Mad Max Interceptor/Pursuit Special
Right off the bat we dive deep into the ever-popular post-apocalyptic future that is the subject of many 1980s films. Set in the mid 80s after a catastrophic oil crisis, cars are a massive part of the story with resources running so low. With isolated communities separated by miles of desert wasteland, it’s up to the Main Force Patrol (MFP) to keep law and order against roaming bike gangs, and the weapon of choice is the MPF Interceptor, Pursuit and the iconic Pursuit Special.
Built around the Ford GT Falcon and having an added supercharger sticking out the bonnet, this V8 certainly stood out on screen and has been an icon for over 40 years. The production road car was produced by Ford Australia between 1973 and 1976 and looks nothing like the car in the film. The actual model used was a white 351 cu in (5.8 L) version of a 1973 Ford XB GT Falcon Hardtop.
With black paint, roof and boot spoilers, flared wheel arches, front nose cone and air-dam designed by Arcadipane (marketed as the “Concorde” style) it certainly strikes an iconic shape. Interestingly the supercharger didn’t actual work and film makes the impossible claim that it can be switched on and off at will, which of course cannot happen. With fear striking the hearts of Aussie criminals from Max driving around the desolate Australian outback roaring that beautiful V8, it fully deserves to be in the top five movie cars of the 80’s.
Herbie
A complete 180 flip now as we open our garage to our loveable four wheeled chum that is Herbie.
Made from a VW Beetle, what could be a more fitting vehicle than the car of the people? The star of six films, the last coming in 2005, only one of them was released in the 1980s ‘Herbie Goes Bananas’ -1980 and it is actually the smallest grossing film of the series. But with constant repeats of the earlier films through the decade, I feel it is eligible to be in this list.
As I said the car is a VW Beetle and 50 were used during the entire film run from 1968 to 2005 and the 5-episode tv show in 1982 with nearly half (23) in Herbie Goes Bananas alone. The 6 cars with the most screen time are listed as some of the most valuable Beetles ever sold and one car was sold in 2018 at Barret-Jacksons Palm Beach Auction for a massive $128,700. Making it the most expensive Beetle ever.
I grew up loving the Herbie movies with The Love Bug being my personal favourite. As a kid I couldn’t get enough of its cheekiness and comic timing. I would say it’s one of the most iconic and recognisable cars of all time and takes the 4th spot on my list.
Now we get to the big boys.
Ghostbusters Ecto 1
I have the movies, I had the toy, I have two of the three Lego versions. Ecto 1 was/is going to be in the top cars of all time. Created from a 1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor Futura Duplex, this former ambulance/hearse rightly deserves its place in this list. Bought by Dan Ackroyd’s character Ray Stantz for just under $5000, it doesn’t actual appear that much in the films. But the little screen time it does have, it sure made a big impact. Having the biggest tailfins fitted to a production car at the time, only two were used for the original film’s production. The beat up one first seen, and the hero car used later in the film. Harold Ramis originally wanted it to be black with purple and white strobe lights, but because most of the film takes place at night, the cinematographer pointed out it should be white.
I loved this car as a kid in the 80s and I loved it’s very distinctive siren sound. Having seen the film over and over throughout the years and played with the Kenner toy endlessly until breaking point, I cannot wait to see it again on the big screen when the Ghostbusters sequel is released later this year.
We entered the big boys but now it’s getting serious.
Back to the Future DeLorean
This car almost made it to the top spot, and it’s purely down to personal preference that it’s number two. For many this is the most iconic movie car of the 80s, possibly even ever and I think the most amazing thing about this car is the fact it’s a DeLorean. Even Michael J Fox states his disbelief in the first film. How can such and iconic car, be so famously a lemon? That’s the power of film. Market it right and who cares, it’s cool.
Seven cars were used in the entire production life of the franchise. The A (Hero) car used for most scenes, the B (Stunt) car for all the stunts and the C (interior) car for all the interior shots. The rest of the cars were a fibreglass car used for special effects, the train car from the third film and two more that were fitted with a VW engine and off-road chassis for the off-road sequences. There was also one to replace the original A car that was donated to Universal Studios Hollywood due to members of the public stealing parts from it. That car now sits in Petersen Automotive Museum in LA.
There’s a certain juxtaposition about this car. On one hand it’s the DeLorean from Back to the Future. It’s a time machine and flies. It has gull wing doors and a V6. It looks soooooo cool. But on the other hand, it’s a DMC DeLorean. The notoriously terrible automobile. I know someone who owns one and he drove it to a BTTF convention in the USA from the UK and yes, that it an awesome time, but he said the actual journey was horrible in the car and he’s always having problems with it. Which is double frustrating as the parts are very hard to get hold of.
But it’s the DeLorean. The myth, the legend and rightly fills the number two spot.
Batman ’89 Batmobile
Is there a more iconic car than the Batmobile? For 82 years it’s been the comic book car of choice.
No other car come close to the fame of this car.
There have been lots of versions of it over the years, spanning from a normal 1930s car to futuristic space cars that can fly, but my favourite, and the car that all others will be judged, is the 1989 Tim Burton Batmobile.
Made on a Chevy Impala chassis, and with clear homages to the 1960s Batmobile, the long, sleek, art deco design instantly resonated with me as a kid. I had never seen anything like it and no Batmobile has come close since. I mean it has an afterburner and machine guns!
Fully an original creation, unlike Ecto 1 and the DeLorean, it was designed by Julian Cadlow and built by John Evans and Keith Short and was inspired by the Salt Flats Racers from the 1930s and Stingray Macho Machines from the 1950s. It was also influenced by aircraft and war machine components.
Initially there was development with Jaguar and Ford Mustang but when they failed, the Chevy was the choice. The comic book specs give it at a 10,000-horsepower jet engine, and 329mph, but the actual power was a V6 Chevy engine with closer to 240 horsepower. One amazing thing though is all the gadgets worked. Barring the cocoon mode, it was all fully operational. However, the jet engine could only run for about 15 seconds due to the fuel consumption. Also, Batman's ears were too long to sit in the car, so the cowl had to be redesigned so Michael Keaton could sit in it.
Ever since I saw this car it’s been my favourite movie machine, however impractical it is. The newer versions (the Tumbler and Batfleck’s one) are great, but they wouldn’t exist without this car. It’s been the blueprint for every Batmobile after it’s so iconic, and for that reason, it’s number one on my list.
Did we miss your favourite one? Let us know.
Keyword: The Top 5 Coolest movie cars of the 80s