Try And Match The Cars To The Movie Or Series That Made Them A Hit!
- by Arun Pundir
- – on
- in Movies and TV
What makes a movie or a TV series iconic? A good storyline, good acting and some memorable props are important for sure. So are good actors who can carry the story well on their shoulders. But let’s talk about the props here. As important as the actors of the Star Trek series were, the CGI-manufactured Enterprise was equally of import. They couldn’t have gone where no man has gone before minus the ship or escaped with the hyperdrive when they needed to.
The same goes for movies, series and the cars starring in them. Sometimes, at least in some scenes – the cars are literally as important as the human characters driving them. These cars help the protagonist escape when in need, or chase down the most important thing in their life. Sometimes, it's their lifelong companion – the one that has been with the protagonist all their lives through thick and thin. Other times, vehicles are shown to be sentient beings with feelings and more – capable of making their own decisions and making life all the more interesting for their owners. Take KITT out of Knight Rider, and you’d have a failed TV series. Or how about the Transformers franchise minus Optimus Prime and Bumblebee? Though a car is nothing more than a machine that can be traded in for a new model as when it loses its worth and value, we still get attached to our wheels. And the same stands true for the entertainment we watch – the onscreen cars of our favorite movies or series soon become our dream rides. Match these cars with the movies and series that made them famous…
Which Audi did Jason Statham drive on two wheels, in his hit movie franchise, The Transporter?
Jason Statham plays Frank Martin in the hit movie franchise, the Transporter. After three movies, the role is being taken over by Ed Skrein. Martin’s character remains the same – he’s an ex-special forces retiree and now is a contractual driver 'come bodyguard on hire. Mostly, he transports people, thus the name of the movie. In one scene, he’s being chased by goons and pulls off a crazy maneuver where he sneaks his sports car between two heavy-duty trucks – driving on two wheels.
In which Bond flick did 007 drive an Aston Martin DB5?
It took just 13 minutes of screen time to turn the Aston Martin DB5 into a much-desired car. This particular car in question that was used in a 007 flick was loaded. It supposedly came with bullet-proof windows, an ejector seat as well as revolving number plates. It was also rigged to keep out all the villains and vamps out. Since it was a car driven by Bond, it was auctioned off for a massive sum once the movie was out - $4.1 million to be exact.
Name the truck that was Optimus Prime in the Transformers Series.
While Bumblebee is quite the star of the franchise, as is Megatron and all its rebirths – the most heroic figure is Optimus Prime. In fact, we are pretty sure that Michael Bay spent some sleepless nights trying to figure out which truck to use for Optimus. It had to be big, enormous rather, but good-looking enough to support all the chrome as well as the red and blue exterior as well. Strangely enough, even Bumblebee, originally a VW Beetle was changed into the Chevy Camaro.
Which car replaced the 1959 Cadillac "Ecto-1" in the 2016 reboot of Ghostbusters?
The 1984 film Ghostbusters starred Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Rick Moranis and Sigourney Weaver. Basically a comedy, it showed three parapsychologists establish their very own paranormal investigations and elimination agency after they got laid off. Their awesomely equipped car was the 1959 Cadillac called the Miller-Meteor Ectomobile. In the 2016 reboot, they used a different car. Though the car was made up to look the same and was of the same master brand as well.
Which sports car was the famous Bond sub "Wet Nellie" made to look like?
Like a typical 007 flick, the Roger Moore starring movie, The Spy Who Loved Me also featured one very cool car. In fact, it was so cool that it turned into a submarine upon entering the water. The reality is there were two vehicles: one being an actual roadworthy car and the other being a submarine that looked like a car. During the movies, it was piloted by an Ex-U.S. Navy SEAL. The submarine-car was later bought by Elon Musk in 2013.
In the paranormal series Supernatural, which car is Dean’s “Baby”?
So Dean gets this car from his dad and loves it to bits. But in fact, it was a time traveling from-the-future Dean who convinces the much-younger John Winchester to go for this car in the first place. At the time, John was about to buy a Volkswagen van instead. Convoluted much? The backstory of “Baby” is perhaps as big as its weapon-encased boot that seems to hold a kill for just about any monster hiding under your bed. Oh, and it's only when Dean feels really guilty about something that Sam is allowed to drive Baby.
Which movie made the Ford Mustang so famous, they launched a 2018 commemorative version of it?
A Ford Mustang is a gorgeous car and is still quite the coveted model. But it’s the old classic versions of it that sell even higher than the actual retail price of a new Mustang. And much of its popularity can be attributed to plenty movies and TV series that showed the Mustang in an incredibly manly light. One such movie starred Steve McQueen as a tough cop, battling an especially villainous mob boss, played by Robert Duvall. There was an indelible 10-minute car chase featuring this iconic Ford Mustang.
Which Jaguar was used in Bond spoof Austin Powers: Goldmember?
The movie was crazy, and so was Mike Myers who for some reason, Hollywood no longer hires. Perhaps ever since the very capable Daniel Craig stepped into Bond’s shoes, no one really wants to anger the agent. That said; as famous as the original 007 movies made their heroic cars, the car that featured in Goldmember hit massive sales as well. It was later bought by Jerry Reynolds and after that has been on display at the Pack Automobile Museum.
Which car is the Black Beauty – both in the 2013 Green Hornet movie and the original series?
Green Hornet, the masked crime-fighter-superhero, was created in 1936. He was introduced in many comic book series and films initially in the 1940s and gained popularity as a TV series later in 1960s. The name Black Beauty for the car was coined by Green Hornet himself. Later in 2013 when the movie was being made starring Seth Rogen, a car coordinator convinced the director to use the same car with the necessary modifications. So Black Beauty always remained the highlight of the Green Hornet.
Which car is the iconic yellow truck seen in this popular Tarantino flick?
Both the Kill Bill movies were a masterpiece made by director Quentin Tarantino, and are considered cult classics. More so because the action sequences were colorful, humorous and cartoonish - so the violence didn't register. As iconic as the movie was, the bright yellow pickup truck was even more memorable. And this despite the fact that it barely had screen time. Perhaps the emblazoned words had got something to do with it. The wagon also cameoed in the song “Telephone” featuring Lady Gaga and Beyonce.
Though Herbie is the VW Beetle like everybody knows, what was the original name of the VW bug?
The Love Bug, Herbie is a sentient being. Actually, he is pretty emotional for that matter. A racing car that can drive on his own and make its own decisions sounds cool. There were many Disney movies on Herbie that ran successfully. So much so that Volo Auto Museum and Peterson Automotive Museum have kept one original car each. One of the other many shoot cars drowned during the shooting of Herbie Goes Bananas. In this movie, Herbie went into the ocean by accident and could never be retrieved.
Which TV series used a brightly painted school bus as means of a family transport?
This series was one of the most popular musical sitcoms of the 70s. Here, the entire family paints an old school bus they buy in the brightest of colors, the patterns inspired by a famous Dutch painter and theoretician. This bus literally became the show’s mascot, despite actors that went on to make it big. Unfortunately, once the series wrapped up, the school bus was left redundant and it finally went to the junkyard. It features in Time’s list of top 10 famous buses of all time.
Which non-muscle car was used in a chase scene in the movie Italian Job?
The Italian Job is all about a gold heist and stars Charlize Theron and Mark Wahlberg. The makers of the movie must have wanted a fast muscle car to shoot the heist successfully. Instead, they opted for a small hatchback which showed its strength and power in the entire movie, especially in a high-speed chase. Basically, the entire movie projects this little car in a great light. Which makes us think that the car company must have invested a lot in the movie.
Which Ford car featured in the original Mad Max movie starring Mel Gibson, and was painted black on black?
There are plenty fans of the new Mad Max movie, replete with the one-armed Charlize Theron and Tom Hardy. But there may be even more fans of the Mel Gibson original. In fact, the first movie was made on a shoestring budget and primarily shot in Australia – which means buying cars for the movie turned out to be a challenge. When the first movie turned out to be a hit, the modified cars that had been sold off to were brought back and turned even cooler – including that classic black interceptor Gibson looks so cool in.
In which hit TV series did a Ford Gran Torino became a central character?
Painted in bright livery, this Ford Gran Torino was always a sight to behold. The beauty lay not just in the classic and clean lines of the car but also in the power that lay under the hood. A V8 engine churned out some 250 horsepower. It may not have been the fastest car on the block at the time, but it was definitely a great-looking one, especially when it was used in car chases. Since good always overcame evil, this Gran Torino managed to catch up to the bad guys effortlessly.
In which convertible car did Thelma and Louise film the climax of the movie by the same name?
Thelma and Louise, so played by Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon went down well with the audience and is still considered iconic cinema. In the movie, Thelma plays a repressed woman and Louise, an outwardly brash but broken one. The movie unravels over a road trip taken in a very iconic car that was introduced as a luxury sports car. The movie came out in 1991 but the car was a 1966 model, meaning it was not just a convertible but a rather coveted classic one.
Which iconic car was used to play General Lee, the orange car in the 80s TV series Dukes of Hazzard?
From 1979 to 1985, most couch potatoes were hooked onto a show that showed two brothers bootlegging whilst running away from the Hazzard county authorities. Obviously, a lot of this getting away happened in the orange vehicle that had its doors welded shut. The brothers got in and out using the windows. Many episodes decimated this car, and it is said almost 300 of these classic cars went into the making the show. In the end, only 17 survived and were auctioned off as memorabilia.
Which was the first car that KITT from Knight Rider was modeled on?
Knight Rider aired during the 1980s and fast became one of the most popular TV series. The reason was KITT, its hero’s indestructible supercar and also the very hunky David Hasselhoff. KITT was an acronym for Knight Industries Three Thousand. While the original model was another, it later became a more powerful car when it was built upon the Ford Shelby GT500KR. Basically, KITT could do just about everything, especially when it needed to keep the criminals at bay and rescue Michael Knight.
When Tom Cruise played a race car driver in Days of Thunder, which car did he drive to win?
Tom Cruise's not-so-tall stature makes him a perfect fit to play a race car driver - because while these Formula 1s maybe fast, they are definitely not spacious. In Days of Thunder, Tom Cruise was at his youthful best, playing a competitive but fair race car driver that sort of catapulted NASCAR to fame. The movie came out in 1990 and then next decade was like the golden years for both NASCAR, and of course, Tom Cruise. Good old cool in one very bright green car.
Which was Batman’s muscular mean machine in the 2005 flick Batman Begins starring Christian Bale?
Batmobiles are a class apart – because Batman wasn’t a superhero with any special powers of his. Except he had a ton of money, even more tonnage in his brains and some chunky muscles to deal with the bad guys. When you combine great brains with lots of money – you get awesome tech. Much like Iron Man, or Tony Stark in the Marvel Universe. For the 2005 Batman Begins movie starring Christian Bale, the car was as lean and mean as the actor himself.
Which classic convertible became a very important character in the TV series, Entourage?
Entourage was a TV series revolving around an actor, and his gang. The car initially being used by the crew belonged to a rather difficult owner so the crew was on the lookout for a new car. Serendipity happened, and another dude who owned the same car, and even in the same color rolled in to get gas where the crew was filming. To cut a long story short, the crew begged this gentleman for a loan of his car, which he was amiable too. The show ended and the now-autographed car was reunited with the very pleasant owner.
Which car did Kurt Russell drive in Tarantino’s film (pictured here), which had a duck hood ornament?
This was one strange, violent movie about a guy who called himself Stuntman Mike. He goes to bars to meet pretty women and lures them back to his car on one pretext or another – his driver seat is basically a well-protected place where he will come to no harm even if his car does. The passenger side is another matter altogether. So when he begins to drive his car rough, banging into things and applying sudden brakes – he and his well-protected car remain safe. The passenger is usually turned to a pulp.
Which now-defunct car appeared in the Back To The Future cult classic?
In the movie Back To The Future, the time traveling machine that transports Michael J Fox and Christopher Lloyd into the future – was a particular car. This car was made by a now defunct company that failed rather massively, almost sending the owner to prison in the process. He believed so strongly in the product – he drove himself and the company bankrupt… The car looked really great actually, having striking gullwing doors. But what lay under the hood didn't match all that much, which is probably why the car failed.
This insane looking, hard-to-believe-it's-real Gigahorse car featured in which movie?
So this car looks as if it is nothing more than the imaginations of a very inventive designer working purely in CGI – probably all scenes shot on a clunker in front of that CGI green screen. But the car is real and in fact, one very cool modded four wheeler that seems to chew up sand, rocks, and anything that comes in its way. The massive chassis was off a truck while the double 1959 Cadillac shells formed the car. To pull the rather massive curb weight, twin supercharged Chevy big block V8 engines were used.
Which car was Robert De Niro driving in the Paris car chase scene in the movie Ronin?
The 20-minute car chase scene in Ronin is still considered the very best, even after 20 years. Obviously, CGI and tech have managed to take car chase scenes to another level - think of the Fast and Furious franchise, or even the Transporter movies. Even so, the scene in Ronin is still one of the most heart-pounding ones ever. In it, two main cars drive recklessly all over the lanes of Paris with many a nail-biting moment. It also involved some 300 other stunt drivers.