehicle look added on to it can be seen throughout the series and it’s actually that car, the Pontiac at which everybody’s memories of Knight Rider and “Kitt” are embedded in memory off. Fair enough, a talking car that can do lots of pretty cool military level stuff was a great advantage over ‘normal cars’ and really really exciting to watch too. Then they remade Knight Rider in our era and just a Movie of it which featured an all new Beast altogether! A Black, shining Knight with armor too emerging from Dark into where the lights switch on, the roar of the legendary Knight Beast awakens and Bam! The digitalized version of the classic Knight Rider theme plays into introducing the Ford Mustang GT in its beautiful muscular body built form. Like a bulldog on a leash ready to attack the world, they couldn’t have chosen a better car for a remake other than a Mustang Shelby GT 500. Mind you, the Mustang GT was well famous before appearing in the remake, but it certainly has been supercharged, sky rocketing it’s popularity after it appeared as the feature car in the knight Rider movie. This sure may have enticed buyers into looking into the vehicle as their next purchase, seeing that they too would want to bite into the horsepower of Knight Rider’s ‘Kitt’ legacy.
5. Aston Martin (James Bond 007)
In terms of cars that Hollywood has made famous beyond the threshold of where a single branded vehicles fame could go, the James Bond Series as one of Hollywood’s box sets that are evergreen, timeless and a masterpiece of a collection has definitely showcased a few models over the time stretch of Ian Fleming’s James Bond 007 franchise. As a kid watching a movie, he/she would often refer to that silvery stylish show stopping, eye turning classic of a car as simply “that James Bond car” if seen anywhere other than the film itself. “That James Bond car” is actually an Aston Martin DB1, DB4, DB5 or DB9 of the immaculate vintage or powerhouse series. This car for what it’s worth has been depicted through the James Bond series from round about the fresh start of its franchise in the 60’s to have been the ultimate spy vehicle and in Agent 007’s case ,has been movie engineered and rigged with machine guns, smoke dispersal, ejecting passenger seats, blow off roof’s, being able to reach extremely high speeds during chases, being bullet proof from time to time ,sending out cutting mechanisms to slice any car tire that gets parallel to it, being able to drop tire bursting objects on the road and loads more of disastrous fun all in one scene x plenty many other scenes throughout the series. A car with so much of capabilities as depicted by the Hollywood and James Bond franchise ought to have gained exposure in the millions around the world, creating desire for its purchase on the retail markets, thus resulting in sales of the car to some new levels being the name of its success as well as driving in the heritage of British secret service intelligence.
4. Ferrari Daytona Spyder / Testarossa (Miami Vice Series)
Another Hollywood making famous vehicle that’s been shown prominently on TV would be the Ferrari Daytona Spider or later on in the Miami Vice series, the Ferrari Testarossa which is more of a revival of the old one. This car has been used and seen prominently as a fixture on our screens as well as various different movies as well. The Ferrari on its own has been considered even in its classic form as one of the more sought after luxury sports cars but more as a way to flaunt somebody’s financial status. Ferrari has been known for its elegance as well as waving the flag of the pure untouched Italian craftsmanship which dates back a few centuries more than what other countries were able to pick up the pace to. Don Johnson As one of the main characters in Miami Vice, the TV series has been known other than his stylish apparel and sexually appealing persona to have been the prized driver of the Ghost White Ferrari Daytona spider he drove throughout and have caught several bad guys in it as well as done some freaky stuff too by taking advantage of it’s incredible speed as well. This vehicle has been a stunt Ferrari definitely and like other movie cars, they always tend to tweak it apart from the retail stock versions.
3. McLaren MP4 – 12C Spider (Fast and Furious 7)
The Fast and Furious movie Franchise has made several supercar’s famous throughout all its seat gripping scenes. Due to the nature of the movies, which involves racing and other exciting things as well as the extremely ultra-crazy stunts they’ve pulled using the same vehicles. Everything is ‘Fast paced’ in a very very “Furious’ and aggravated manner to incur a lot of anxiety and excitement as well as thrill from start to end. It’s a fact that people could watch The Fast and Furious chain of movies over and over again because of the super-fast and modified cars or the exotic female actresses there or the story-line which never gets old and can be related to at any given point in time. As we speak (2016), a wide range of fans globally are awaiting and anticipating the new release of Fast and Furious which is said to be the 8th edition. The beautiful part here though is that in the more recent of what the world has already seen in Fast and Furious 7, the McLaren MP4 – 12C Spider sure appeared bold, RICH! , luxurious and ravishing enough to stun viewers as well as to freeze the screen with its performance on screen. It’s almost as though these beasts of cars have lives of their own, in turn creating some serious fame on wheels. On the screen, in the movie and into our minds which was recorded to stick, the McLaren MP4 12C spider had certainly done something legendary which Fast and Furious surely did make it as well as many other classic vehicles famous for and that’s to perform outrageous stunts.
2. Bugatti Veyron (The Green Hornet)
Whoa! … Now just when we thought the type of vehicles made famous by Hollywood was somewhat mediocre and plan or common to most of you, a Bugatti featured in a movie, a music video etc., is quite a rarity which eventually gets us feasted and glued to the screen, as well as hyped up about what were just seeing. Big deal, this is definitely VW’s greatest car ever made and if you happened to laugh at the VW Beetle if you an example you own a more ‘superior’ car then you’d point fingers at (Ahrrrr! Herbs, the love bug remember?),yap’s Herbie as a 60’s styled VW sure was a slow coach and then so contradictory, the same company made what is to be the second fastest car in the world,surprizing aint it?. Well not quite, since this is reality and we just have to accept it, okay Ferrari, Lamborghini and McLaren….YOU JUST HAVE TO ACCEPT IT! Moving on, the Bugatti Veyron has been featured in the Green Hornet movie and for a very special role too. Ever had a proper look at Bugatti ever since it’s production? You would have noticed its two toned color scheme which has been tweaked a little for Green Hornet standards to literally appear two toned but with seamless blending. Bugatti Veyron even though a very less talked about car since its considered as out of the price range of many car dreamers has been rather on a down low all its life and known to the Billionaires especially but now commonly known and appreciated around the world, through The Green Hornet feature of this outrageously expensive car.
1. Koenigsegg (Need for Speed – The movie)
The number one Ranking Car which has been made famous by Hollywood even just for one time is the Koensigsegg which is considered to be the fastest car in the world! Now here we’re speaking about the rarest of rarities and a jewel sort of close to the Holy Grail. A onetime deal and a very very rare piece of master craftsmanship built by the world’s greatest automobile engineers to be featured into a movie. Ever wondered why Bugatti Veyron is second faster, this is the same reason as it’s been topped by a Koensigsegg which is unbelievable but then again, even the best of the best has their faults now and then and can be taken off title by something or somebody else. Need For Speed as a video game created by Electronic Arts (EA) games has been another big hit on the video gaming shelves across several platforms and still anticipated as well as played today by many. Imagine now knowing that they’ve created a Need For Speed Movie ,game players and hardcore video gamers, already have their expectations sky high about the type of cars they wish to see in the movie ,probably one’s that they’ve raced with in the game and this ought to have created one heck of anticipation overall. The great anticipation from dedicated gamers all over the world who have also played and followed all of the game’s editions over all will most certainly have not expected to see the Koenigsegg in the movie which came at a great surprise thus making it even more famous and giving it an actual name of Fame in the Hollywood business after all. The verdict is that these cars making it into Hollywood has proven to send a tsunami of great success to the label, the brand and the vehicle manufacturers heritage over all as well as creating a desire from people to want to buy it seeing that it’s been given a certain life and personality on screen other than how it appears boring on each of these respected individual vehicle showrooms. Over all, we can conclude to say that seeing a car on an advertisement and seeing it do some crazy stuff in the movies, entices us as well as creates an impression in our minds of it being something truly great and worth the buy.