Top Three Most Iconic Screen Cars4 min read

Few elements in cinema capture the imagination, quite like iconic screen cars. These vehicles have become legendary symbols of their respective films, from time-traveling adventures to ghost-busting escapades. In this article, we check out the top three most iconic screen cars. Each of these cards not only played a pivotal role in their stories but also left an indelible mark on pop culture and continues to fascinate fans and car enthusiasts. Let’s take a closer look at the fascinating histories behind each cinematic legend.

1. Most Iconic Screen Cars: The Time Machine

The DMC DeLorean is most notably featured in the Back to the Future trilogy as the time machine. The DMC DeLorean is a two-passenger sports car with a rear engine manufactured and marketed by John DeLorean’s DeLorean Motor Company from 1981 – 1983. Six DeLoreans were used for the films, and one was built out of fiberglass for scenes where the DeLorean was needed to “fly” on-screen. The iconic screen cars used in part 1 had the original V6 engine. Two of the cars used in Part 3 were equipped with Volkswagen engines and dune buggy chassis for filming the scenes in the Western terrain.

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Out of the 6 used, only three of the cars still exist. Universal Studios owns two of the remaining cars, occasionally putting them on display or using them for other productions, and the third car, used in Back to the Future Part 3, was restored and was sold at auction for $541,200 in December 2011. A fully restored Back to the Future DeLorean can be viewed at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. What happened to the others? One was destroyed at the end of Part 3, two additional cars were abandoned, and the fiberglass replica used in Part 2 was scrapped.

2. Ecto 1

The Ecto-1 from the 1984 film Ghostbusters is a 1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor Sentinel limo-style end-loader combination car (ambulance conversion). Steven Dane created the original vehicle design. Three cars were in the movies; the third, the 1959 Miller-Meteor, was bought after the second car died during the shooting of Ghostbusters 2. For the release of Ghostbusters: The Video Game, Sony restored the original Ecto-1.

Also, the Ecto-1A was originally scheduled to be restored along with the Ecto-1. Unfortunately, the lack of funds meant only the Ecto-1 could be restored. The Ecto-1A continued to sit at the Universal back lot for years, unfortunately deteriorating. But in 2019, that car was turned into one of two weathered versions of the Ecto-1 for the Ghostbusters: Afterlife. Also, the car was later used for Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire. Where is the restored car now? The car currently sits in front of Sony Pictures’s Ghost Corp building along with the Ecto-1 from the 2016 film Ghostbusters: Answer the Call.

3. Batmobile

The Batmobile from the 1966–1968 television series Batman is one of the most iconic screen cars ever.

So where did it come from? In 1965, ABC-TV chose Hollywood customizer George Barris to design a batmobile for their soon-to-go-into-production Batman TV show. Dean Jeffries worked on the Batmobile’s design and initial fabrication using a 1959 Cadillac. But since the studio wanted a car faster than he could give them, he turned it back to George Barris. Since George had only three weeks to finish the car, he decided it would be best to transform a Lincoln Futura into a batmobile rather than build a car from scratch.

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George hired Bill Cushenberry to do the metal modifications to the car. Unfortunately, when filming for the Batman series began, several problems arose due to the car’s age. The expensive Mickey Thompson tires blew as the car overheated, and the battery died. By mid-season, the engine and the transmission were replaced with a Ford Galaxie. Where is the Batmobile now? The batmobile is displayed at the Hollywood Star Cars Museum in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.

The Pop Blog adheres to the Fair Use Policy for the pop culture photos used in this article. The featured photo was taken by Jean-Luc Picard on Unsplash.