Home

News

The 15 Best Movie Cars of All Time, Ranked

From Toretto's Charger to Doc Brown's DeLorean, these are the 15 greatest cars ever to grace the silver screen.

Best Movie Cars

Photo by: Jeff Perez / Motor1

Jeff Glucker

By: Jeff Glucker

Oct 26, at 12:00pm ET

Add Motor1.com as a preferred source in Google

Comment

We love cars. We love movies. And damn if we don't love ranking things to see just how much we love them. With that in mind, we're taking a crack at ranking the best movie cars of all time. Yes, the very best.

Of course, there's no way you're going to agree with the entire list—but we should at least be able to agree on most of it. This list has a bit of everything, from a German super sedan to a vehicle driven by a ghost and even one that can travel through time. There's also an almost shocking amount of first-generation Ford Mustangs on this list.

Regardless, let's get on to the cars.

15. Audi S8 — Ronin

When your getaway driver requests a German super sedan and wants to add nitrous to the already powerful 4.2-liter V8, you know you've got the right person for the job. Ronin served as the perfect advertisement for Audi's first-generation S8. Larry, the wheelman portrayed by actor Skipp Sudduth, showed that the big Euro beast could outshine an E34 BMW and the mighty Mercedes-Benz 450 SEL.

14. Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 — Gone In 60 Seconds

While the original Gone in 60 Seconds featured a 1971 Mustang, it was the gussied-up '67 fastback from the remake that stole the show. Memphis Raines has a soft spot for this silver stunner, and it's easy to see why. Legendary customizer Chip Foose built the bodywork for the car we all know as Eleanor. There have been licensing lawsuits over the years, which may have soured some people's view of this particular Mustang. But there's no denying the emotional hit you feel when you first saw the car, and watch Raines hit that button marked "Go Baby, Go."

13. Cadillac Ambulance Ecto-1 — Ghostbusters

There will certainly be arguments for this one to be higher up on the list. After all, Ghostbusters remains an all-time great film that somehow gets better with each rewatch. And one of the major cast members is Ecto-1, a 1959 Cadillac wagon commissioned for ambulance duty but reborn as the pride and joy of Ray Stantz. Ray picked up the car for $4,800. It only needed suspension, brakes, steering work, transmission, a rear end, new rings, mufflers, and a little wiring. The finished product, though, is the stuff of automotive legend.

12. Ford GT40 — Ford V Ferrari

In the 1960s, Ford wanted to beat Ferrari on the grandest stages that motorsport had to offer: Le Mans. So Ford turned to Carroll Shelby for help. What his team accomplished after that will go down as one of the great triumphs in racing history, and it was wonderfully captured in the film Ford v Ferrari. Sure, Matt Damon and Christian Bale give standout performances, but for many the star of the show is the Ford GT40. Most of the cars shown on screen were built by Superformance, which means you can put one in your driveway... if you have the cash.

11. Toyota Supra — The Fast And The Furious

The first film in the globe-trotting epic film franchise takes us back to a simpler time. This is before Fieros went into space or vaporware hypercars jumped between Dubai skyscrapers. The original movie gave us a glimpse into the wild world of import tuner car culture, and one of the standout vehicles is Brian O'Conner's (really, it's Dom's car though) 1994 Toyota Supra. From its amazing inline-six performance to its wild livery, the car helped jumpstart a love affair for younger car enthusiasts.

10. Dodge M4S Turbo Interceptor — The Wraith

This might be a weird pick. The Wraith is a bit of a cult classic, and the story is out there. But the car used as the hero vehicle is astounding. In the early 1980s, Dodge built a prototype called the M4S. That stands for mid-engine, four-cylinder, sport. Occasionally, the vehicle was trotted out for development purposes but also for pace car duty at CART races. Eventually, however, it was given an evil coat of paint and one hell of a backstory.

9. Ford Mustang 'Boss 429' — John Wick

The world is now fully aware that if you mess with a dog, then John Wick will take you out. You also shouldn't touch his car. Young gangster Iosef Tarasov spots Wick and his Mustang at a gas station and asks if it's a 1970 Boss 429. Wick calmly corrects him that it's a '69, and no, it's definitely not for sale. The car in question is actually a Mach 1 with a few of the trim pieces removed for a cleaner look. And clean it does look... until Wick has to put it to work righting the wrongs against him.

8. Dodge Charger R/T — The Fast and the Furious

Brian's Supra is great, but Toretto's wheel-standing Charger remains one of the best movie cars of all time. You're probably aware that it has enough torque to twist the chassis coming off the line. Regardless of the hilarity of that line, the car is a monster and serves as a great counterpoint to all of the other iconic import machines in the film. Special mention here goes to the off-road modified Charger from Furious 7. While the original Charger is more iconic, the trophy-truck Charger is one of my own personal favorite cars of all time.

7. Ford Falcon XB GT — Mad Max

"Kick it in the guys, Barry..." Those words ignite the firestorm that is Max Rockatansky's wicked ride. His world is one of a fuel crisis, where V8 engines make less sense. That's why his heavily modified 1973 Ford Falcon XB GT is dubbed the last of the V8 Interceptors.

6. Pontiac Firebird Trans Am — Smokey And The Bandit

When you need to go on a booze run across state lines, you need to call the Bandit. His 1977 Pontiac Firebird Trans AM will get the job done. Funny enough, of course, is that those cars had smog-choked 6.6-liter V8 engines barely making any of their potential power. And the 1977 cars used in the film were actually 1976 models with updated exterior pieces from the upcoming 1977 model. Really though, the only thing that matters here is that when you're loaded up and trucking, keep your foot hard on the pedal.

5. DeLorean DMC-12 — Back To The Future

The flux capacitor might be the tech that makes time travel possible, but the DeLorean DMC-12 makes time travel stylish as hell. Sure, the cars used on set broke down, were unreliable, and didn't originally have speedometers that reached 88 mph. But a 1.21-gigawatt kick in the pants, thanks to some "borrowed" plutonium and a dash of movie magic, helps the DeLorean seal the deal as one of the greatest movie cars of all time.

4. The Batmobile — The Batman / Dark Knight Franchises

This one feels a bit like cheating since we're talking about all of the various iterations of the Batmobile. But all of them are awesome, and rather than sprinkle them in throughout the list, I'll lump them together. You all have different versions of the Batmobile as your favorites, and there's an argument to be made for each one. Keaton's Batmobile remains iconic. The Tumbler is remarkable and well-suited to Nolan's trilogy. Even Pattinson's Batmobile is badass and suits that latest take on the character. Which Batmobile you prefer says a lot about you as a person, but we can agree that all Batmobiles are awesome.

3. Ford Mustang GT — Bullitt

For many, the chase scene from Bullitt is a high-water mark for the art form. Pairing Steve McQueen and a Highland Green Mustang was a brilliant choice for dashing across the streets of San Francisco. The bad guys in the '68 Charger also had a great ride. But it's McQueen in the Mustang that remains an icon to this day.

2. Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder — Ferris Bueller's Day Off

The Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder is one of the most beautiful machines ever built. Still, Cameron's dad is a fool for never driving it. Although if Cameron hadn't wrecked it, the car would be worth tens of millions of dollars today. Still, drive your cars. Even if you use them to go to the big city, downtown.

What do you think?

View

Comments

1. Aston Martin DB5 — The James Bond Franchise

Aston Martin and the James Bond franchise go hand in hand. Sure, there was a brief period of BMW models sprinkled in (and that E38 7-Series was fantastic), but it's the Astons that suit Bond best. Plenty of newer Aston Martin models come and go through the film, but we always return to the DB5. Its timeless grace works in all eras of the world of Bond and MI6, and it's the greatest movie car of all time. There's no doubt you have issues with what is or isn't on this list, and the order in which we presented it.

That's why we have a comment section. Sound off and let me hear how wrong or right I am.

Check Out These Lists

12 Cars With Names That Make Absolutely No Sense