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Famous cars from TV and film
World Television Day takes place on 21 November
Ryan Barham
Last updated: 11/11/2025
Ryan Barham
Last updated: 11/11/2025
World Television Day takes place on 21 November. An event that recognises the impact of television in informing the public, shaping global opinion and influencing the world’s events, it originated from the United Nations and was first celebrated in 1996.
Now, almost three decades later we’re taking this day as an opportunity to talk about some of the most iconic, memorable and popular cars from film and TV history.
Although the Batmobile has resembled an armoured tank in recent years, the Lincoln Futura from the camp and colourful 1960s TV series was delightfully sleek and stripped back. Presented in black and red, it had space for eight people, a bulletproof windshield and plenty of bat-gadgets.
Heralded as the ‘ultimate spy car’, this Great British classic first appeared in Goldfinger (1964). With a 4.0 L straight-6 engine and top speed of 145mph, 007’s version (which also appeared in Thunderball, GoldenEye and No Time to Die) had guns, ejector seats and the all-important rotating registration plates.
When racecar driver Jim Douglas resorts to taking part in demolition derbies, he finds himself being followed home by a sentient Volkswagen Beetle called Herbie. The duo then start taking part in competitive races, despite Herbie’s fear of highways and love of matchmaking.
Although Bo and Luke Duke have to climb through the windows every time they want to drive their beloved General, its ability to perform stunts and evade police makes it part of the family. Iconic in Tempcover orange with a distinctive horn to let everyone know its coming plus the controversial Confederate flag roof decal, this Dodge Charger is a bold choice.
Steven Spielberg’s first professional feature film, Duel was released in 1971 and spent no time in terrifying drivers while establishing itself as a cult classic. Based on a short story by Richard Matheson, it follows a travelling salesman in a back-to-basics Plymouth Valiant who is ruthlessly and relentlessly pursued by a huge Peterbilt engine after overtaking. His vehicle is a runaround that relies on the driver David Mann’s (played by Dennis Weaver) driving skills and manoeuvres to get away from the bigger truck.
Shortly before A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, George Lucas had his eyes on smalltown America. The coming-of-age tale may have starred Harrison Ford, Ron Howard and Richard Dreyfuss but it was the cars that stole the show; the highlight being the 1932 Ford Standard Coupe (Milner’s Coupe), a bright yellow street rod described as “the fastest thing in the valley”.
A much-derided vehicle upon its release, the DeLorean became one of the defining sights of the 1980s, instantly bringing to mind talk of 88 miles per hour, 1.21 gigawatts of electricity and flux capacitors. Designed by Doc Emmett Brown and driven back 30 years to 1955 by Marty McFly - who soon finds himself the object of his own mother’s affections and affecting the space-time continuum. The only way to get back to his own time is via a bolt of lightning that could change anything. In Back to the Future Part II, the Delorean has wings: ‘Roads? Where we’re going, we don’t need roads’.
Knight Industries Two Thousand, to give his full name, was an advanced supercomputer that helped undercover detective Michael Knight (David Hasselhoff) track down all kinds of criminals and bad guys. Thinking, learning, communicating and interacting with humans developed KITT’s knowledge and led to more independent thoughts. Ably voiced by William Daniels (Boy Meets World’s Mr Feeny), KITT developed into a true albeit sensitive ally of Michael’s.
Somewhere between an ambulance and a hearse, the Ghostbusters’ iconic Ecto-1 was a 1959 Cadillac built by Miller-Meteor. Able to carry all four (or more) Ghostbusters and their equipment, it features the famous ghost logo on its sides, a distinctive siren and has constantly been upgraded over the past 40+ years Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire showed Ecto-1’s ability to launch air drones and trap ghosts from its roof.
When the troubled Alabama Whitman (Patricia Arquette) and Clarence Worley (Christian Slater) fall in love and find themselves on the run from the police, what better getaway vehicle than a definitely not understated purple Cadillac? A modern Bonnie and Clyde, the car was tracked down by director Tony Scott as he believed it represented the characters’ outlandish personalities and fantastical attitude towards their love.
A half-scale replica of a vintage Austin 7 Chummy convertible, Brum was a yellow car who enjoyed big adventures in and around the city of Birmingham, also known as the Big Town. Initially narrated by Toyah Willcox, Brum was a staple of ‘90s children’s television and you can still see the little yellow car in the Cotswold Motoring Museum.
Bright and vibrant with a huge sunroof, the self-driving tour vehicles for Jurassic Park were designed to give every tourist the best views of the dinosaurs on display. With a state-of-the-art interactive CD-ROM interface and GPS tracking, they showed just how John Hammon “spared no expense” in developing his theme park. They really should have followed Robert Muldoon’s advice and put “locking mechanisms on the vehicle doors” though…
Someone as intrigued by Muggles as Arthur Weasley was always going to be interested in cars and the turquoise Ford Anglia is an iconic moment from the spellbinding series. Arthur bewitched it so it could fly and turn invisible, while also giving it a mind of its own. While Arthuer’s twin sons Fred and George flew the car with ease a number of times, it didn’t end quite so well for youngest son Ron and Harry Potter when they crash-landed into the Whomping Willow…
Street racer Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker) spots the Skyline at a used car dealership and pays for it with previous winnings. After the addition of a GT-R badge, a new paint job and some work underneath the car, he continues to race - performing some impressive stunts in the process - before finding the car impounded (maybe he could get it out with impound insurance?).
The music-loving Bumblebee has taken the form of many different Camaros over the course of the Transformers film series but always been bright yellow and eye-catching. In the 2007 film, he was a 1977 model that was upgraded to a 2006 concept car and in later films he was modified and even given an extra-fast LT4 V-8 engine.
A very yellow car driven by Lance Slater (Toby Jones) in the beloved BBC sitcom about two metal-detecting enthusiasts (detectorists). This unforgettable car was actually owned by series creator and star Mackenzie Crook as it was cheaper to buy it then hire it. It was sold in an auction for a fee of £30,200 - complete with the cast’s signatures inside the boot.
Made in 1997, Jimmy McGill’s (Bob Odenkirk) white Cadillac Deville - complete with the registration plate LWYRUP - reflected his transition into everyone’s favourite sleazy lawyer, Saul Goodman. Bought following Kim Wexler’s (Rhea Seehorn) advice that Saul would drive something “American made” with plenty of “flair”, it plays a key part in both Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. Fun fact: In the very first episode of Better Call Saul, Jimmy parks his old car next to this model.
The first Mad Max film in 30 years, Fury Road was essentially a two-hour road chase across an apocalyptic wasteland. The vehicles that Max Rockatansky (Tom Hardy) come across include the Doof Wagon, complete with the Doof Warrior’s flame-throwing guitarist, but perhaps the most spectacular - and imposing - is Imperator Furiosa’s (Charlize Theron) War Rig, a 78ft 18-wheel truck based on a Tatra T815.
Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell’s (Tom Cruise) love interest Penny Benjamin (Jennifer Connelly) in the long-awaited Top Gun sequel drives a Porsche, just like previous lover Charlie Blackwood (Kelly McGillis) in the original. Instead of a 1958 356 model, Penny’s car is a sleek and silver 1973 911 S coupe with a classic, timeless design.
Nathan Shelley (Nick Mohammed), or Nate the Great as AFC Richmond manager Ted Lasso (Jason Sudekis) insists on calling him, drives a quietly efficient Mini Cooper while working as a kitman. It’s a car that reflects his more introverted character. When he becomes manager of rivals West Ham and his confidence (arrogance?) starts to rise, Nate becomes the proud owner of a brand new Aston Martin… Which car suits him better?
Although Hot Wheels toys have been around since the late 1960s, the Hot Wheels Let’s Race kids’ TV show only arrived on screens in 2024. With theme music and a soundtrack from Fall Out Boy’s Patrick Stump, the bright and bold show follows six young racers as they compete at the Ultimate Garage Racing Camp. Rodger Dodger, a modified 1973 Dodge Charger SE is a favourite of Spark’s and is able to Super Slalom - navigate tight turns and obstacles at great speed.
Now you’ve seen Tempcover’s picks, it’s time to choose your own favourite cars from the worlds of film and TV… There are many we didn’t have space for including:
Which ones are you going to choose?
https://jamesbond.fandom.com/wiki/Aston_Martin_DB5
https://batman.fandom.com/wiki/Batmobile_(Dozierverse)
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064603/
https://dukesofhazzard.fandom.com/wiki/General_Lee
https://macsmotorcitygarage.com/the-real-star-of-american-graffiti-milners-32-ford-coupe/
https://skillsetmag.com/article/ecto-1-ghostbusters-ambulance
https://www.carandclassic.com/magazine/ecto-1-the-cars-the-star
https://4x4tyres.co.uk/vehicles-in-jurassic-park/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brum_(TV_series)
https://nationalmotormuseum.org.uk/collections/vehicles/ford-anglia-105e-flying-car/
https://www.anglia-models.co.uk/harry-potter.htm
https://fastandfurious.fandom.com/wiki/1999_Nissan_Skyline_GT-R_R34
https://breakingbad.fandom.com/wiki/1997_Cadillac_DeVille
https://madmax.fandom.com/wiki/Tatra_T815_%22The_War_Rig
https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/lifestyle/article/ted-lasso-season-3-episode-1-cars-nate
https://hot-wheels-lets-race.fandom.com/wiki/Rodger_Dodger
https://robbreport.com/motors/cars/1973-porsche-911-s-top-gun-maverick-1234688009/
