A Look at the Most Famous Movie Vehicles of All Time
Motion pictures have always been about creating a spectacle for viewers to enjoy. Movies are full of extraordinary images for us to gasp over: beautiful people, dramatic confrontations, death-defying stunts, gorgeous scenery, and luxurious lifestyles.
The automobile emerged at the same time as the motion picture, and so it’s little wonder that cars have always played a big role in the movies. Here are a few of the most famous automobiles that have been featured in film.
James Bond’s Aston Martin DB5 (Goldfinger)
This stylish roadster established the tradition of gadget-laden cars in the James Bond movies. The sporty silver car featured a bulletproof shield for the rear window, machine guns that popped out from behind the headlights, and a revolving license plate with three different numbers to choose from. The Aston Martin DB5 became closely associated with Bond. The same car was reused in Thunderball, and other versions appeared in GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies, The World is Not Enough, and Casino Royale. However, the car that transformed into a submarine in The Spy Who Loved Me was a different make and model – a white Lotus Esprit.
The DeLorean Time Machine (Back to the Future)
When mad scientist “Doc” Brown created his time machine, he intended to travel in style. He built the device into a DMC DeLorean. This striking sports car has an exterior of stainless steel and a gull-wing design with passenger doors that open up instead of to the side. The futuristic styling of the DeLorean made for a plausible high-tech housing for the time machine and a visual anchor for the Back to the Future series.
Christine (Christine)
This infamous bright-red Plymouth was not only the namesake of the movie but also its villain. Based on the book by the horror novelist Stephen King, this film featured a car with a mind of its own. Christine could drive herself, crush her victims, and rapidly repair any damage to her body. This unstoppable murder car made quite an impact on the movie-goers of the 1980s!
Ecto-1 (Ghostbusters)
If a haunted car scares you, who better to call than the Ghostbusters? The distinctive vehicle driven by this team of paranormal investigators was known as the Ectomobile or Ecto-1. It was built from a 1959 Cadillac hearse, painted white and with the Ghostbusters logo emblazoned on the front doors. It had a red tailfin and an assortment of anti-supernatural gadgets on the roof. Like the DeLorean in the Back to the Future movies, Ecto-1 provided a sense of continuity that tied together the various films and cartoons that made up the Ghostbusters franchise.
The Supercharged Ford Falcon Interceptor (Mad Max)
No film series is associated with customized cars more than Mad Max. Max is a survivor in the post-apocalyptic Australian outback, contending with vicious gangs of murderers and cannibals in a profusion of lethally modified cars, trucks, and motorcycles. To fight back, he needs his rugged Interceptor, a vehicle distinctive for the contrast between its beat-up exterior and its shiny, powerful supercharger.
Automobiles are a big part of life for many of us, and films offer us distinctive and memorable versions of them. Although most of us will never own an automobile quite as extreme as the ones listed above, we still tend to choose our cars carefully to meet our needs and express our personal styles.
