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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchSome movie cars do more than get characters from one scene to the next: they carry a story, become a personality in their own right, or leave an image audiences remember long after the credits. This curated selection of ten shows how a car can become a genuine screen star, from Bond’s gadget-filled Aston Martin to a Volkswagen Beetle with a mind of its own. It is not a definitive ranking; published lists choose and order movie cars differently.
What makes a car a movie star?
A memorable movie car has a screen identity beyond its make and model. It may act like a character, drive the plot, or become inseparable from a film’s most distinctive image. The ten below are chosen for those roles, not ranked against one another.
Ten cars with a starring role
1. Aston Martin DB5 — Goldfinger (1964)
The DB5 became James Bond’s signature car when it appeared in Goldfinger. Its identity is bound to the film’s spy gadgets: machine guns, tire slashers, oil jets, a rotating license plate and an ejector seat. Those devices belong to the film’s fictional car, not ordinary DB5 equipment. The International Spy Museum identifies its displayed DB5 as a 1964 artifact and notes that Bond first drove the model in the film. International Spy Museum: Aston Martin DB5
2. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang — Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968)
Chitty is not just the title car but a fantasy character: a machine that can fly and travel on water. Sky HISTORY says the film car took its name from a series of 1920s race cars fitted with large aircraft engines. Dick Van Dyke, who played inventor Caractacus Potts, described it as having “the turning radius of a battleship”—a vivid reminder that this extraordinary prop was not designed for nimble driving. Sky HISTORY: 10 of the most famous movie cars of all time
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3. DeLorean DMC-12 — Back to the Future trilogy
Doc Brown’s DeLorean turns a stainless-steel sports car into the trilogy’s central plot device: a time machine. In the film’s fiction, it must reach 88 mph to travel through time. Hyundai identifies the production car used as a 1981 De Lorean DMC-12; the speed threshold is part of the story, not a real-world feature of the car. Hyundai Motor UK: Greatest movie cars Sky HISTORY: 10 of the most famous movie cars of all time
4. Herbie — The Love Bug (1968) and sequels
Herbie is a 1963 Volkswagen Beetle whose personality—not speed or gadgets—makes it the star. The films treat the car as a living, mischievous presence that can make decisions and influence events. Sky HISTORY recounts that the crew selected the Beetle from several candidates and painted its interior grey to reduce glare on camera. Hyundai’s 2018 list noted that Herbie had starred in five films by then. Sky HISTORY: 10 of the most famous movie cars of all time Hyundai Motor UK: Greatest movie cars
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5. The Batmobile — across the Batman films
“The Batmobile” describes a succession of screen vehicles, not one fixed model. The Tumbler is the rugged design associated with Christopher Nolan’s films; earlier Batman productions used very different cars. Hyundai’s list also includes the customized Lincoln Futura from the 1960s television series and Tim Burton’s Batmobile. Sky HISTORY’s account of the 1989 design notes working gadgets and a roof adjusted to accommodate Batman’s cowl. Those details belong to that version, not every Batmobile. Hyundai Motor UK: Greatest movie cars Sky HISTORY: 10 of the most famous movie cars of all time
6. Lotus Esprit S1 — The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
The Lotus Esprit S1 became one of Bond’s most memorable cars through its transformation into a submarine. That underwater capability is a screen trick in the film’s fiction, not a function of a production Esprit. The car’s transformation makes it more than a stylish Bond vehicle: it changes what the audience expects a car can do in an action sequence. Hyundai Motor UK: Greatest movie cars Carwow: Best movie cars
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7. Ecto-1 — Ghostbusters (1984)
Ecto-1’s emergency-light silhouette and roof-mounted ghost-hunting gear announce the Ghostbusters before they even step out. Hyundai identifies it as a 1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor; Sky HISTORY describes it as a modified 1959 Cadillac and says it was originally black before being changed to improve visibility during night filming. The conversion gives the car a practical role in the team’s work and a look that is unmistakably its own. Hyundai Motor UK: Greatest movie cars Sky HISTORY: 10 of the most famous movie cars of all time
8. Mini Cooper S — The Italian Job (1969)
Three Minis are essential to the heist and escape in The Italian Job. Their compact size turns city streets, stairways and a sewer pipe into a playground for the getaway, while the red, white and blue cars make the chase easy to read on screen. Hyundai identifies the vehicles as 1968 Austin Mk I Mini Cooper S cars. Sky HISTORY: 10 of the most famous movie cars of all time Hyundai Motor UK: Greatest movie cars
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9. Ford Mustang GT Fastback — Bullitt (1968)
Frank Bullitt’s Mustang is remembered above all for the film’s extended San Francisco chase. The car’s visual presence and the sequence’s stunt work fused into one enduring screen image. The exact trim description differs between the cited lists: Sky HISTORY calls it a Mustang 390 GT, while Hyundai labels its entry Ford Mustang GT Fastback. Steve McQueen wanted audiences to see him performing his own stunts, according to Sky HISTORY. Sky HISTORY: 10 of the most famous movie cars of all time Hyundai Motor UK: Greatest movie cars
10. Ford Thunderbird Convertible — Thelma & Louise (1991)
The green 1966 Thunderbird is the women’s car for the road journey at the center of Thelma & Louise. It becomes a visual emblem of their flight from constraints, and its final appearance gives the car a role in the film’s conclusion rather than leaving it as mere transport. Sky HISTORY and Hyundai both identify it as a 1966 Thunderbird. Sky HISTORY: 10 of the most famous movie cars of all time Hyundai Motor UK: Greatest movie cars
How these choices compare with published rankings
There is no single universal top ten: editorial lists differ, and survey results reflect the people asked and the sponsor’s context. Hyundai Motor UK commissioned a 2018 OnePoll survey of 2,000 UK adults to mark Hyundai cars appearing in Ant-Man and The Wasp. In that poll, the DB5 ranked first, Chitty second, the Back to the Future DeLorean third, Herbie fourth and the Dark Knight Tumbler fifth. These are commissioned UK poll results, not a global or current consensus.
The same release reported that six in ten respondents thought cars were integral to cinema history, around half said cars featured among their fondest movie memories, and 55 percent wanted near misses in an ideal car chase. Respondents put the ideal chase at an average of four minutes and 23 seconds. Each figure describes that 2018 UK survey, not audiences universally. Hyundai Motor UK: Greatest movie cars
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