Honorable mentions:
Deathmobile, Animal House
Weasley Family Ford Anglia, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
USS Enterprise(s), various Star Trek movies
9. Ecto-1, Ghostbusters/Ghostbusters II
6. Christine, Christine
5. Tumbler, Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises?
4. Aston Martin DB5, Goldfinger (and several other James Bond movies)
10. Wagon Queen Family Truckster, National Lampoon's Vacation
Make/Model: 1983 Wagon Queen Family Truckster
Features:
- Fuel tank filler conveniently located on hood
- Eight headlights
- Driver-side airbag
- Roof rack that can accomodate luggage and deceased relatives
- Custom paint job - "Honky Lips" spray painted on rear quarter panel.
Fun facts: This was a Ford LTD wagon deliberately altered to look as obnoxious as possible. The only surviving Truckster sits in an Illinois museum. This movie proves that if you are taking the tribe cross-country, this is the perfect car.
9. Ecto-1, Ghostbusters/Ghostbusters II
Make/model: 1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor ambulance conversion
Features:
Siren
Pullout rack that can hold four proton packs
Plenty of room for complex ghost capturing equipment.
The filmmakers originally wanted to go with something more high-tech, but you have to admit this car had character.
8. "Eleanor", Gone in 60 Seconds
Make/Model: 1967 Shelby Mustang GT500
Features:
351 cubic-inch Ford Racing Engine, 535 horsepower
Side exhaust pipes (not functional in movie)
Nitrous oxide system (Although a car like this doesn't need NOS, because, as the saying goes, there's no substitute for cubic inches.- This was a big mistake in the movie as far as I am concerned.)
The filmmakers originally wanted Eleanor to be a GT40, but a fleet of these cars would have been prohibitively expensive, so they "settled" for the Shelby. Designer Chip Foose provided the look for Eleanor, and did a great job keeping the original lines of the Mustang intact. Only one actual GT500 was used. The rest of the cars were modified '67 Mustangs.
7. Bluesmobile, The Blues Brothers
Make/Model: 1974 Dodge Monaco Sedan
Features:
Cop motor
Cop tires
Cop suspension
Cop shocks
Runs on regular fuel
Runs on regular fuel
Although Joliet Jake didn't like the fact that his brother picked him up from prison in a police car, the Bluesmobile grew on him after jumping an open drawbridge, surviving a chase inside a shopping mall, a 106-mile trip to Chicago, and eluding police through the city's streets before completely falling apart. It may have helped that the car was on a mission from God. If only the cigarette lighter worked... 13 different cars were used for the Bluesmobile, and an on-set body shop was kept open around the clock to repair cars during the movie's production.
6. Christine, Christine
Make/Model: 1958 Plymouth Fury
Features:
Radio that plays nothing but 1950s music
Possession by an evil, homicidal spirit
Ability to repair its own damage
A fleet of cars was used for this film as well, including the Plymouth Belvedere and Plymouth Savoy. Several Belvederes were destroyed during the film. Fun fact- in the Stephen King novel the movie was based on, the car had four doors. For the movie, this was changed to two doors because there never was a four-door 1958 Plymouth Fury.
5. Tumbler, Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises?
Make/Model: Wayne Industries Tumbler
Features:
Rear mounted jet engine
Front mounted machine guns
Backend flaps for quick stops
Ejectable 2-wheel "Batpod"
Because the filmmakers deliberately wanted to avoid using CGI for the new Batmobile, the car was built using carbon fiber panels and race car technology to keep the weight down. The 5000-lb. vehicle was able to easily go over 100 mph, and go from 0-60 in 5 seconds. Four of these vehicles were constructed at the bargain price of $250,000 each.
4. Aston Martin DB5, Goldfinger (and several other James Bond movies)
Make/model: 1964 Aston Martin DB5
Features:
Smoke screen
Oil slick
Revolving license plate
Passenger ejector seat
Rear bulletproof shield
Tire-slashing "spinner" hubcaps
Front-mounted machine guns
You gotta love the Q Branch for equipping James Bond with their "specially optioned" cars. The "Wet Nellie" Lotus Esprit in "The Spy Who Loved Me" was pretty cool. The Aston Martin V8 Vantage Volante in "The Living Daylights" was also packed with cool features, and is a close second. The BMWs shouldn't even be mentioned here, nor should the invisible car in "Die Another Day." However, this beautiful DB5 is the original iconic Bond car, and is also the best looking. Fun fact: During the production of "Goldfinger," the producers first approached Jaguar about using an E-Type, but Jaguar declined. The producers then went to Aston Martin, and the rest, as they say, is history.
3. Millenium Falcon, Star Wars Episodes III-VII (Yes, there was a very brief appearance of the ship in Revenge of the Sith).
Make/Model: Corellian Engineering Company Light YT-1300f light freighter (Honestly, where does George Lucas come up with this stuff?)
Features:
2 Gyrodyne SRB42 sublight engines
Series 401 Hyperdrive motivator that can go .5 past light speed (when it works)
Torplex Fore deflector shield generator
AG-2G quad laser cannons
Hidden floor for smuggling spice or people
Landing claw
Hologram game board
Notice this list is called to 10 movie vehicles, not cars, thus the appearance of the venerable Millenium Falcon on this list. I like the way Lucas wanted the ship to have a lot of mileage and wear on it when we first see it, because it adds character. Yet the ship is really sleek and looks built for speed. After all, it did the Kessel run in less than 12 parsecs (Even though a parsec is a unit of distance, not time, but who's counting anyway?) Even though the original "Star Wars" is almost 40 years old, the Falcon going into hyperspace is still a great effect. Fun Fact: The Falcon even decided to lend Starfleet a hand during the battle against the Borg in "Star Trek: First Contact."
2. Bullitt Mustang, Bullitt
Make/Model: 1968 Ford Mustang 390 Fastback
Features:
Smoking rear tires
Ability to catch air on San Francisco streets
Seen on camera going 115 mph or faster
Sorry there are two 1960s Ford Mustangs on this list, but my list wouldn't be complete without this car. As I mentioned on a previous list, the car chase in 1968's Bullitt is the greatest action scene ever. Despite its age, you can't top the precision driving, filming and editing of this scene. Now for the cars. Two iconic American muscle cars duke it out here, as the Mustang chases down the bad guys in a 1968 Charger R/T 440. The dark green fastback is truly a thing of beauty. It is the best looking Mustang ever, and it's no surprise that the current Mustang is inspired by the cars from the late '60s. (Even the current Charger is reminiscient of the '60s body style).
Fun facts:
The suspensions of both cars were beefed up for filming, and both cars were fitted with a roll cage. (My father told me a lot about this movie).
The camera car was built on a Corvette chassis that could keep up with the action.
Steve McQueen wanted to drive the 'Stang himself, but pro driver Bud Ekins took over after McQueen, an experienced driver, almost ran the car off the road after locking up the wheels.
The Charger was a little bit more powerful than the Mustang, so the crew had to modify the transmission and bore out the engine to give the Mustang a little more oomph.
1. DeLorean DMC-12 time machine
Make/Model: 1981 DeLorean DMC-12
Features:
Flux Capacitor (it's what makes time travel possible)
Electronic time circuits
Mr. Fusion home energy reactor (garbage powered)
Hover conversion
Doc Brown said it best: "If you're going to build a time machine, why not do it with some style?" The DeLorean had its share of problems, but it still looks exotic and unique even today, especially with the gullwing doors. The crew chose the DeLorean so it would be mistaken for a spaceship in 1955 because of the doors. This movie turned the DeLorean into a collector's item, and saved dozens of these cars from the scrap heap. This legendary car was one of many elements that worked here to create what is essentially a perfect movie in terms of writing, pacing, character development and visuals.
Fun facts:
The DeLorean company was founded by auto executive John Z. DeLorean, who developed the Pontiac GTO and Firebird among several other notable cars. The DMC-12 was built in a factory in Northern Ireland. The factory cost a fortune, and was paid for by the British government, as well as celebrities like Sammy Davis Jr. and Johnny Carson. The first prototype was built in 1976, but, because of delays, engineering problems and budget overruns, the DMC-12 did not go into production until 1981. The company continued to hemmorhage money, and Mr. DeLorean was accused of investing money in the illegal cocaine trade to keep the factory open. He was arrested, but found not guilty because of entrapment. The factory closed in 1982.
As beautiful as the car was, it was fraught with problems on the set. In cold weather, the hydraulics that kept the doors open didn't work properly, causing the doors to sag, so members of the cast hit their heads on the door.
The car was powered by a craptacular 130-hp Peugeot/Renault/Volvo V6, so the car had trouble even reaching 88 mph. This was remedied in the sequels when they built the DeLorean's body on the chassis and engine of a Porsche 911.
The time machine was originally supposed to be a refrigerator, but the filmmakers were afraid that kids would shut themselves inside refrigerators in an attempt to time travel.
After the huge success of BTTF, John DeLorean wrote writer Bob Gale a thank you letter for immortalizing his car.
