Lists are often made of which cars are the cheapest to run, most economical, kindest to the environment, and so on. But it is alarmingly rare that writers talk about what really matters; Which is the most iconic movie car? We'll take a look at that now!
Okay, we understand that there have been tens of thousands of lists like this throughout history, but WE haven't made one. And it's important for us to take a stand in important social debates, so here we are. Ten absolutely fantastic cars make the list, and it's almost entirely optional to agree with which cars should be included or not.
Now let's go!
10. Nissan Skyline, The Fast and the Furious
Remember when the “Fast” movies were actually about cars? Then Dwayne “the rock” Johnson came along and started shooting with a machine gun and things were blowing up left and right. BUT! We will always have the first movie and its enormous influence on popular car culture. It feels like a bygone era now, nine (!) movies later.
Brian O'Conner's (played by Paul Walker) Silver Monster was more specifically a Nissan Skyline R34 GT-R with blue stripes, sports seats and a COlossal wing on the tailgate. These types of cars started a trend that still exists in the automotive world today, and although there is debate over whether it was O'Conner's Nissan Skyline or the Toyota Supra that was more iconic, it is this car that has stuck in our minds.
9. General Lee, Dukes of Hazard
Not a movie to begin with, we know, but a lot of iconic cars come from TV series, where they were more or less star actors in many cases. In addition, Dukes of Hazard has been made into a movie with, among others, Jackass star Johnny Knoxville. We're not talking about that movie. Ever.
Even though the General Lee (a 1969 Dodge Charger) is named after a controversial person and has a controversial symbol on the roof, we remember the car from another time. A time when both the Confederate flag and General Lee (the person) represented cowboy hats and pick-ups, banjo music, and of course cars.
8. Bandit 1, Smokey and the Bandit
Burt Reynolds' classic mustache was accompanied in this classic film by a classic Pontiac Firebird Trans Am. The Bandit 1, or just "Bandit" as you might often say, is such an iconic movie car that Pontiac had to delay the next generation Firebird because "Now We Blow the Snout" (as the film is called in Swedish) made the car too popular to replace.
For the film, musician Jerry Reed also composed one of the most iconic songs in film history, East Bound and Down, so it wasn't just the best cars and mustaches of the time that graced cinemas and VHS players in the 70s, there was also great music!
7. Wet Nellie, James Bond – The Spy Who Loved Me
What could be cooler than a Lotus Esprit S1? A Lotus Esprit S1 that is also a Submarine! Considering its swimming ability, “Wet Nellie” is a very fitting name, and James Bond used it to great success and to the delight of the audience!
Bond has had a ton of cool cars over the years (and there may be more on this list, who knows) but few of them have had as striking a party trick as the Wet Nellie. By the way, did you know that the car is named after the ultralight helicopter “Little Nellie” that Bond flew in a previous film, which in turn is named after comedian Nellie Wallace? Interesting, right? No, I didn’t think so either.
6. Eleanor, Gone in 60 Seconds
Nicolas Cage (who is, incidentally, the nephew of the legendary director Francis Ford Coppola, known for little-known films like THE GODFATHER!) stars in the new version of Gone in 60 Seconds, where he drives a very famous Ford Shelby GT 500. A Ford Mustang converted by the legendary car tuner Shelby American (Technically, Shelby didn't have much to say about that particular model, but those are too small details to go into).
In truth, it wasn't Nicolas Cage who starred in the movie, it was Eleanor. That's the one you went to the cinema to see, and that's the one that adorned the posters in garages and boys' rooms around the world. Isn't it a bit low to put it in sixth place, don't you think? Wait until you see the rest of the list, we say!
5. Bumblebee, Bumblebee (2018)
Perhaps the fifth or sixth coolest Transformer, Bumblebee (don't ask who the top 10 coolest Transformers are, we'll be here all week) can... transform into a classic Volkswagen 1200 (or 1300, or SK 803... or "Type 1" it's a bit unclear, dear child has many names) better known simply as a "Bull" or "Beetle" if you speak English.
Many might have said that Herbie from the movie “The Love Bug” (or “Gasen i botten, Herbie” in Swedish) is a more classic movie-people-car, but now we’re making the list and Transformers weighs more heavily. Besides talking, Herbie can only do things that a regular bumblebee can, while Bumblebee can do anything, more or less, he’s a Transformer!
4. DeLorean DMC-12, Back to the Future
Who hasn't dreamed of activating the flux capacitor and burning away at 88 miles per hour to travel back in time and meet their parents as teenagers? No one? No, maybe not, but if you could have done it in a DeLorean, it would have been a little more enticing!
With today's electricity prices, 1.21 gigawatts might be a bit expensive to travel back in time, but you can find a DeLorean DMC-12 for around half a million kronor in good condition (according to Hagerty Insurance) and then it's free to just sit behind the wheel and pretend!
3. KITT, Knight Rider
How cool was David Hasselhoff when he rocked up in his tight jeans and huge eighties hairstyle in a Pontiac Firebird Trans Am (almost the same one Burt Reynolds drove in 8th place above, although a few years newer) with features that would amaze even James Bond himself? Yes, we know, this is also a series, but don't think about that now.
The car was a perfect sidekick for special agent Michael Knight (David Hasselhoff) and together they took on villains in lifelike and realistic action scenes… No, we're just kidding, it was exaggerated and imaginative in the best way! What does KITT stand for, you wonder? Knight Industries Two ThousandNot as cool as you might have hoped, perhaps, but KITT is still one of the absolute coolest things on four wheels we've ever seen!
2. Aston Martin DB5, James Bond – Goldfinger
We couldn't possibly include just one car from the film series with the world's coolest cars. But if we're going to find something cooler than a submarine Lotus, we have to turn to perhaps the most iconic car in the film world: Bond's Aston Martin!
A “regular” Aston Martin is cool enough, but Bond’s car also has a long list of villain-fighting extras, such as a smoke screen, bulletproof shield, ejection seats and twin machine guns behind the headlights! Why aren’t there options like that when you buy a car today? No, we had to settle for lane keeping assist and heated steering wheel… The future is a disappointment!
1. Seat 850, Jönsson League in Mallorca
Was it a Fiat 850 or a Seat 850? You know the one that Sickan, Vanheden and Dynamit-Harry were driving around in Mallorca? Well, it's actually the same car, with different brands on the front. Just like Bond's Aston Martin, this Spanish (or Italian) sports car with 34 sea-wild horsepower has some really cool special features. Who doesn't remember when Vanheden takes off the steering wheel and sends it to Dynamit-Harry in the back seat, who simply sticks it in the parcel shelf and drives off in reverse! Well, that was all the cool things it could do, in and of itself...
Note from the author: Well, I know this car might not really fit in, but my boss thought a list of 9 cars would be strange and both he and I like the Jönssonligan very much.
Why did it end up in first place ahead of much more iconic cars? I was lazy and didn't want to rehash the list. Bye!
Are you looking for a new car for real life outside the big screen? Check out what cars we have in stock here!
Phone: 0920-23 00 88
E-mail: intresse@niemibil.se
Maja Johansson, Niemi Bil Luleå
