Not long ago I chose my favorite movie cars of all time, and needless to say, not everyone agreed with my choices. Now I want to know about your favorite TV cars ever! First, though, here are my choices:
KITT: 1982 Pontiac Trans Am, “Knight Rider”
Forget the Mustang GT500 in the pitiful remake of the classic “Knight Rider” – the original KITT was cooler on so many levels!
The General Lee: 1969 Dodge Charger, “The Dukes of Hazzard”
Remember how Luke and Bo would leap into the car right through its open windows? Or jump the car through barn walls? In this case, the car wasn’t just part of the show, it MADE the show!
1975 Pontiac Firebird, “The Rockford Files”
Jim Rockford lived in a trailer and drove a gold Firebird. Could he have solved his cases without the car? Maybe. But I don’t think as many people would have watched him do it!
Stair car, “Arrested Development”
Driving a portable staircase is plain funny, especially when it’s the family’s main mode of transportation. Here’s a nod to an under-appreciated classic!
Mach 5, “Speed Racer”
Hey, I never the said the cars on this list were all going to be real. The Mach 5 has been around since 1967, was the star of a recent movie, and was even put through a “road test” by Road & Track magazine. Zero to 60 in 0.6 seconds!
Which do you think are the best cars ever featured in a TV show?
-tgriffith
The Smoky and the Bandit Trans AM totally counts!
@Jaime
Smoky and the Bandit and James Bond don’t count because we’re talking about TV show cars, not movie cars.
Definitely the most famous James Bond car…which also happens to be my favorite car of all time. The one and only Aston Martin DB5…putting the class in classy.
What about Hardcasle and McCormic, Coyote
Still going to have to give it up for the Mach 5. And the Shooting Star (Racer X’s car). Mad crazy style – blended with enough “extras” to make a Swiss Army knife jealous.
But the best part?
After the race — these guys just drive off the track and take the cars home, grocery shopping, to the mall, through the jungle, etc… lol !
what about any of the James Bond cars, or Smokey and the Bandit
The Bluth stair car! Yes! Thanks for mentioning the greatest show of all time and the greatest TV car of all time. :)
Randy, did you take any pictures of the Koach in 67? Of your encounter with George? If so, I’d sure like copies.
BTW: Thanks for adding the Munster Koach and Dragula to the list. :o)
I applaud your choice of the Bluth stair car. Man, do I miss that show!
And here’s a cool video collage featuring a bunch of these cars jumping over things and showing their stuff:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqlmGBCIqXg
I’ve always been a big fan of Volvo 1800s, so really dig Simon Templar/Roger Moore’s car from “The Saint”:
http://volvo1800pictures.com/a_S_67_1/1087/67_79_id_1087_205.JPG
Gotta admit, tho, that I like the wagons (1800ES) almost as much as the coupes (P1800):
http://www.volvo1800pictures.com/gallery/ES72_46.jpg
@Randy
Randy, those are awesome! The Monkeemobile… how’d I forget that one? The Batmobile, Magnum’s Ferrari… man, TV has given us some great rides! Cool story about George Barris too.
tommynyc- I love the A-Team van. Thanks for adding it!
Ah, you young whipper-snappers again. You all think the world was invented the year you were born.
Number one, of course, and the best TV car of all time, is the Batmobile. Who doesn’t want a fire-breathing, mortar-firing, underwater submarining jet car? POW—-ZZAAAAPPP—-KAZOWIE!!! How Adam West was never tempted to eject Robin, though, I’ll never know.
My number two is that little red Ferrari 308 that Magnum tooled around in. Ideally, he didn’t even own it so he didn’t have to worry about the insurance and $1500 tune ups. The closest I ever got to owning one was a Fiero, but yes, I wanted one real bad.
My number three is Huggy Bear’s pimpmobile. Forgot about that one, didn’t you? Who doesn’t want their own pimpmobile with dingle balls and fur seat covers? I guess you figured out I’m from Detroit.
Going way back here, my number four is good old mom, a ’28 Porter. Along with the incredible talents of Jerry Van Dyke, we did get to tool around in this beautiful antique, even if it got 20 nags per mile.
Five and Six are the Munster Coach and Dragula. The show was low budget but they didn’t spare the oats when they paid Barris to build these over the top ghoul-cars. I sat in the Munster Coach at the Detroit Autorama back around 1967 when George Barris gave me a trophy for a model car competition. How great to get customizing tips from a master like Barris?
Number 7 is the Pontiac GTO Monkeemobile. The Monkees were drab but the car was fab.
Number 8 is the classic Corvette roadster from Route ’66. This was the first real road trip, and they couldn’t have picked a better car.
Most of us were introduced to Bruce Lee as the chauffer of the custom Chrysler Imperial limo who hauled the Green Hornet to crime fighting appointments. The show would have lasted longer if they had cast Bruce as the Hornet.
I’ll stop there but it’s a shame that today’s TV shows (with the exception of dog-eating-it’s-own-puke Knight Rider) seem oblivious to our American car culture. The last guy I remember with any good cars on the show was Tim Allen, who (of course) is from the Detroit suburb of Beverly Hills, just down the street from my hometown.
And sorry, Kitt didn’t even make my list. Who wants to drive around in something that was regulary vomited on by David Hasselhoff? Or that whines and pesters you for an oil change or premium gas? Not me.
Yeah, I agree, the original KITT was a cool car! Although I disagree with you about the new KITT, I like it alot as well!
Here are some of my favorites:
GMC van in A-Team
http://onceuponawin.files.wordpress.com/2008/12/win-pictures-ateam-van.jpg
Batmobile
http://www.1966batmobile.com/color23.JPG