And this list is! 100 to 50
Our love of cars started right here. Movie and TV cars are literally the stuff of dreams. We're all let into theaters and plopped in front of the tube long before we're issued driver licenses.
Then we all dream of doing reverse 180s like Jim Rockford escaping thugs, or fleeing the po-po in a Shelby Mustang named Eleanor. We all want a best friend like KITT. And every orange Dodge Charger can fly, right?
These are the 100 movie and TV cars that built that passion.
100. The Monkees 1966 Pontiac GTO: Dean Jeffries turns a GTO into a massive T-Bucket with a blown engine. The TV show ran two seasons between 1966 and 1968.
99. Cannonball 1970 Pontiac Trans Am: Pure mayhem from the Death Race 2000 director. Based on the Cannonball race, it beat The Gumball Rally into theaters by a month in 1976.
98. Easy Rider Captain America Harley-Davidson: The ultimate biker road trip movie. Made in 1969. Made Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper, Jack Nicholson, and they're Harley's icons.
97. Get Smart's 1965 Sunbeam Tiger: The spy car for the spy who isn't James Bond. Driven for seasons one and two (1965-'67), then replaced by a VW Karmann Ghia.
96. Diamonds Are Forever 1971 Ford Mustang Mach 1: James Bond rips Vegas apart in a great chase from 1971. Goes into an alley up on its right wheels, comes out on its left. So what.
95. The Saint 1962 Volvo P1800: From 1962-'69 Simon Templar (Roger Moore) showed up for no apparent reason in his white, British-built Volvo to help those in distress.
94. Days of Thunder 1990 #46 City Chevrolet Lumina: The movie that launched NASCAR's most successful decade. It was Cole Trickle's (Tom Cruise) Lumina that made good ol' boys cool.
93. Jurassic Park Ford Explorer: Self-driving, panorama glass roofs, high-tech information systems and the most iconic automotive paint job of the last 20 years.
92. Thelma and Louise 1966 Ford Thunderbird: Don't get too attached. The blue convertible meets its iconic end in this 1991 flick.
91. Stripes EM-50 Urban Assault Vehicle: Built off of a 1970's GMC Motorhome, the EM-50 Urban Assault Vehicle is the heavily armed recreational vehicle you need to bash through the Czech border.
90. Scooby-Doo 1969 Mystery Machine Van: Without the Mystery Machine, Fred, Daphne, Velma, Scooby and Shaggy go nowhere. They've been going since 1969. That's 42 years.
89. Speed Racer 1966 Mach 5: The Mach 5 was the first truly awesome Japanese car. The 52 original episodes ran between 1966 and 1968. Over time, they've gotten no better.
88. Hooper 1978 Pontiac Trans Am: Unlike Burt's other Trans Am exploits, this Pontiac is red, rocket-propelled and drives under falling smokestacks. Car is cool, but the rocket car gorge jump is a joke.
87. Green Hornet 1966 Black Beauty Imperial: Dean Jeffries modified two Imperials as the Hornet's ride in this short-lived 1966 TV series. Perfect with Bruce Lee as the driver. Also the one thing the 2011 movie got right.
86. Dumb and Dumber Mutt Cutts Van: Another one for the kids. Harry and Lloyd's van is the birthplace of the most annoying sound in the world. You're making it now, aren't you?
85. Ghostbusters 1959 Cadillac Ecto-1: Who you gonna call in the 1984 film? The Ghostbusters showed up in this modified Miller-Meteor Futura ambulance.
84. The Munsters 1964 Munster Coach: George Barris' shop used three Model T bodies and a 289 Ford V8 to construct this for the TV series that ran from 1964-'66.
83. The Munsters 1965 Drag-U-La: Built at George Barris' shop by Korky Korkes, the coffin-based Drag-U-La first appeared in the 1965 episode "Hot Rod Herman."
82. Family Matters BMW Isetta: Known as the "Urkel Car" BMW's Isetta gets a spot on this list, as it is perfectly cast. The Isetta is also No. 3 on our list of the 100 Worst Cars of All Time.
81. Fireball 500 1966 Plymouth Barracuda: In this 1966 film, Frankie Avalon used this Barris custom to tow Richard Petty's stock car. It was a Popular AMT model kit.
80. Miami Vice 1986 Ferrari Testarossa: Ferrari didn't like the black Daytona replica the 1984-'89 NBC series was using, so it provided two white Testarossas for Season Three.
79. Against All Odds 1984 Porsche 911 SC: This car and a Ferrari 308 GTSi race on L.A.'s Sunset Boulevard in an underrated 1984 film. Stunt coordinator Gary Davis doubled Jeff Bridges.
78. Against All Odds 1984 Ferrari 308 GTSi: In this great race action, the legendary stunt driver Carey Loftin drove the Ferrari. He was 68 years old at the time.
77. The Simpsons Canyonero: Sixty-five tons of American pride, the country-fried truck endorsed by a clown was ruled unsafe for city or highway driving.
76. Death Race 2000 1975 Shala-Vette: Dick Dean's VW-based kit twisted by Dean himself and Dean Jeffries for "Frankenstein." 1975's Death Race 2000 is the best Death Race.
75. Stingray 1965 Chevrolet Corvette: For two seasons (1985-'87) on NBC, if you needed help you called Nick Mancuso as "Ray" and he showed up in a black '65 Corvette Coupe.
74. Vega$ 1957 Ford Thunderbird: In this series Robert Urich played Dan Tanna, a Las Vegas detective who lived at the Desert Inn and drove a classic T-Bird from 1978-'81.
73. McQ 1973 Pontiac Trans Am SD455: One of the few cars John Wayne drove in a film. This green beast tours Seattle and is ultimately crushed in an alley.
72. Bad Boys 1993 Porsche 911 Turbo 3.6: Director Michael Bay used his own car as the lead vehicle in this 1995 movie. Wound up making Will Smith and Martin Lawrence movie stars.
71. Cars Lightning McQueen: Cars, released in 2006, isn't Pixar's best, but it has sold the most toys. Lightning McQueen is a cuddly version of a stock car.
70. Batman Begins 2005 Tumbler: The latest Batmobile is an amazing prop built for this 2005 film. Yes, it really drives even if it doesn't leap across buildings and rivers.
69. Two-Lane Blacktop 1970 Pontiac GTO Judge: This 1971 movie doesn't make much sense if you think about it. So don't think and appreciate the classic Pontiac muscle driven by Warren Oates.
68. Tucker: The Man and His Dream 1948 Tucker Torpedo: Great 1988 Francis Ford Coppola movie all about cars. Fully 21 of the 47 surviving Torpedoes were used in filming.
67. Cobra 1950 Mercury: Eddie Paul reportedly built four '50 Mercs for this 1986 Sylvester Stallone movie. The movie is lousy, but the car is outstanding.
66. American Graffiti 1958 Chevrolet Impala: It's Steve's car, but it's Terry the Toad who gets this ride in George Lucas' 1973 film about one summer night in 1962.
65. Rain Man 1949 Buick Roadmaster: The three stars of this 1988 drama are Dustin Hoffman, Tom Cruise and this big Buick convertible. Ten minutes to Wapner.
64. The Italian Job 2003 Mini Coopers: This movie introduced Americans to the concept of small cars being awesome. Charlize Theron behind the wheel didn't hurt, either. Thanks to an epic chase scene, more Minis have used the L,A. subway than residents.
63. The Italian Job 1968 Mini Coopers: Britain's greatest heist involves stealing gold through a traffic jam under and over Turin, Italy. Michael Caine was at his peak in 1969.
62. Casino Royale 2007 Aston Martin DBS: Few gadgets, but James Bond's DBS (a redressed DB9) performs a spectacular seven barrel rolls meeting its demise in the 2006 film.
61. The Living Daylights 1987 Aston Martin V8 Vantage: "Winterized" by Q into a hardtop, 007's Aston features missiles, skis and a rocket engine in the 1987 film.
60. Planes, Trains and Automobiles 1986 Chrysler Town & Country: The misery of travel exacerbated by renting a K-Car convertible in this 1987 film. It's eventually smashed between two semis and burns.
59. You Only Live Twice 1967 Toyota 2000GT Convertible: Not driven by Bond, but by Aki, a beautiful Japanese spy. Toyota never offered the 2000GT as a drop top. Two were made for the 1967 film.
58. Rebel Without a Cause 1949 Mercury: James Dean's ride in this 1955 drama of teen angst and delinquency. Released a month after Dean's death while driving a Porsche.
57. Miami Vice 1972 Ferrari Daytona Replica: It's a rebodied C3 Corvette. So what. This black car and Phil Collins' "In the Air Tonight" made the show a hit in 1984.
56. Transformers 1976 Chevrolet Camaro "Bumblebee": Sure, Bumblebee became a 2010 Camaro in this 2007 megahit. But really, he was better off as the clapped-out '76 on Cragars.
55. Christine 1958 Plymouth Fury: It's a Mopar, so of course it's evil. John Carpenter's 1983 film is rumored to have destroyed more than 20 '58 Plymouths depicting Christine.
54. Fast & Furious 6: 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona: The movie is a monster hit and the Charger isn't bad either. What's not to love about this hugely modified Dodge Charger and its GM-sourced 430-horsepower 6.2-liter LS3. Read more on it here.
53. Fast Five 1969 Nissan Skyline GT-R: This gorgeous, worn-down car does nothing but drive through Rio and park. And with that alone, it steals the 2011 movie.
52. Iron Man 2008 Audi R8: Product placement or not, it's the perfect car for genius Tony Stark (Robert Downey) to drive in this huge 2008 superhero hit.
51. Simon & Simon 1979 Dodge Power Wagon: From 1981-'89, this red pickup was detective Rick Simon's intimidating ride. All dull paint and big bumper.
50. 2 Fast 2 Furious 1998 Nissan Skyline GT-R: Forgive the neon lighting; it was 2003. The R34 is the best 2F2F car. The on-screen R34s ran with disconnected front differentials for drifting.