Here at Paragon, we have a bit of a passion for classic cars – and a good classic movie too! In the spirit of nostalgia, we’ve put the two together (and put our heads together!) to come up with our top six iconic cars from movie history. With a mix of film genres and car brands to choose from, it was a real challenge narrowing it down to just six!
We’ve devised the list chronologically by film release year, so keep reading to get your nostalgic fix for the day!
Herbie (1963) – Volkswagen Beetle Deluxe Ragton Sedan
You could say when it comes to iconic cars in the movies, Herbie, the 1963 Volkswagen Beetle, is the cutest and most charming amongst our list. The simplistic blue, white and red stripe and number 53 is instantly recognisable but doesn’t dull from his humanlike and endearing character.
The 1968 film, ‘The Love Bug’ was Herbie’s first on screen appearance where he saves the day with his determined and victorious racing.
Goldfinger (1964) – Aston Martin DB5
The name’s Martin DB5…Aston Martin DB5. Here is potentially the most famous of them all. Supporting Sean Connery in ‘Goldfinger’, the 007 car could be seen as an individual character in itself. The Aston Martin DB5 was the company’s newest model when Goldfinger was made, and it’s argued the film made the sportscar the most sought after in the world.
Bullitt (1968) – Ford Mustang GT
The 1968 Ford Mustang GT used in the film ‘Bullitt’ is labelled the most valuable Ford Mustang in the world. It was sold in 2020 for $3,740,000 at the Mecum Kissimmee auction. The film ‘Bullitt’ is said to be one of the first to introduce modern car chase scenes in films and paved the way on how they were executed.
The Mustang was originally purchased in 1974 by Robert Kiernan and apparently his wife drove the Mustang daily to and from her teaching job at a nearby school…a humbling use for such an iconic infamous vehicle! The car’s whereabouts were unknown until 2018 since the Kiernan family sent it to a garage in 1980 before it re-emerged to the public’s eye.
Back to the Future (1981) – DeLorean DMC-12
Want to travel back in time? Easy! Just hop in the DeLorean DMC-12. The iconic time machine appeared in all three films, working as Marty McFly’s right hand man. The vehicle was produced at the DMC factory in Northern Ireland and it’s said that approximately 6,500 DeLorean cars are still cruising around. Who knew so many were time travelling these days!
Jurassic Park (1993)- Ford Explorer XLT
Queue the theme music from Jurassic Park! You can’t miss the iconic exterior graphics of the Ford Explorer XLT. The quality and durability of this vehicle made it an easy choice to feature as the park’s self-driving tour guide. The Ford Explorer, manufactured in 1992, was the first of its kind and was introduced to replace the Ford Bronco. If the Ford Explorer is good enough to test against a dinosaur, surely it can withstand the traffic at rush hour!
The Dark Knight (2005) – Lamborghini Murcielago LP640
Where would Batman be without his bat mobile? We can’t imagine Bruce Wayne chasing after the Joker in an Uber! The sleek, black Lamborghini Murcielago (which actually means ‘bat’ in Spanish!) is nothing short of what we’d expect Batman’s alter ego to drive around Gotham in. This iconic car is powered by a 640 horsepower 12-cyclinder engine and can take its mph to more than 211!