The Most Memorable Movie Vehicles Of All Time

Movies get acclaim and awards for their original storylines, their relatable characters, their fantastical settings, their quotable dialogue, and their stunning visual effects. But there's something else that's been making movies extra cool since at least as far back as 1903's "The Great Train Robbery." Some of the most thrilling, most hilarious, and most significant movie moments happen in or around vehicles. 

As the years have passed and technology has changed, so too have the types of vehicles that show up in movies, as well as the way in which they're fully realized on screen. Everything from vintage roadsters to historical sea vessels to futuristic spacecraft and even sentient cars can be rendered with models, replicas, or computer-generated images. Just as people love their cars in the real world, the characters in some of the cinema's most beloved films — and especially in big-budget franchises — get really attached to their rides. So do the fandoms that follow them. These are the big screen's most memorable vehicles.

"Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" is — like the vehicle for which it's named — a strange but delightful hodgepodge of a movie. It began life as a 1964 Ian Fleming novel and was also adapted into a stage play, but the 1968 film (co-written by Roald Dahl) is most familiar to the public.

In this children's musical fantasy film, two kids, their widowed inventor dad (Dick Van Dyke), and his socialite sort-of girlfriend Truly Scrumptious (Sally Ann Howes) attempt to salvage an old racecar with a noisy engine. "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" then morphs into a much more heightened story within a story. Our four main characters and their kindergartener's drawing-slash-Swiss-army-knife of a vehicle must flee the ridiculously tyrannical but immature Baron Bomburst (Gert Frobe). The Baron has outlawed children so that he may enjoy things like toys, games, and the magical Chitty Chitty Bang Bang for himself. Any kids his Child Catcher comes across are imprisoned under his castle. The car is both the object of the Baron's desire and the kids' best hope for rescue. 

"Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" makes a cameo in Kenneth Branagh's semi-autobiographical 2021 film "Belfast," where young Buddy's family is impressed by its visuals. Six versions of the car were created for production.

Ridley Scott's 1991 buddy-road-dramedy takes some seriously unexpected turns. Starring Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon in the title roles, "Thelma and Louise" starts up like a lighthearted chick flick about two best friends from Arkansas going on vacation, but it quickly shifts gears to explore weighty topics such as spousal abuse, assault, and whether women can really trust the system. "Thelma and Louise" is unsettling and occasionally violent, but it somehow retains its free spirit and comedic bent throughout. This is particularly true of its final scene, which is one of the most famous — and has become one of the most referenced and parodied — in cinema history. 

The 1966 Ford Thunderbird convertible plays a considerable role, not just in that shocking ending, but throughout what critic Kenneth Turan calls Thelma and Louise's neo-feminist road trip. What begins for the women as one kind of escape becomes another as the car comes to symbolize their autonomy and freedom. It's notable that, though the audience knows Thelma and Louise will die, the last shot is of the Thunderbird hovering in mid-air against a white background, meaning their choice as opposed to their death is what's important. 

"Christine" was a 1983 novel by Stephen King which was adapted into a film that very same year by John Carpenter. Both men are considered masters of the horror genre now, but "Christine" came early in their careers, and the movie performed moderately well at best with critics and audiences. It has, however, become something of a cult favorite in the years since. 

In this bizarre supernatural thriller, a nerdy teenager named Arnie buys a beater car — a red and white 1958 Plymouth Fury named Christine — from its deceased previous owner's family and begins to restore her. He learns that a string of deaths have been attributed to the vehicle, and as he spends time with her at the garage, his personality begins to change. It turns out that Christine isn't just sentient, she's controlling and bloodthirsty. The classic car antagonizes anyone who gets in Arnie's way, then anyone who gets in the way of her relationship with her new owner. 

Though she's definitely more machine than woman, Christine is almost treated like a human body often is in a horror film, subjected to extreme violence only to emerge to alternately inflict or endure more pain. In his largely positive review, Roger Ebert said of the titular Plymouth, "By the end of the movie, Christine has developed such a formidable personality that we are actually taking sides during its duel with a bulldozer."

Today, Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock are Hollywood heavyweights who studios can depend upon to sell an action movie, but back in 1994 when "Speed" debuted in theaters, their star power was largely untested, and filmmakers weren't sure that audiences would buy into the movie's simple (but kind of silly) premise. A terrorist has placed a bomb underneath a Santa Monica public bus. Once that bus accelerates above 50 miles per hour, the explosive will activate. If the bus decelerates below 50 mph, it'll detonate, killing everyone aboard. Enter SWAT team officer Jack (Reeves) and leadfooted passenger Annie (Bullock) to save they day.

The villain's plans and motives aren't the most sensible, and the physics aren't particularly plausible, but they do make for what's essentially one big, unforgettable, and enjoyable action sequence. Critics and crowds were all too happy to embark on this death-defying trip through L.A. traffic in a vintage blue and white General Motors bus. So much of "Speed" takes place in and around that bus that viewers were intimately familiar with it by the time the film comes to its fiery conclusion. "The Making of Speed" documentary explains how digital effects allowed for that impossible jump over an unfinished stretch of highway, but about a dozen real buses were used for most scenes. Many had to be blown up or crashed, but one listed in good condition sold at auction for $102,000 in 2018.

It's always a strong sign that a car is going to be an important part of a movie when it has a first name. Eleanor is a 1967 Ford Shelby Mustang GT500 and the object of Randall "Memphis" Raines' (Nicolas Cage) affections. She's also one of 50 MacGuffins in this fast-paced automobile-themed heist movie which also stars Angelina Jolie, Robert Duvall, and Delroy Lindo. In "Gone in 60 Seconds," retired car thief Memphis has three days to steal the aforementioned 50 high-priced and rare vehicles for a crime lord, or else that crime lord will crush his brother in a compactor. Eleanor is the white whale that eluded Memphis back in his lawbreaking days and the one that will be hardest for Memphis and his assembled crew to bring in unscathed. 

Some 12 Eleanors (five of which survived production) were created for the movie, which uses mostly practical effects. Only three of them were fully operational and were actually driven by the film's stars. Unfortunately for "Gone in 60 Seconds," neither critics nor audiences loved the movie as much as "The Fast and the Furious," which premiered the following year in 2001 and became a franchise with an enormous global following. But at least Memphis and Eleanor got their happy ending. 

1986's "Top Gun" opens with an extended action scene in which Maverick (Tom Cruise) and Goose (Anthony Edwards) fend off two hostile MiG-28s with their F-14 Tomcat fighter jet before being invited to an elite Naval flight school in California. Though there's plenty of time for romance and rivalry on the ground, a respectable portion of "Top Gun" takes place in the air, where we get to see everything the F-14 can do from inside and outside the cockpit. 

Navy pilot turned NASA astronaut Scott Altman was one of the pilots who actually flew those Tomcats during the movie's many stunts, including the moment in which Maverick disregards orders and buzzes past the control tower in a reckless flyover. The military worked closely with the producers and director Tony Scott on the film, and the use of real Defense Department equipment didn't come cheap. The rental and fuel for the aircraft ran about $7,600 per hour (in 1980s money), and if things didn't go just right, the film was unusable. 

"Top Gun" is remembered, in part, for the friendship between Maverick and Goose, and the latter's tragic demise. Sadly, in a case of life imitating art, pilot Art Scholl died trying to capture the failed flat spin maneuver that kills Goose in the film. Scholl was hired to perform aerial stunts with cameras mounted, but after he crashed in the Pacific Ocean, neither his body nor his plane were ever recovered. "Top Gun" is dedicated to his memory. 

Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean ride may have inspired a film franchise, but in the case of "Harry Potter," the franchise inspired the ride, which connects the two theme parks of Universal Studios Orlando. The Hogwarts Express allows guests to experience exactly what Harry did in the first book and movie. They can pass through the brick wall at Platform 9 3/4 with their gear in tow, then board the magical red and black train as they enjoy some sweets and John Williams' rapturous score en route to their destination. 

One of the most successful parts of the "Harry Potter" films was the extent to which the production design matched the imaginations of already obsessed book readers. The Hogwarts Express is just one example. The enchanted train does its part to create some of Wizarding World's charming, exceedingly British atmosphere, and it's an essential part of the narrative. Some of Harry's most formative moments — from meeting the Weasleys to fighting off dementors — happen on or because of the Hogwarts Express.

Fans who want to own a piece of Potterdom can buy painstakingly detailed train sets of the Hogwarts Express, not to mention a Lego set and countless other paraphernalia bearing its logo. 

It's said that Steven Spielberg invented the blockbuster with 1975's "Jaws," but he took universally popular filmmaking to another level with 1993's "Jurassic Park." The story of a planned dinosaur-themed vacation destination gone utterly, disastrously wrong is based on a Michael Crichton book of the same name. It became the highest grossing film ever (it still ranks 9th, adjusted for inflation) and began a franchise that's still going strong, as well as an area of Universal Studios' theme parks where rides and attractions recreate some of the movie's best and scariest moments. Many of those moments occur in the film's custom wrapped Ford Explorers, including one of the most iconic movie moments of all time, the T-rex attack. 

In the scene, doctors Grant, Sattler, and Malcolm along with a lawyer and the park owner's two grandchildren are out touring exhibits when the power is cut. This allows the living, breathing, terrifying attractions to escape. The grandkids notice a glass of water vibrating in the cupholder of their remotely driven SUV. Seconds later, the T-rex lunges into view. The scene continues for several incredibly tense minutes, as the alpha dino crushes the Explorer with the kids in it and pushes it to the edge of a cliff. "Jurassic Park" and its breathtaking visuals still hold up better than most new releases, three decades later. 

1984's "Ghostbusters" is an odd duck of a movie the same way the Ectomobile (or the Ecto-1) is an odd duck of a work vehicle. A supernatural thriller comedy starring "Saturday Night Live" alum that earnestly delved into spiritualism, "Ghostbusters" didn't necessarily have a built-in audience the way some franchise starters do. Nevertheless, it became a sensation that expanded into three more movies and a television series, as well as books, comic books, video games, and lots of related merchandise.

The comically weird-looking car the Ghostbusters drive around and bust ghosts in is a 1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor Futura Duplex with an ambulance-hearse conversion. In the story, Ray Stantz (Dan Aykroyd) purchases it for $4,800, an amount that was not meant to sound cheap by 1980s standards, since Stantz explains that it needs "suspension work and shocks, brakes, brake pads, lining, steering box, transmission, rear end ... maybe new rings, also mufflers, a little wiring." The Ecto-1 gets a fresh coat of white paint, a logo, a call number, and a few other bells and whistles. It looks better, but still ridiculous, and more or less like Aykroyd had imagined during the process of writing the script (it was supposed to be black with purple lights, according to an early draft in which it was capable of interdimensional travel). But even relegated to the streets of New York City, the Ectomobile is still one of the most memorable cars in cinema history. 

It had been 30 years since writer-director George Miller had made a "Mad Max" movie. The post-apocalyptic film series had always been seriously gear-headed, but neither critics nor audiences were prepared for 2015's "Mad Max: Fury Road," which amplified everything about the franchise to astounding effect. The fourth installment ending up winning six Academy Awards (the most by any film that year) for its stunning production design, its editing, its sound and more.

Charlize Theron is Furiosa, a war captain who goes rogue against the vile and dictatorial Immortan Joe. She uses her war rig, which is meant to ferry weapons and fuel to Joe's citadel, as an escape vehicle and armored sanctuary with which to free five of Joe's wives from sexual slavery. 2015's Max (Tom Hardy) is being used as a "blood bag" for injured troops, so he's looking to escape, too. Max attempts to steal the war rig as Furiosa is doing repairs, but the two agree to team up to get the women and each other to safety. 

Every vehicle in pursuit of Max and Furiosa is aesthetically fascinating, but it's the war rig they're chasing and which we stay with through the nonstop action. The mega-customized, 78-foot, 18-wheeler was fully functional, as was every other truck and bike in "Mad Max: Fury Road," which was filmed without CGI. 

Of all the movies on this list, none is so thoroughly about cars as much as 2006's "Cars." The Pixar film features exactly zero human characters; it's the motor vehicles themselves who have taken our place in "Cars," which Pixar fans and the internet have theorized about since the movie debuted. Despite some disturbing possible explanations, the animated movie's most loyal fans skew too young to care about such things. Thematically, "Cars" is about slowing down and taking time to enjoy your life and not putting too much pressure on yourself, which might resonate with parents and grandparents. But from the perspective of a five-year-old, it's about talking, brightly colored cars going fast. 

Artists conceived of a plethora of anthropomorphized automobiles for "Cars," including a Porsche, a VW Bus, and a forklift. The farm truck, Mater (voiced by Larry the Cable Guy), became something of a breakout star, but it's Owen Wilson's Lightning McQueen that's graced countless T-shirts and lunchboxes ever since. Fans can visit Radiator Springs in Disney's California Adventure theme park and even take a ride in the famous red race car. 

It might seem like the fully animated Lightning McQueen would be easier to produce than a physical Camaro or Mustang, but in reality, it was much more of an undertaking. While other production teams on this list could buy or build models, "Cars" required a team of 800 animators working on 3,000 computers, rendering with software that was as complex as the type that's actually used to design real cars. 

In a pop culture era in which superheroes are everywhere and seem to be multiplying, Batman has been one of the most enduring. Seven actors have put their own spin on the Caped Crusader, but there are some constants: He's dark and brooding, without any real superpowers besides his fortune and commitment to crime fighting, and he's got a whole Batcave full of cool gadgets. Other comic book characters might have a signature move or weapon, but Batman's most reliable piece of equipment is undoubtedly the Batmobile. 

The myriad films in which the character has appeared means that about a baker's dozen of various Batmobiles and other Bat vehicles have been designed and constructed in the last 30-plus years. "The Dark Knight" trilogy had its armored Tumbler. Zack Snyder's films had the even more souped-up Bat-tank with rotating mounted guns. The muscle car version in "The Batman" is emerging as a new fan favorite, but when most people think of a Batmobile, what comes to mind is the sleek but imposing and extremely comic book-y original from Tim Burton's 1989 film, simply titled "Batman."

Keith Short, who designed that Batmobile, explains in a Warner Bros. Home Video documentary called "Building the Batmobile" that he began with a Chevy Impala chassis, added design elements from Salt Flats racers and Sting Rays, then finished it off with Rolls Royce jet engine components and a British Harrier jet nosepiece. Two were made; one is housed in the Peterson Automotive Museum, the other is part of the private collection of one of the film's producers.