1. 1964 Aston Martin DB5, Goldfinger
James Bond’s legacy of famous cars can be traced back to one car – the 1964 Aston Martin DB5 driven by Bond in Goldfinger and Thunderball. Without any modifications, this car is a work of art, but it’s the special effects that have made this car one of the most beloved movie cars of all time. The long list of modifications included machine guns, an ejector seat, a ram bumper, and an oil-slick sprayer. Looking back on this car from today’s perspective, the most interesting feature might be the map screen which foreshadowed today’s navigation systems. One of the few Astons used in these movies sold for $4.6 million last year.
2. Pontiac Trans Am, Smokey and the Bandit
When Hal Needham, the director of Smokey and the Bandit, chose a 1977 Pontiac Trans Am to star in his movie, he could never have predicted the impact this vehicle would have on America. When audiences saw the Trans Am slide around corners, leap over bridges, and evade the Sheriff for hundreds of miles, they wanted one in their garage. In fact, after the movie debuted, sales of this car increased by 30,000 from 1977 to 1978, and by another 24,000 in 1979.
3. 32 Ford Coupe, American Graffiti
A couple of years before Star Wars, George Lucas filmed American Graffiti, a reflection of his memories of the car culture in California in the 1960s. This movie, which starred Harrison Ford, Ron Howard, and Richard Dreyfus, had a collection of great cars, but only one has gone on to become the most recognized Deuce Coupe in the world.
The brash Canary yellow ’32 Ford Highboy has a Chevy 327 V8 engine, and sits a little tall in the rear for some seriously cool rake. The climatic drag race in the film pits the ’32 Ford against a ’55 Chevy. The ’32 Ford smokes the Chevy off the line, and halfway down the road the Chevy crashes and blows up. This scene gave the ’32 Ford cult status.
4. 1968 Mustang Gt 390, Bullitt
Any vehicle ever driven by Steve McQueen was instantly made cooler. However, the Highland Green 1968 Ford Mustang GT 390 didn’t need much help from the famous actor. The movie’s chase scenes on the streets of San Francisco are some of the best ever recorded on film. You know that a vehicle has become a movie icon when a car company makes two limited edition versions, as Ford has done with the Bullitt Mustang.
5. 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T, Vanishing Point
The 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T was one of the most stunning pony cars to come out of the late 1960s and 70s. Its reputation was enhanced further when it appeared in the film Vanishing Point. The plot is quite simple: Kowalski (Barry Newman) bets that he can drive from Denver to San Francisco in less than 15 hours (which would require a constant average speed of 80 mph). As you can expect, there are plenty of great car stunts, put together by the same team that worked on Bullitt.
6. 1973 XB GT Ford Falcon, Mad Max
Australians, when it comes to cars, are just as power-hungry as Americans. Therefore, in the 1960s and 70s, the Australian arms of American car companies created some brutal muscle machines – cars which were never seen in the States. One such car was the Ford Falcon. In the movie “Mad Max”, the directors transformed this already cool car into the “Pursuit Special” or “Interceptor.” They plastered a new nose on the front, emblazoned the body with huge flares, and tucked seriously flat tires underneath them. The centerpiece was the switch-activated supercharger boost sticking out of the hood. Nearly every young boy who watched this movie probably dreamt of owning one of these beasts.
