Some of the greatest movies ever created include James Bond, Back to the Future, The Italian Job and Batman, but what do all of these famous titles have in common? Iconic cars of course.
Much loved personas such as James Bond don’t just win over audiences thanks to their renowned charm and heroics against the bad guys; audiences are also pulled in by the motors which are associated with them.
Some of the film industry’s best loved titles are just as much associated with the vehicles featured in them as they are for the main characters. Who doesn’t think of James Bond whenever somebody mentions the stunning Aston Martin DB5?
The movie associations can make these vehicles highly sought after by collectors, with the original Aston Martin DB5 which was used in the movies “Goldfinger” and “Thunderball” being sold at auction in 2010 for a whopping $4.6 million!
However, not all of these iconic vehicles are quite as easily available for purchase. The Tumbler Batmobile, used in the Christopher Nolan Batman trilogy featuring Christian Bale for instance, may look a little out of place in the car park of your local supermarket.
This didn’t stop them actually making a real life Tumbler though which was used in the movie series. A 20 strong team of British engineers were given the task by Nolan of producing a vehicle that could not only reach high top speeds, but also perform the kind of jumps and stunts which are often associated with military tanks.
The team led by John Holmes did not disappoint; constructing an army style vehicle which was powered by a massive 5.7 litre Chevrolet engine which produced over 400 bhp. Combined with a light weight fibre glass chassis and propane fuelled jet engines, the result was an iconic vehicle which went as fast as it looked and was highly sought after by comic book geeks and car nuts around the world.
Demand for the Batmobile was so high that they did actually end up making a road legal replica of the vehicle which sold for a cool $1 million.
However, it isn’t all about good looks and high top speeds. Some iconic movie cars are much loved due to their associations with the films in which they are featured. The original Mini Cooper S which was used in the 1969 Italian Job for instance came equipped with a meagre 4 cylinder engine which produced less than 75 bhp and was limited to a top speed of less than 100 mph; this means that it is slower than the average modern day Ford Fiesta or even a Hyundai i10!
Nevertheless, it developed a cult following due to its associations with the Michael Caine film. Even Caine himself was enamoured with the vehicles; advising 42 year old uber geek David Morton on how to restore the Mini’s to their original specification as used in the movie when the Newcastle based Brit set about an ambitious project to renovate one of the vehicles in 2006. Morton’s Italian Job mini is now insured for a staggering $55,000 and is regularly used in exhibits and car shows across the UK.
Chances are then that the Mini would not stand too much of a chance in a drag race against some of these other iconic cars from the movies. But what about the Batmobile or the Aston Martin DB5?
With the help of LeaseCar UK, we have taken 10 well-known vehicles from films and created The Great Movie Car Race. From the 1976 Ford Gran Torino featured in Starsky and Hutch, to the iconic 1963 VW Beetle, also known as Herbie; we can now find out which is the true champion of the film industry.
From classic cars to modern day editions, this race features a range of the best vehicles featured in some of the world’s most loved films. So, it’s now time to let the race begin and find out which movie car will be crowned the ultimate champion. We want to know your predications for the race and who you’re backing. Share your thoughts on social using #MovieCarRace.