Whether they were notable for their superior performance, or for the superior performers who drove them, RideLust’s list of the 50 Most Famous Cars pays homage to all the truly iconic automobiles of our time [and a few that slipped in under "editorial bias"...] So without further ado, and in no particular order:
Where It’s From: Gone in 60 Seconds [2000] film
Claim to Fame:Stuck behind a traffic jam and desperate to outrun the rapidly advancing 5-0, Memphis [Nicolas Cage] throws “Eleanor” and her 428 cubic-inch, 360-hp engine in drive and using a lowered towtruck flat bed as a ramp, launches her 30 feet up in the air. Completely airborne, Memphis flies Eleanor over 15 feet of damaged cars and rescue workers – landing intact on the other side, cocked, locked, and ready to rock
Where It’s From: Back To The Future [1985] film
Claim to Fame:Off-screen an extremely ill-fated Irish sports car, in Back To The Future, the DeLorean DMC 12 was capable of breaking the laws of quantum physics. Modified with a flux capacitor and a strategically placed nuclear generator, when traveling at precisely 88 mph, the DMC 12 was capable of time-travel.
Where It’s From: The Herbie series [1969, 1974, 1977, 1980, 2005] film
Claim to Fame: Born in Germany in 1963, Herbie is/was a white Volkswagen Classic Beetle famously distinguished by two red and blue racing stripes and the number 53 painted on the hood, doors, and trunk. Capable of driving itself as well as feeling human emotions, Herbie was a zippy little Beetle with a Porsche 356 engine who gave the big boys a run for their money.
Where It’s From:The Dukes Of Hazzard [1979-1985] television series
Claim to Fame: With a confederate flag painted on the roof and doors that were welded shut, the General Lee was the Duke boys’ modified Charger R/T who saw as much air time as United. To keep the Charger from going ass-over-teakettle during flight, the Charger’s trunk was routinely packed with about 1,000 pounds of sandbags and concrete [we'll spare you the "junk in the trunk" jokes].
Where It’s From: Knight Rider [1982-1986] television series
Claim to Fame:Hyper-intelligent crime fighting-mobile, the modified Trans Am known as KITT [voiced by William Daniels] always sounded mildly pissed with his human counter-part, Michael Knight [David Hassellhoff]. In addition to the ability to see, hear, and smell, KITT also came equipped with a frequently-referenced “Alpha Circuit” – a feature that was never completely explained but apparently controlled KITT’s artificial intelligence.
Where It’s From: The Saint [1962-1969] television series
Claim to Fame: Famous British lone wolf espionage agent Simon Templar’s [Roger Moore] 4-cylinder Swedish ride – the “Swedish” part really kind of ticking the British motor industry off [apparently, Jaguar was initially approached to provide a car for the series, but declined because they saw little hope in "The Saint" ever really taking off...good one, guys.]
Where It’s From: The Partridge Family [1970 – 1974] television series
Claim to Fame: The giant, psychedelic-hued tour bus used by the close-knit family of exceptionally talented musicians. This iconic bus represents the good old days when an 8-person family could share unnaturally close quarters for abnormally long periods of time and not have the Division of Family Services called on them.
Where It’s From: Miami Vice [1984 – 1989] television series
Claim to Fame:The first Ferrari model used during the series, the Ferrari 365 GTS/4 was actually a McBurnie-built Ferrari replica sitting on a Corvette chassis. Once the show [and the cars] gained popularity, the 365 GTS/4 was replaced by the Ferrai Testarossas – donated by Enzo Ferrari himself.
Where It’s From: Dazed and Confused [1993] film
Claim to Fame:David Wooderson’s [Matthew McConaughey] jailbait-magnet of a muscle car. In Wooderson’s own immortal words, “Let me tell you what Melba Toast is packin’ right here, all right. We got 4:11 Positrac outback, 750 double pumper, Edelbrock intake, bored over 30, 11 to 1 pop-up pistons, turbo-jet 390 horsepower. We’re talkin’ some f[*]in’ muscle.”
Where It’s From:Ghostbusters [1984] film
Claim to Fame:Nicknamed “Ecto-1”, the white endloading modified ambulance/hearse [an efficient albeit morbid combination] ferried around the four ghost-exterminators, Egon [Harold Ramis], Ray [Dan Aykroyd], Peter [Bill Murray], and Winston [Ernie Hudson] who were apparently either saving New York from paranormal warfare, or battling a pretty epic war on hallucinogens.
Where It’s From: Wayne’s World [1992] film
Claim to Fame: Despite boasting a pretty impressive drag coefficient of 0.32, the Pacer from Wayne’s World was notoriously ugly and cool only by association. Perhaps its only redeeming value, the Pacer’s interior provided the ideal acoustics for impromptu Queen cover concerts.
Where It’s From:Starsky and Hutch [1975 – 1979] television series
Claim to Fame:Referred to as the “Striped Tomato”, the Gran Torino was the monster badass muscle car with the 351 Cleveland and 4 barrel Holley carburetor used by the two hard-nosed California detectives, David Starsky [Paul Michael Glaser] and Kenneth Hutchinson [David Soul].
Where It’s From: National Lampoon’s Vacation [1983] film
Claim to Fame: The huge wood-imitation, fiberglass-paneled, 9-passenger wagon carted the Griswold’s around on the vacation from hell and provided a benchmark for which all middle-class families to aspire.
Where It’s From: The Blues Brothers [1980] film
Claim to Fame:Undeniably sweet, the beat-up black-and-white Bluesmobile was a famous as the Blues themselves. Trying to sell a skeptical Jake Blues [John Belushi] on the virtues of his new ride, Elwood Blues [Dan Aykroyd] explains to his brother, “It’s got a cop motor, a 440 cubic inch plant, it’s got cop tires, cop suspensions, cop shocks. It’s a model made before catalytic converters so it’ll run good on regular gas. What do you say, is it the new Bluesmobile or what?” We say – hell yeah.
Where It’s From:Ferris Bueller’s Day Off [1986] film
Claim to Fame: One of Cameron Frye’s [Alan Ruck] father’s prized possessions and the bane of Cameron’s existence, sports car enthusiasts everywhere cringed when the Ferrari made its slow flight through a plate glass window and into the topmost branches of a tree.
Where It’s From: Mad Max [1979] film
Claim to Fame:Hell hath no fury like a police cruiser with a 351 ci Cleveland V8 engine and a man with an axe to grind.
Where It’s From: Grease [1978] film
Claim to Fame:Danny Zuko’s [John Travolta] undeniably lust-able ride, and one of the many incredibly sexy hot rods that made sitting through the show-tune numbers worth it.
Where It’s From: Risky Business [1983]
Claim to Fame:Joel Goodson’s [Tom Cruise] father’s car that he raced, despite explicit instructions to the contrary. But hey, with a huge front-mounted, water-cooled 4.5L V8 219-hp engine, wouldn’t you?
Where It’s From: My Cousin Vinny [1992] film
Claim to Fame:Billy Gambini’s [Ralph Macchio] vintage ride with the famously absent positraction and independent rear suspension. Its original confusion with a 1963 Pontiac Tempest was responsible for bringing the wrath of Vinny Gambini [Joe Pesci] down on rural Alabama.
Where It’s From: Road House [1989] film
Claim to Fame:Jamming the accelerator to the floor and sending the Merc crashing through the fence, flying over the hedges, to land in a blazing fireball on the front steps – Dalton [Patrick Swayze]
Uses the Merc to let Brad Wesley [Ben Gazzara] know he has called down the thunder. Thou Shalt Not Anger The Swayze.
Where It’s From: The Graduate [1967] film
Claim to Fame: Benjamin Braddock’s [Dustin Hoffman] 1779 cc, 118hp ride helped distract from the fact that he was banging an older, not-really-that-hot, chick.
Where It’s From: Smokey and The Bandit [1977] film
Claim to Fame: The famous 6.6-liter, 200-hp, muscle car that made every little kid want to grow up and be a fearless beer-runner.
Where It’s From:Bullitt [1968] film
Claim to Fame:Steve McQueen. Bullitt. ‘Nuff said.
Where It’s From:Fast Times At Ridgemont High [1982] film
Claim to Fame:Although not an integral part of the movie, Jefferson’s [Forrest Whittaker] 185-horse Camaro Z28 with a 4-barrel upgraded 350 engine was the envy of every kid in the film…and in the audience, for that matter.
Where It’s From: The Gumball Rally [1976] film
Claim to Fame:Competing against a Mercedes, Porsche, and a Ferrari [my favorite duo], the Cobra was the 485 bhp coupe with a top speed of 180 mph that stole the show.
Where It’s From: The Green Hornet [1966-1967] television series
Claim to Fame: Known as “Black Beauty”, the Crown Imperial was the Green Hornet’s “rolling arsenal” that featured front and rear mounted laser guns and rocket pods and the silent but deadly [sorry, couldn't help ourselves] front grill-mounted gas gun.
Where It’s From: The A-Team [1983-1987] television series
Claim to Fame:Definetly not for soccer moms, The A-Team’s 350 c.i. V8 van came stocked with a Ruger AC556 fully automatic rifle with folding stock and flash hider firing 5.56x45mm NATO rounds, you know, for personal protection…
Where It’s From: American Graffiti [1973] film
Claim to Fame:The famous piss-yellow hot rod was originally a fully fendered red hot rod with red and white tuck’n'roll upholstery. For the movie, the upholstry was dyed black, but the hot rod’s sexiest feature was under the hood: a growling, souped-up, 1966 Corvette 327 small block engine.
Where It’s From: Christine [1983] film
Claim to Fame: The crazy-jealous 305-hp Golden Commando V8 Plymouth Fury, Christine, took the term “car enthusiast” to a whole new level. Officially listed as a ’58 Plymouth Fury, some Plymouth purists [all 3 of them] have identified certain shots of Christine that cause them to argue the Fury is actually a Belvedere, but since the ’58 Plymouth Fury was essentially the Belvedere with a trim package, we’re not going to split hairs [well, not over a Plymouth anyway].
Where It’s From: Transformers [2007] film
Claim to Fame:Autobot scout, “Bumblebee”, begins the movie as a 1977 Camaro, but “transforms” into a 2009 Camaro. In reality, the car used was actually a rebodied Pontiac GTO brilliantly modeled and rebadged to be a dead-ringer for the Camaro concept car that debuted at the North American International Auto Show in 2006.
Where It’s From: The World’s Fastest Indian [2005] film
Claim to Fame:The Indian Scout motorcycle [modified for the movie with a Ducati engine] is not a car but still a damn sexy ride and earns a spot on the list simply for being the fastest, most durable, reliable motorcycle ever produced, even beating out the famed [and cliched] Harley Davidson.
Where It’s From: The Gumball Rally [1976] film
Claim to Fame: Alright, we usually have very strict rules about repeating movies, but what can we say? We’re suckers for a 500 lift 288 duration cam. So sue us.
Where It’s From: Vanishing Point [1971] film
Claim to Fame:Based on the Plymouth Barracuda’s E-body, doped-up Kowalski’s [Barry Newman] Challenger R/T hauled some serious ass with a modified powerful 390-hp 440 4-barrel Magnum, TorqueFlite trans, pistol-grip Hurst shifter, and a Dana 60 axle.
Where It’s From: Thelma and Louise [1991] film
Claim to Fame:The 315-bhp V8 Thunderbird that ferried the two Bonnie’s cross-country on their notorious run from the law made it almost cool to have a violent mid-life crisis.
Where It’s From:xXx [2002] film
Claim to Fame:xXx was the James Bond movie for the more-tattooed crowd, and in keeping with that theme, the ’67 Pontiac GTO was the renegade hero’s getaway ride of choice featuring headlight-mounted rocket launchers and a flame-thrower installed under the air-intake.
Where It’s From: The Fast and The Furious [2001] film
Claim to Fame:Hard to pick just one from this gearhead’s wet dream of a film, we settled on one of the stars of the movie, the 1970 Dodge Charger with what was apparently a prop plane engine under [and above] the hood. Kick ass.
Where It’s From: The Cannonball Run [1981] film
Claim to Fame: Made in the same tone as every car lover’s favorite classic movie, The Gumball Rally, the star of the cross-country race in Cannonball Run was definitely the ’64 Aston Martin – hands down.
Where It’s From: Walker Texas Ranger [1993-2001] television series
Claim to Fame: A rare instance in which the driver makes the car cool, the truck from Walker Texas Ranger made the Top 50 because of the simple fact that Chuck Norris drove it. Don’t argue, Chuck Norris will not be pleased.
Where It’s From: Die Another Day [2002] film
Claim to Fame: If we have to explain why any ride from any James Bond movie is lust-able, you disgust us.
Where It’s From: Die Another Day [2002] film
Claim to Fame: Normal list rules do not apply. See previous.
Where It’s From: The Italian Job [2003] film
Claim to Fame:These little cars packed supercharged, 1.6L Tritect engines that made for some surprinsingly intense chase scenes.
Where It’s From: The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift [2006] film
Claim to Fame: This custom ’68 Mustang made the Top 50 list because it illustrates one of the worst, most tragic custom jobs ever performed on-screen on a Mustang since the birth of motion pictures. Although described as a Shelby Cobra Mustang GT-350 , the ’68-’67 GT350’s and GT500’s all have front grill openings, valences, and hoods that don’t even remotely resemble the “Shelby” in Tokyo Drift. Additionally, although the stunt cars in the movie used the 302 Windsor V8, the storyline of the movie involved swapping the Shelby’s engine with a Nissan RB26DETT. Oh, the humanity.
Where It’s From: Magnum PI [1980-1988] television series
Claim to Fame: The mid-engine V8 Ferrari featured in the original series [replaced later with 1981 and 1984 model years, respectively], the huge popularity of the show coupled with the gorgeous, amazing performance of the 255-hp GTS started a tidal wave of sales for Ferrari in the 80’s.
Where It’s From: Batman [1966-1968] television series
Claim to Fame:With Mickey Thompson’s sitting pretty in the back and a Ford Galaxie engine and trans under the hood, the bullet-proof, justice-bringing Batmobile was even cool with Robin riding shotgun.
Where It’s From: Uncle Buck [1989] film
Claim to Fame: We love Uncle Buck’s Marquis because it’s one of those POS cars that would survive a nuclear Holocaust and apparently thrives on engine sludge the same way a MacLaren thrives on premium fuel.
Where It’s From: Animal House [1978] film
Claim to Fame: The custom job from hell and the college road trip everybody remembers. Well I mean, sort-of remembers..those were some crazy times, man.
Where It’s From: Minority Report [2002]
Claim to Fame:Lexus’ concept car. When RideLust is nearing pension age, we’ll be seen motoring off to the Social Security Office in this sick, futuristic CS.
Where It’s From:Scooby-Doo [2002] film
Claim to Fame: The Mystery Machine, the only van on the planet that can give honest competition to the Partridge family’s tour bus in the “Most Psychedelic Van” category.
Where It’s From: The Beverly Hillbillies [1993] film
Claim to Fame:Not an especially well-known ride, and really only lust-able in certain West Virginian circles, the Clampett-mobile makes the Top 50 list simply for the monster truck customizations made by Jethro.
Where It’s From: Romancing The Stone [1984] film
Claim to Fame: Pepe “The Mule”, the drug-running 4 x4 with a V8 engine and the apparent ability to score bigger air then the General Lee.
1. 1967 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 fastback
Where It’s From: Gone in 60 Seconds [2000] film
Claim to Fame:Stuck behind a traffic jam and desperate to outrun the rapidly advancing 5-0, Memphis [Nicolas Cage] throws “Eleanor” and her 428 cubic-inch, 360-hp engine in drive and using a lowered towtruck flat bed as a ramp, launches her 30 feet up in the air. Completely airborne, Memphis flies Eleanor over 15 feet of damaged cars and rescue workers – landing intact on the other side, cocked, locked, and ready to rock
2. 1981 DeLorean DMC 12
Where It’s From: Back To The Future [1985] film
Claim to Fame:Off-screen an extremely ill-fated Irish sports car, in Back To The Future, the DeLorean DMC 12 was capable of breaking the laws of quantum physics. Modified with a flux capacitor and a strategically placed nuclear generator, when traveling at precisely 88 mph, the DMC 12 was capable of time-travel.
3. 1963 Volkswagen Beetle
Where It’s From: The Herbie series [1969, 1974, 1977, 1980, 2005] film
Claim to Fame: Born in Germany in 1963, Herbie is/was a white Volkswagen Classic Beetle famously distinguished by two red and blue racing stripes and the number 53 painted on the hood, doors, and trunk. Capable of driving itself as well as feeling human emotions, Herbie was a zippy little Beetle with a Porsche 356 engine who gave the big boys a run for their money.
4. 1969 Dodge Charger
Where It’s From:The Dukes Of Hazzard [1979-1985] television series
Claim to Fame: With a confederate flag painted on the roof and doors that were welded shut, the General Lee was the Duke boys’ modified Charger R/T who saw as much air time as United. To keep the Charger from going ass-over-teakettle during flight, the Charger’s trunk was routinely packed with about 1,000 pounds of sandbags and concrete [we'll spare you the "junk in the trunk" jokes].
5. 1982 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am
Where It’s From: Knight Rider [1982-1986] television series
Claim to Fame:Hyper-intelligent crime fighting-mobile, the modified Trans Am known as KITT [voiced by William Daniels] always sounded mildly pissed with his human counter-part, Michael Knight [David Hassellhoff]. In addition to the ability to see, hear, and smell, KITT also came equipped with a frequently-referenced “Alpha Circuit” – a feature that was never completely explained but apparently controlled KITT’s artificial intelligence.
6. 1962 Volvo P1800
Where It’s From: The Saint [1962-1969] television series
Claim to Fame: Famous British lone wolf espionage agent Simon Templar’s [Roger Moore] 4-cylinder Swedish ride – the “Swedish” part really kind of ticking the British motor industry off [apparently, Jaguar was initially approached to provide a car for the series, but declined because they saw little hope in "The Saint" ever really taking off...good one, guys.]
7. 1955 Chevrolet 6700-series bus
Where It’s From: The Partridge Family [1970 – 1974] television series
Claim to Fame: The giant, psychedelic-hued tour bus used by the close-knit family of exceptionally talented musicians. This iconic bus represents the good old days when an 8-person family could share unnaturally close quarters for abnormally long periods of time and not have the Division of Family Services called on them.
8. 1972 Ferrari 365 GTS/4
Where It’s From: Miami Vice [1984 – 1989] television series
Claim to Fame:The first Ferrari model used during the series, the Ferrari 365 GTS/4 was actually a McBurnie-built Ferrari replica sitting on a Corvette chassis. Once the show [and the cars] gained popularity, the 365 GTS/4 was replaced by the Ferrai Testarossas – donated by Enzo Ferrari himself.
9. 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS
Where It’s From: Dazed and Confused [1993] film
Claim to Fame:David Wooderson’s [Matthew McConaughey] jailbait-magnet of a muscle car. In Wooderson’s own immortal words, “Let me tell you what Melba Toast is packin’ right here, all right. We got 4:11 Positrac outback, 750 double pumper, Edelbrock intake, bored over 30, 11 to 1 pop-up pistons, turbo-jet 390 horsepower. We’re talkin’ some f[*]in’ muscle.”
10. 1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor Ambulance
Where It’s From:Ghostbusters [1984] film
Claim to Fame:Nicknamed “Ecto-1”, the white endloading modified ambulance/hearse [an efficient albeit morbid combination] ferried around the four ghost-exterminators, Egon [Harold Ramis], Ray [Dan Aykroyd], Peter [Bill Murray], and Winston [Ernie Hudson] who were apparently either saving New York from paranormal warfare, or battling a pretty epic war on hallucinogens.
11. 1977 AMC Pacer
Where It’s From: Wayne’s World [1992] film
Claim to Fame: Despite boasting a pretty impressive drag coefficient of 0.32, the Pacer from Wayne’s World was notoriously ugly and cool only by association. Perhaps its only redeeming value, the Pacer’s interior provided the ideal acoustics for impromptu Queen cover concerts.
12. 1974 Ford Gran Torino
Where It’s From:Starsky and Hutch [1975 – 1979] television series
Claim to Fame:Referred to as the “Striped Tomato”, the Gran Torino was the monster badass muscle car with the 351 Cleveland and 4 barrel Holley carburetor used by the two hard-nosed California detectives, David Starsky [Paul Michael Glaser] and Kenneth Hutchinson [David Soul].
13. 1979 Ford Country Squire LTD
Where It’s From: National Lampoon’s Vacation [1983] film
Claim to Fame: The huge wood-imitation, fiberglass-paneled, 9-passenger wagon carted the Griswold’s around on the vacation from hell and provided a benchmark for which all middle-class families to aspire.
14. 1974 Dodge Monaco
Where It’s From: The Blues Brothers [1980] film
Claim to Fame:Undeniably sweet, the beat-up black-and-white Bluesmobile was a famous as the Blues themselves. Trying to sell a skeptical Jake Blues [John Belushi] on the virtues of his new ride, Elwood Blues [Dan Aykroyd] explains to his brother, “It’s got a cop motor, a 440 cubic inch plant, it’s got cop tires, cop suspensions, cop shocks. It’s a model made before catalytic converters so it’ll run good on regular gas. What do you say, is it the new Bluesmobile or what?” We say – hell yeah.
15. 1961 Ferrari 250 GT Spyder California
Where It’s From:Ferris Bueller’s Day Off [1986] film
Claim to Fame: One of Cameron Frye’s [Alan Ruck] father’s prized possessions and the bane of Cameron’s existence, sports car enthusiasts everywhere cringed when the Ferrari made its slow flight through a plate glass window and into the topmost branches of a tree.
16. 1973 [heavily modified] Ford Falcon XB GT
Where It’s From: Mad Max [1979] film
Claim to Fame:Hell hath no fury like a police cruiser with a 351 ci Cleveland V8 engine and a man with an axe to grind.
17. 1948 Ford Deluxe
Where It’s From: Grease [1978] film
Claim to Fame:Danny Zuko’s [John Travolta] undeniably lust-able ride, and one of the many incredibly sexy hot rods that made sitting through the show-tune numbers worth it.
18. 1979 Porsche 928
Where It’s From: Risky Business [1983]
Claim to Fame:Joel Goodson’s [Tom Cruise] father’s car that he raced, despite explicit instructions to the contrary. But hey, with a huge front-mounted, water-cooled 4.5L V8 219-hp engine, wouldn’t you?
19. 1964 Buick Skylark
Where It’s From: My Cousin Vinny [1992] film
Claim to Fame:Billy Gambini’s [Ralph Macchio] vintage ride with the famously absent positraction and independent rear suspension. Its original confusion with a 1963 Pontiac Tempest was responsible for bringing the wrath of Vinny Gambini [Joe Pesci] down on rural Alabama.
20. 1986 Mercedes-Benz 560 SEC C126
Where It’s From: Road House [1989] film
Claim to Fame:Jamming the accelerator to the floor and sending the Merc crashing through the fence, flying over the hedges, to land in a blazing fireball on the front steps – Dalton [Patrick Swayze]
Uses the Merc to let Brad Wesley [Ben Gazzara] know he has called down the thunder. Thou Shalt Not Anger The Swayze.
21. 1966 Alfa Romeo Spider Deutto
Where It’s From: The Graduate [1967] film
Claim to Fame: Benjamin Braddock’s [Dustin Hoffman] 1779 cc, 118hp ride helped distract from the fact that he was banging an older, not-really-that-hot, chick.
22. 1977 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am
Where It’s From: Smokey and The Bandit [1977] film
Claim to Fame: The famous 6.6-liter, 200-hp, muscle car that made every little kid want to grow up and be a fearless beer-runner.
23. 1968 Ford Mustang 390 GT
Where It’s From:Bullitt [1968] film
Claim to Fame:Steve McQueen. Bullitt. ‘Nuff said.
24. 1978 Chevrolet Camaro Z28
Where It’s From:Fast Times At Ridgemont High [1982] film
Claim to Fame:Although not an integral part of the movie, Jefferson’s [Forrest Whittaker] 185-horse Camaro Z28 with a 4-barrel upgraded 350 engine was the envy of every kid in the film…and in the audience, for that matter.
25. 1965 AC Shelby Cobra 427
Where It’s From: The Gumball Rally [1976] film
Claim to Fame:Competing against a Mercedes, Porsche, and a Ferrari [my favorite duo], the Cobra was the 485 bhp coupe with a top speed of 180 mph that stole the show.
26. 1966 Chrysler Crown Imperial
Where It’s From: The Green Hornet [1966-1967] television series
Claim to Fame: Known as “Black Beauty”, the Crown Imperial was the Green Hornet’s “rolling arsenal” that featured front and rear mounted laser guns and rocket pods and the silent but deadly [sorry, couldn't help ourselves] front grill-mounted gas gun.
27. 1983 GMC Vandura [G-1500]
Where It’s From: The A-Team [1983-1987] television series
Claim to Fame:Definetly not for soccer moms, The A-Team’s 350 c.i. V8 van came stocked with a Ruger AC556 fully automatic rifle with folding stock and flash hider firing 5.56x45mm NATO rounds, you know, for personal protection…
28. 1932 Ford Deuce Coupe
Where It’s From: American Graffiti [1973] film
Claim to Fame:The famous piss-yellow hot rod was originally a fully fendered red hot rod with red and white tuck’n'roll upholstery. For the movie, the upholstry was dyed black, but the hot rod’s sexiest feature was under the hood: a growling, souped-up, 1966 Corvette 327 small block engine.
29. 1958 Plymouth Fury
Where It’s From: Christine [1983] film
Claim to Fame: The crazy-jealous 305-hp Golden Commando V8 Plymouth Fury, Christine, took the term “car enthusiast” to a whole new level. Officially listed as a ’58 Plymouth Fury, some Plymouth purists [all 3 of them] have identified certain shots of Christine that cause them to argue the Fury is actually a Belvedere, but since the ’58 Plymouth Fury was essentially the Belvedere with a trim package, we’re not going to split hairs [well, not over a Plymouth anyway].
30. 2009 Chevrolet Camaro Replica
Where It’s From: Transformers [2007] film
Claim to Fame:Autobot scout, “Bumblebee”, begins the movie as a 1977 Camaro, but “transforms” into a 2009 Camaro. In reality, the car used was actually a rebodied Pontiac GTO brilliantly modeled and rebadged to be a dead-ringer for the Camaro concept car that debuted at the North American International Auto Show in 2006.
31. 1920 Indian Scout Replica
Where It’s From: The World’s Fastest Indian [2005] film
Claim to Fame:The Indian Scout motorcycle [modified for the movie with a Ducati engine] is not a car but still a damn sexy ride and earns a spot on the list simply for being the fastest, most durable, reliable motorcycle ever produced, even beating out the famed [and cliched] Harley Davidson.
32. 1972 Chevrolet Camaro Z28
Where It’s From: The Gumball Rally [1976] film
Claim to Fame: Alright, we usually have very strict rules about repeating movies, but what can we say? We’re suckers for a 500 lift 288 duration cam. So sue us.
33. 1970 Dodge Challenger 440 R/T
Where It’s From: Vanishing Point [1971] film
Claim to Fame:Based on the Plymouth Barracuda’s E-body, doped-up Kowalski’s [Barry Newman] Challenger R/T hauled some serious ass with a modified powerful 390-hp 440 4-barrel Magnum, TorqueFlite trans, pistol-grip Hurst shifter, and a Dana 60 axle.
34. 1966 Ford Thunderbird
Where It’s From: Thelma and Louise [1991] film
Claim to Fame:The 315-bhp V8 Thunderbird that ferried the two Bonnie’s cross-country on their notorious run from the law made it almost cool to have a violent mid-life crisis.
35. 1967 Pontiac GTO
Where It’s From:xXx [2002] film
Claim to Fame:xXx was the James Bond movie for the more-tattooed crowd, and in keeping with that theme, the ’67 Pontiac GTO was the renegade hero’s getaway ride of choice featuring headlight-mounted rocket launchers and a flame-thrower installed under the air-intake.
36. 1970 Dodge Charger
Where It’s From: The Fast and The Furious [2001] film
Claim to Fame:Hard to pick just one from this gearhead’s wet dream of a film, we settled on one of the stars of the movie, the 1970 Dodge Charger with what was apparently a prop plane engine under [and above] the hood. Kick ass.
37. 1964 Aston Martin DBS
Where It’s From: The Cannonball Run [1981] film
Claim to Fame: Made in the same tone as every car lover’s favorite classic movie, The Gumball Rally, the star of the cross-country race in Cannonball Run was definitely the ’64 Aston Martin – hands down.
38. 1990 GMC Sierra 1500 SLE
Where It’s From: Walker Texas Ranger [1993-2001] television series
Claim to Fame: A rare instance in which the driver makes the car cool, the truck from Walker Texas Ranger made the Top 50 because of the simple fact that Chuck Norris drove it. Don’t argue, Chuck Norris will not be pleased.
39. 2002 Aston Martin Vanquish
Where It’s From: Die Another Day [2002] film
Claim to Fame: If we have to explain why any ride from any James Bond movie is lust-able, you disgust us.
40. 2001 Jaguar XKR Mk.I
Where It’s From: Die Another Day [2002] film
Claim to Fame: Normal list rules do not apply. See previous.
41. 2003 Mini Cooper S [R53]
Where It’s From: The Italian Job [2003] film
Claim to Fame:These little cars packed supercharged, 1.6L Tritect engines that made for some surprinsingly intense chase scenes.
42. 1967 Ford Shelby GT350
Where It’s From: The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift [2006] film
Claim to Fame: This custom ’68 Mustang made the Top 50 list because it illustrates one of the worst, most tragic custom jobs ever performed on-screen on a Mustang since the birth of motion pictures. Although described as a Shelby Cobra Mustang GT-350 , the ’68-’67 GT350’s and GT500’s all have front grill openings, valences, and hoods that don’t even remotely resemble the “Shelby” in Tokyo Drift. Additionally, although the stunt cars in the movie used the 302 Windsor V8, the storyline of the movie involved swapping the Shelby’s engine with a Nissan RB26DETT. Oh, the humanity.
43. 1979 Ferrari 308 GTS
Where It’s From: Magnum PI [1980-1988] television series
Claim to Fame: The mid-engine V8 Ferrari featured in the original series [replaced later with 1981 and 1984 model years, respectively], the huge popularity of the show coupled with the gorgeous, amazing performance of the 255-hp GTS started a tidal wave of sales for Ferrari in the 80’s.
44. 1955 Lincoln Futura Concept Car
Where It’s From: Batman [1966-1968] television series
Claim to Fame:With Mickey Thompson’s sitting pretty in the back and a Ford Galaxie engine and trans under the hood, the bullet-proof, justice-bringing Batmobile was even cool with Robin riding shotgun.
45. 1975 Mercury Marquis Brougham
Where It’s From: Uncle Buck [1989] film
Claim to Fame: We love Uncle Buck’s Marquis because it’s one of those POS cars that would survive a nuclear Holocaust and apparently thrives on engine sludge the same way a MacLaren thrives on premium fuel.
46. 1964 Lincoln Continental
Where It’s From: Animal House [1978] film
Claim to Fame: The custom job from hell and the college road trip everybody remembers. Well I mean, sort-of remembers..those were some crazy times, man.
47. 2054 Lexus CS
Where It’s From: Minority Report [2002]
Claim to Fame:Lexus’ concept car. When RideLust is nearing pension age, we’ll be seen motoring off to the Social Security Office in this sick, futuristic CS.
48. 1972 Bedford CF
Where It’s From:Scooby-Doo [2002] film
Claim to Fame: The Mystery Machine, the only van on the planet that can give honest competition to the Partridge family’s tour bus in the “Most Psychedelic Van” category.
49. 1921 Oldsmobile Model 46
Where It’s From: The Beverly Hillbillies [1993] film
Claim to Fame:Not an especially well-known ride, and really only lust-able in certain West Virginian circles, the Clampett-mobile makes the Top 50 list simply for the monster truck customizations made by Jethro.
50. 1982 Ford Bronco XLT
Where It’s From: Romancing The Stone [1984] film
Claim to Fame: Pepe “The Mule”, the drug-running 4 x4 with a V8 engine and the apparent ability to score bigger air then the General Lee.
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