The iconic car culture of the 80’s,90’s, and today has made it so we have fallen in love with all kinds of movie and TV vehicles. Famous movie cars fascinate us in so many ways. Week after week we would watch many from our beloved TV shows. They aren’t just movie props. They are a part of movie and TV car history.
Some loyal movie and TV nerds and fans have made it their mission to recreate their iconic film and TV cars. So much so that there are thriving businesses surrounding these vehicles from movies and TV. You can have a replica car built to astonishingly accurate detail and have that movie car shipped to you even across the country with a transport company.
So, if you you’re Mr. Money-Bags, then you can just opt for buying turn-key versions of these vehicles and have it show up at your door. Otherwise, you can buy the cars they are made from and give it a go on your own.
So, sit back and buckle up, as we head down the list to the most famous movie cars and desired TV cars you want and can own (with the right amount of green in your pocket).
1982-1984 Pontiac Trans Am, ‘Knight Rider’
KITT, an artificial intelligence-equipped 1982 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am, was a true star. Every kid wanted their own Knight Industries 2000 from Knight Rider.
This Black T-Top make the top of the list. From being able to Turbo Boost over cars and through semi-trucks, to scanning buildings (unless lined with pesky lead). KITT could mess criminals up by dropping an oil slick or a create smoke screen to throw off the bad guys.
That nostalgia has carried on thanks to KITT’s loyal fanbase such as the Knight Rider Historians that have the largest collection of original series props in the world, including a screen used car.
But for the rest of us that want their own KITT, the memories lives on in the form of replicas like this one delivered to a huge fan.
A turn-key Knight Rider replica is available from the Knight Rider Store, or find a donor trans-am for sale and build your dream piece by piece with Knight Rider parts they sell.
The DMC DeLorean Time Machine (Back to the Future)
Everyone remembers the first time they saw the time machine come out from Doc Brown’s mobile lab. The DeLorean motor company made a car that was ahead of its time. Presented by Steven Spielberg and directed by Robert Zemeckis, Universal Studios special effects department created the iconic Back to the Future car we fell in love with.
Now unless you want to wait for another screen-used DeLorean DMC Time machine to grace the auction block like this one did for a mere $541,000 then a replica is going to be your chance to own it. And nobody is known for doing them better than Good ol’ Bob’s Prop Shop. Now, the Back to the Future fans do have to fork over a little more cash to own this baby. On his Facebook page, Bob (A.K.A. Video Bob) says the average turn-key car will run you about $150,000.00
If you can find a decent DMC DeLorean for sale, you can slowly build your vehicle over time. But don’t expect it to be cheap to even get a decent car to work with, as they go for $50,000 and up for a good one that you will likely bring one to you from afar. So, you have to add the shipping cost. There are plenty of forums and videos out there from hobbyists around the world with the parts and experience to help you out.
Warner Bros.’ 1989 Batmobile, ‘Batman’ and ‘Batman Returns’
The 1989 Batman movie, which was directed by Tim Burton, paved the way by showing the film industry that people want a superhero (and a super car) on the screen. A couple of years later a sequel came to be featuring the same turbine-powered Batmobile with Michael Keaton holding on to the controls once again. Although it feels like as if 1970’s Corvette and a 1959 Cadillac Eldorado had a baby, the produced vehicle is considered timeless in its design. It was made from the ground up and not based on an existing vehicle.
Unlike the other vehicles on this list, there is no “prop shop” openly selling these babies so it’s a little harder to find them. At least not anymore. The former Gotham Garage got sued by Warner Brothers for making Bat Mobiles.
Fortunately, if you do not want to fork 1.5 million dollars for a screen used version, you can land yourself a sweet drivable replica for a $220,000 (that has slipped by the WB lawyers, apparently). If we use this as our example, then that is the average cost for the finished product you can buy. The trick is to be alert for one of these come on sale if you have cash-in-hand.
And though the Dark Knight version of the Batmobile is super nerd-worthy, it’s just not as cool as this one so we are skipping it for now.
1973 Ford Falcon GT – XBGT Pursuit Special ‘Mad Max’
Based on a 1973 Ford Falcon XB GT, it was modified by Melbourne-based car customizers Manheim Auto Parts, who bought the original pastel green car and made extensive modifications to make it look battle-hardened for its movie roles.
The car’s body was “reinforced” with 6 mm steel plates on the front of the hood and weaponry in the movie’s script.
The Pursuit Special, more famously known as the Last of the V8 Interceptors, is an awe-inspiring black muscle car featuring a supercharger that was made iconic by Mad Max in the self-titled film franchise. This legendary vehicle appeared in all four films and even was featured in video games like GTA 5.
The Ford Falcon GT is pretty hard to find on its own. However, a professionally made XBGT can run you about $75-$185,000 according to Mad Max Cars. You’ll have to get it shipped afterwards. Why the price difference is hard to say as they are not stated. Our guess is screen accuracy and perhaps the possibility of blowing stuff up!
1958 Plymouth Fury, ‘Christine’
The Plymouth Fury in bright red will forever be remembered as Christine. It is one of those iconic movie cars we will never forget.
Stephen King chose the 1958 Plymouth Fury hardtop for Christine, as this model was less famous and had not achieved as much notoriety at that time. It featured a two-door design with red and white exterior accents, complemented by a sleek red vinyl and cloth interior.
The great thing about Christine is that this film history car is the easiest to recreate if you can find a good conditioned vehicle. In fact you can also use a Plymouth Belvedere as the are identical. Point of entry is about 30k + limo tint $200 + auto transport $1,000 and that is depending on distance.
1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor Sentinel Limo – ‘Ghostbusters’ (Ecto 1)
Also a 1959 Cadillac Crown Royale, the Ecto 1 is another classic car and one of the movie cars that make this list of Geek vehicle we’d own.
The Ecto-1, more affectionately known as the Ectomobile is a 1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor Sentinel limousine combination car (ambulance conversion), famously used in the 1984 cult classic film Ghostbusters.
This one-of-a kind design was created by Steve Dane, whose contribution to the movie saw him credited with Hardware Consultant in the feature film’s end credits.
Once again, we turn to Bob’s Prop shop that claims a conversion will set you back $90-200,000 depending on the level of details and functionality. If you are looking to build one yourself, you can buy on like this to make it your project. There’s a 30 min tutorial on YouTube to build your own car.
1967 Ford Mustang GT500, ‘Gone in 60 Seconds’
Every car nerd remembers the first time they saw Nick Cage gaze upon Eleanor with that Pepper grey metallic paint glistening across the movie screen.
We don’t know of anyone that didn’t finish the movie and immediately go home (because, you had to go to your home computer to search stuff back then) to see how to get one.
The “Eleanor” is an ingenious recreation of the 1967 Mustang Shelby GT500 that Steve Stanford and Chip Foose specially crafted for the film. Five copies were made for filming, out of which only three are claimed to still be around today. However, there are hundreds of replicas out there.
But like everything good it comes with a hefty price. The 1967 Fastback alone is quite expensive. You can find a slightly better prices 1968 Ford Mustang GT Fastback. Coupled with all the modifications you can easily pay north of $120,000 or even a cool $244,000 like this one on Ebay. You’ll absolutely want the most secure enclosed car shipping on that one, so don’t forget to have that in your budget. Likely $3500 or more. For those that want to get their hands dirty with a little grease, Motor Trend has an itemized list of all you need to build your own.
What About Other Movie and TV Cars??
There are a lot of great movie cars and television sports cars and there’s sure to be at least one movie car you would have wanted on this list.
Like maybe the James Bond Aston Martin DB5 , The Fast and the Furious Dodge Charger Vin Diesel drove. The General Lee from the Dukes of Hazzard. We remember the Ferrari from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Maybe you also remember the day you first saw Chevy Chase drive the Wagon Queen Family Truckster in National Lampoon’s Vacation. How about loving it when a plan comes together with the A Team van. But we are focusing on cars from Science Fiction and the Superhero world. So while the list of the most famous cars can be long, this one covers the ones you care about.
