1. Doc Brown's DeLorean (Back to the Future)
Car Type: '81 DeLorean DMC-12
Special features: Flux capacitor, remote control, hover conversion, Mr. Fusion generator
The DeLorean DMC-12, which was notorious for not actually being a very good car in real life, shot to stardom in the Back to the Future series of movies. In the movie, it was actually a time machine invented by the eccentric Dr. Emmett Brown, played by Christopher Lloyd.
2. Herbie (Herbie series)
Car Type: '63 Volkswagen Bug (Beetle)
Special features: Ultimate cruise control
The Volkswagen Bug was already an iconic car by the time the first Herbie movie, entitled the Love Bug, hit the silver screen in 1968. It's a movie car that pretty much everyone will recognize if you ask them about it. Its most recent appearance was in the 2005 movie Herbie: Fully Loaded, starring Lindsay Lohan.
3. The General Lee (Dukes of Hazzard)
Car Type: '69 Dodge Charger
Special features: Extensive race modifications, musical horn
The Dukes of Hazzard was admittedly a rather silly show, and this is evidenced by the fact that it was carried for six seasons by nothing more than the cool car pictured above. The General Lee made the jump to movies in 2005, when it appeared in the Dukes of Hazzard movie starring Johnny Knoxville and Jessica Simpson.
4. Bullitt (Bullitt)
Car Type: '68 Ford Mustang GT390 Fastback
Special Features: Steve McQueen cool
The Ford Mustangs used in Bullitt (there were a pair of them used for shooting the movie) were piloted by arguably the coolest actor ever, Steve McQueen, in probably the most iconic car chase of all time. While one of the cars was scrapped immediately after filming, the other is said to reside in a barn in the Ohio River Valley.
5. Ecto-1 (Ghostbusters)
Car Type: '59 Cadillac Miller-Meteor
Special Features: Siren, sliding proton pack storage
The Ecto-1 is a modified Cadillac Miller-Meteor used in Ghostbusters, the 1984 supernatural horror comedy film starring Bill Murray and Sigourney Weaver. The former is part of a trio of eccentric parapsychologists who start a ghost-catching business in New York City. The Ecto-1 was used as transportation when the characters went on their missions.
6. Bandit's Trans Am (Smokey and the Bandit)
Car Type: '77 Pontiac Trans Am
Special Features: T-tops, CB radio
This star car made everyone ordering a new Trans Am in the late Seventies specify their cars with the famous "Flaming Chicken" decals on their hoods. Burt Reynolds was the star behind the wheel of the car in the movie, bootlegging Coors beer over state lines.
7. Starsky's Gran Torino (Starsky & Hutch)
Car Type: '76 Ford Gran Torino
Special Features: Mag wheels, custom paint
While the red Gran Torino with the big white stripe and mag wheels shot to fame in the Starsky & Hutch TV series, it was actually the 2004 movie of the same name that made it worth of a place on this list. Some 10 identical Grand Torinos are said to have been destroyed during the course of filming.
8. Tim Burton's Batmobile (Batman, Batman Returns)
Car Type: '85 Chevrolet Impala Batmobile
Special Features: Turbine, remote control, shields
It's a bit weird to think that something that's as sleek-looking and fast as the Batmobile is actually based on a Chevy Impala chassis. The car appeared in the 1989 movie Batman, and in its sequel, Batman Returns. There of course have been other Batmobiles both before and since, but this one is often thought of as the best.
9. Mr. Frye's Ferrari (Ferris Bueller's Day Off)
Car Type: '61 Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder SWB
Special Features: It doesn't need any. Worth about $15 million in today's money
For car enthusiasts, this car needs no introduction. They are highly sought-after collectors' cars that fetch ten of millions of dollars each at auction. In the movie Ferris Bueller's Day Off, the star car belongs to Ferris' sidekick, Cameron, father. Ferris convinces Cameron to take the car out for a spin, and it inevitably ends up being destroyed. Luckily, it was a replica that got destroyed during filming rather than one of these incredibly valuable and rare cars.
10. The Bluesmobile (The Blues Brothers)
Car Type: '74 Dodge Monaco police package
Special Features: It's a cop car
The Blues Brothers movie stars Dan Aykroyd and the late John Belushi, and this '74 Dodge Monaco is the Brothers' replacement Bluesmobile. In the movie, the car is bought very cheaply at a police auction, and then stars in a highly destructive police chase through the streets of Chicago.
11. Charlie's getaway Minis (The Italian Job)
Car Type: '68 Austin Mini Cooper S Mk1
Special Features: The ability to go just about anywhere in an urban environment
When The Italian Job hit theaters in 1969, the Mini was already a highly popular car, and the movie served to cement this popularity even further. Although Michael Caine and Noel Coward star in the movie, the three Minis, in red, white and blue, respectively, arguably stole the show.
12. Eleanor (Gone in 60 Seconds)
Car Type: '67 Shelby Mustang GT500
Special Features: Custom bodywork and paint
This is a car that stood out among a cast of many amazing cars in the 2000 movie, Gone In 60 Seconds. It was such a hit in the movie that it actually resulted in cottage industries creating Eleanor replicas springing up both in the US and elsewhere.
Image Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
