I have a theory, and it seems to be holding: Top 100 (or 1000 or 50 or whatever) lists are mainly there to start discussions, and on many occasions, arguments.
It’s very rare when you’re going to look at a list of something like “The Top 50 Bourbons”, and say, “They’re right ‘Ol Rebel Rot-Gut Special Reserve IS the best bourbon there is!”
Take for example this list from the good folks at the Rotten Tomatoes movie site. They have generated a list of the 50 Most Memorable Movie Cars (apparently that would be to date). As both a movie, and a car guy I braced myself for the seemingly inevitable onslaught of 40 to 45 glaring mistakes.
I made it no further than #s 40 and 39.
#40: Milner’s Deuce Coupe from American Graffiti
#39: Cobretti’s Mercury from the Sylvester Stalone movie Cobra
Are you kidding me?
Are you frickin’ kidding me?!
The fact that Milner’s Deuce Coupe barely scrapes into the top 40 is insulting enough, but to be ranked below an unwatchable Sylvester Stalone vanity piece?
That’s an insult to both car guys AND movie historians.
Milner’s Deuce Coupe is pretty much the rolling definition of “hot rod” and American Graffiti will probably be played to space aliens to show them what “cruising”, “illegal street racing” and “youth car culture” is (assuming it hasen’t been shown to the little grey guys at some theater out at Area 51 already).
But no-oooooooooooooooo.
The dinguses at Rotten Tomatoes said, “You know, Cobretti’s Mercury from Cobra is a totally bitchin’ ride. MUCH better than, say Milner’s Deuce Coupe from American Graffiti .”
Talk about a waste of machinery.
Full list after the jump.
50. Chili’s Minivan
Type of car: 1994 Oldsmobile Silhouette
Special features: It’s the Cadillac of minivans.
Appears in: Get Shorty
49. The Dude’s Gran Torino
Type of car: 1973 Ford Gran Torino
Special features: Nihilists hate it.
Appears in: The Big Lebowski
48. Jack Cate’s Cadillac
Type of car: 1964 Cadillac DeVille Convertible
Special features: Doesn’t look like a cop car at all.
Appears in: 48 Hrs., Another 48 Hrs.
47. Lane’s Camaro
Type of car: 1967 Chevrolet Camaro RS/SS 350
Special features: Muddy Waters theme song, attracts French exchange students
Appears in: Better Off Dead
46. Fozzie’s uncle’s Studebaker
Type of car: 1951 Studebaker Commander
Special features: Custom paint job
Appears in: The Muppet Movie
45. The Van
Type of car: Customized Chevrolet Step Van
Special features: Tail fins, custom “organic” paint
Appears in: Cheech & Chong’s Up in Smoke
44. The Car
Type of car: Customized 1971 Lincoln Continental Mark III
Special features: Demonic possession, George Barris design
Appears in: The Car
43. Kowalski’s Challenger
Type of car: 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T
Special features: V8 Hemi, good for playing “Ship’s Mast”
Appears in: Vanishing Point, Death Proof
42. 1973 Volkswagen Transporter (Type 2)
Type of car: 1973 Volkswagen Transporter (Type 2)
Special features: Bench seats, detachable door
Appears in: Little Miss Sunshine
41. Eleanor
Type of car: 1973 Ford Mustang Mach 1
Special features: Can survive really, really long chases
Appears in: Gone in 60 Seconds (1973)
40. Milner’s Deuce Coupe
Type of car: Customized 1932 Ford Coupe
Special features: Legendary license plate number
Appears in: American Graffiti
39. Cobretti’s Mercury
Type of car: Customized 1950 Mercury Monterey
Special features: Custom paint, nitrous injection system
Appears in: Cobra
38. Tucker Torpedo
Type of car: 1948 Tucker Sedan
Special features: Directional front headlight, rear engine, padded dash
Appears in: Tucker: The Man and His Dream
37. Flounder’s brother’s Lincoln
Type of car: 1964 Lincoln Continental
Special features: Custom bodywork and paint
Appears in: National Lampoon’s Animal House
36. Charlie Babbit’s Buick
Type of car: 1949 Buick Roadmaster Convertible
Special features: Can be driven slow on the driveway
Appears in: Rain Man
35. Richard’s classic Plymouth
Type of car: 1967 Plymouth Belvedere GTX
Special features: Can carry stunned deer in back seat
Appears in: Tommy Boy
34. Shaggin’ Wagon
Type of car: 1984 Ford Econoline
Special features: Custom bodywork and exterior fur lining
Appears in: Dumb and Dumber
33. Bumblebee
Type of car: 1977/2009 Chevrolet Camaro
Special features: V8 engine, robot mode
Appears in: Transformers
32. Charlie’s getaway MINIs
Type of car: 2003 MINI Cooper S
Special features: Gold bar hauling capacity
Appears in: The Italian Job (2003)
31. Cole Trickle’s race car
Type of car: 1990 Chevrolet Lumina NASCAR
Special features: NASCAR racing specs
Appears in: Days of Thunder
30. Toretto’s Charger
Type of car: 1970 Dodge Charger
Special features: Blower, wheelie bars
Appears in: The Fast and the Furious
29. Buck’s Pussy Wagon
Type of car: 1997 Chevrolet C-2500 Silverado Fleetside
Special features: Custom paint, spoiler
Appears in: Kill Bill Vol. 1
28. Garth’s Mirth Mobile
Type of car: 1976 AMC Pacer
Special features: Custom flame job, cassette player
Appears in: Wayne’s World
27. The Family Truckster
Type of car: originally a Ford LTD Country Squire
Special features: Faux wood panelling, metallic pea paint
Appears in: National Lampoon’s Vacation
26. Pursuit Special
Type of car: Modified 1973 Ford Falcon XB GT Coupe
Special features: Siren, enlarged gas tank, anti-theft device
Appears in: Mad Max
25. Bullitt’s Mustang
Type of car: 1968 Ford Mustang GT390 Fastback
Special features: Makes you feel almost as cool as Steve McQueen
Appears in: Bullitt
24. Louise’s Thunderbird
Type of car: 1966 Ford Thunderbird
Special features: Good for flying off of cliffs
Appears in: Thelma & Louise
23. Pepe, the Little Mule
Type of car: Customized 1982 Ford Bronco XLT
Special features: Both bulletproof and fireproof
Appears in: Romancing the Stone
22. Greased Lightning
Type of car: 1948 Ford De Luxe
Special features: Auto-matic, System-matic, and Hydro-matic
Appears in: Grease
21. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Type of car: Customized Paragon Panther
Special features: Pontoons, wings
Appears in: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
20. Christine
Type of car: 1958 Plymouth Fury
Special features: Self-repairing, evil
Appears in: Christine
19. Joel’s dad’s Porsche
Type of car: 1981 Porsche 928
Special features: Annoys pimps, falls off of piers
Appears in: Risky Business
18. The Tumbler
Type of car: Wayne Industries assault vehicle
Special features: Rocket powered, armor plated
Appears in: Batman Begins, The Dark Knight
17. The Lamborghini
Type of car: 1980 Lamborghini Countach LP 400S
Special features: Scissor doors, spandex jumpsuits
Appears in: The Cannonball Run
16. James Bond’s submersible Lotus
Type of car: 1975 Lotus Esprit
Special features: Oil slick, rocket launcher, submarine mode
Appears in: The Spy Who Loved Me
15. Eleanor II
Type of car: 1967 Shelby Mustang GT500
Special features: Custom bodywork and paint
Appears in: Gone in 60 Seconds (2000)
14. Ben’s Alfa Romeo
Type of car: 1966 Alfa Romeo 1600 Spider Duetto
Special features: Attracts older women
Appears in: The Graduate, Wayne’s World 2
13. George Barris Batmobile
Type of car: Customized 1954 Lincoln Futura
Special features: Bat-phone, bat-turbine
Appears in: Batman: The Movie
12. Charlie’s getaway Minis
Type of car: 1968 Austin Mk I Mini Cooper S
Special features: Drives on sidewalks, stairs, roofs as easily as roads
Appears in: The Italian Job (1969)
11. The Bluesmobile
Type of car: 1974 Dodge Monaco with police package
Special features: Cop motor, cop tires, cop suspensions, cop shocks, and runs good on regular gas
Appears in: The Blues Brothers
10. Mr. Frye’s Ferrari
Type of car: 1961 Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder SWB
Special features: attracts joyriding parking attendants
Appears in: Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
9. Tim Burton’s Batmobile
Type of car: GM Batmobile
Special features: Turbine, remote control, shields
Appears in: Batman, Batman Returns
8. Starsky’s Gran Torino
Type of car: 1976 Ford Gran Torino
Special features: Mag wheels, custom paint
Appears in: Starsky & Hutch
7. Bandit’s Trans Am
Type of car: 1977 Pontiac Trans Am
Special features: T-tops, CB Radio
Appears in: Smokey and the Bandit, Smokey and the Bandit II
6. Ecto-1
Type of car: 1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor
Special features: Siren, sliding proton pack storage
Appears in: Ghostbusters, Ghostbusters 2
5. James Bond’s Aston Martin DB5
Type of car: 1963 Aston Martin DB5
Special features: Oil slick, smoke screen, ejector seat, radar tracking system, machine guns, revolving license plates
Appears in: Goldfinger, Thunderball, The Cannonball Run, Goldeneye, Tomorrow Never Dies, Casino Royale
4. The Mach 5
Type of car: Racer Motors Mach 5
Special features: Auto-jacks, bullet-proof canopy, retractable saws, tire crampons
Appears in: Speed Racer
3. The General Lee
Type of car: 1969 Dodge Charger
Special features: Extensive race modifications, musical horn
Appears in: The Dukes of Hazzard
2. Herbie
Type of car: 1963 Model 117 Volkswagen Type 1 (Beetle)
Special features: Ultimate cruise control
Appears in: The Love Bug, Herbie Rides Again, Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo, Herbie Goes Bananas, Herbie: Fully Loaded
1. Doc Brown’s De Lorean
Type of car: 1981 De Lorean DMC-12
Special features: Flux capacitor, remote control, hover conversion, Mr. Fusion generator
Appears in: Back to the Future, Back to the Future Part II, Back to the Future Part III
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