Jeremiah 29:11

Interesting article on Car and Movies I found on the internet:

Best/Worst Movie Cars of All Time?

Here's one for the gearheads and meme freaks: Cars.com just released its picks for Top 10 Movie Cars of all time.

I'm gonna have to quibble with a few, but first the list:
Best:
1981 DeLorean DMC-12, "Back to the Future"
1961 Ferrari 250 GT Spyder SWB, "Ferris Bueller's Day Off"
1974 Dodge Monaco, "The Blues Brothers"
1964 Aston Martin DB5, "Goldfinger"
Batmobile Tumbler, "Batman Begins"
1968 Ford Mustang GT 390, "Bullitt"
1959 Cadillac Ambulance, "Ghostbusters"
1958 Plymouth Fury, "Christine"
1973 Ford Falcon, "The Road Warrior" (right)
2003 Mini Cooper S, "The Italian Job"

Honorable Mention

1977 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am, "Smokey and the Bandit"
The Magical Car, "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang"
1963 Volkswagen Beetle, "The Love Bug"

Worst:

1983 Ford LTD Country Squire, "National Lampoon's Vacation"
1974 Dodge Tradesman, "Napoleon Dynamite"
Winnebago Chieftain, "Spaceballs"
1984 Ford Econoline, "Dumb and Dumber"
1963 Volkswagen Beetle, "Herbie: Fully Loaded"

My serious quarrels:

- Chitty Chitty Bang Bang belongs firmly at the very top of the Worst list. Dick Van Dyke's simpering grin and the excretious candy-coated bomb of a movie aside, the car looked nothing like the mystical racing-green monster conjured by Ian Fleming's original book. Feh.

- I'd put the original "Love Bug" on the "Best" list in favor of The Italian Job's Mini Cooper S. Much as the race-tuned Mini gives me wood, the Beetle is just more of a movie star.

More Hon. Mentions:
- The Pontiac (?) that Gene Hackman drove in the blistering chase scene in The French Connection

- The seriously hot-rodded Audi S8 in John Frankenheimer's Ronin car chase.

- The eggshell-blue AMC Pacer in Wayne's World

- And a squeakin' tie between Paul LeMat's piss-yellow/puke-green '32 Ford coupe and Harrison Ford's '55 sinister black Chevy coupe in American Graffiti

Egregiously Missing from the "Best":
- Syd Mead's gorgeously aerobatic Spinner from Blade Runner. This set the platinum standard for all futuristic car design in films to come, IMHO (viz the Lexus that gets built around Tom Cruise in Minority Report).

- The 1967 Lola T70s that scream through the warren of tunnels in THX1138 - sorry, but these are far more worthy than the Ghostbusters ambulance, which does nothing but show up. Absolutely some of the best chase footage ever shot, plus they're passionately temperamental and overheat in a pinch.

- The asthmatic, idiosyncratic flying Ford Anglia in "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets."

- And my personal favorites, the white 1970 Dodge Challenger that the mythical Kowalski tries to drive through police lines in "Vanishing Point." Wooww, maaannn.

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Jeremiah 29:11

Here are the Top 10 Movie cars that got voted:

No. 10 2003 Mini Cooper S, "The Italian Job"

Drivetrain: 163-hp, supercharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine with six-speed manual transmission; front-wheel drive

Notable Features: 200 pounds lighter than stock Cooper S; painted red, white or blue

Larger cars would have rubbed fenders with light poles and tunnel walls, but thanks to a nimble fleet of Mini Coopers, a band of conspirators manages to escape captors down congested streets, parks and subway tunnels. (Parks? Mass transit? In Los Angeles?) Computer-rigged signals aid the getaway, stopping cross traffic at red lights. Sounds like California dreaming for drivers.

No. 9 1973 Ford Falcon, "The Road Warrior"
Drivetrain: 300-hp, 5.7-liter V-8 with four-speed manual transmission; rear-wheel drive

Notable Features: Hood-mounted air intake, gas tanks in back, dash-mounted shotgun

Maybe if Max Rockatansky drove a more fuel-efficient car, he wouldn’t have to spend his days scouring the post-apocalypse Australian desert for gas. Of course, then his car wouldn’t be tough enough to take down the marauders he’s after, and we doubt it would have received as many votes. Fortunately, Mad Max’s Falcon police interceptor has all the right goodies: Side exhaust, a supercharger and giant, dust-kicking tires. Gas mileage? Fuggedaboudit.

No. 8 1958 Plymouth Fury, "Christine"
Drivetrain: 305-hp, 5.7-liter V-8 with three-speed automatic transmission; rear-wheel drive

Notable Features: Rewinding odometer, bending sheet metal, bloodlust for young guttersnipes

Never mind that Christine runs amok all night killing people — voters loved the idea of a self-repairing car. That it’s curvy, red and fast probably helped, too. Still, we would have liked to have seen her kick some bulldozer tail at the end.

No. 7 1959 Cadillac Ambulance, "Ghostbusters"
Drivetrain: 325-hp, 6.4-liter V-8 with two-speed automatic transmission; rear-wheel drive

Notable Features: Tailfins, flashing lights, sirens, attached ladder

Though it plays a relatively small part in its film, the Ectomobile is the finest medical movie car to date. What it lacks in brute force it makes up in style, with red tailfins, strobe lights and more roof gear than a fire truck. Should there ever be a remake, our pick for the new Ectomobile would be the Dodge Magnum.

No. 6 1968 Ford Mustang GT 390, "Bullitt"
Drivetrain: 325-hp, 6.4-liter V-8 with four-speed manual transmission; rear-wheel drive

Notable Features: Fastback roof, higher engine note than the Charger

Never mind the continuity mishaps; Just tell yourself there were a lot of green Volkswagen Beetles in San Francisco that day. The seven-minute chase scene between Frank Bullitt’s Mustang GT 390 and a hit man’s 1968 Dodge Charger is among the best of its kind. Voters gave Bullitt’s car the edge because, in the end, you have to root for the good guy.

No. 5 Batmobile Tumbler, "Batman Begins"
Drivetrain: 340-hp, 5.7-liter V-8 with electronic throttle; electric motor for silent operation; jet engine for jumps

Notable Features: Armor plates all around, voice-guided navigation system, power driver’s seat

Batman’s Tumbler stretches the definition of a car, but voters insisted it belongs on the list. Most vehicles are either nimble or tough, but the Tumbler is both: it vaults between rooftops and charges through barriers. Cops spout ineffectual one-liners, and it turns their cruisers to scrap. The cabin doesn’t look very comfortable, but given the tank-like exterior, it’s a wonder Batman even has a place to sit.

No. 4 1964 Aston Martin DB5, "Goldfinger"
Drivetrain: 282-hp, 4.0-liter six-cylinder with four-speed manual transmission; rear-wheel drive

Notable Features: Bulletproof glass, machine guns, incessantly beeping radar screen

Save for the anemic BMW Z3 1.9 in “GoldenEye,” Bond cars are top-notch — the list include

Jeremiah 29:11

Here are the 5 worst movie cars that got voted:

Top Five Worst Movie Cars


No. 5 1963 Volkswagen Beetle, "Herbie: Fully Loaded"

Drivetrain: 190-hp, 2.3-liter four-cylinder with four-speed manual transmission; rear-wheel drive

Notable Features: Racing stripes, spoiler, delusions of personality

We don’t doubt a 1,834-pound car with a 190-hp racing motor would be quick — it has a better power-to-weight ratio than a Maserati Spyder. But paired with Lindsay Lohan and her kid-friendly cohorts, Herbie doesn’t compare to his original “Love Bug” self. Or maybe we’re just too old.

No. 4 1984 Ford Econoline,"Dumb and Dumber"
Drivetrain: 114-hp, 4.9-liter six-cylinder with three-speed automatic transmission; rear-wheel drive

Notable Features: Nose, ears, tongue and other canine appendages

Lloyd calls it the shaggin’ wagon, but we doubt there’s much of that going on in Harry Dunne’s Mutt Cuts van. Worse yet, it isn’t properly equipped for the job: With Harry’s driving, unrestrained pooches lose their perm in no time.

No. 3 Winnebago Chieftain, "Spaceballs"
Drivetrain: Wing thrusters and secret hyperjets with electronic throttle; no-wheel drive

Notable Features: Raspberry radar jammer, retractable ladder

Eagle 5 reaches hyperactive speed and accommodates four occupants — not to mention a tool rack, fire hydrant and giant hair dryer — but its poor gas mileage and limited power means it won’t outrun Spaceball One, which can hit ludicrous speed. Sorry, Lone Starr: The Schwartz is not with you.

No. 2 1974 Dodge Tradesman, "Napoleon Dynamite"
Drivetrain: 180-hp, 5.9-liter V-8 with three-speed automatic transmission; rear-wheel drive

Notable Features: Camper top, Tupperware-crushing fortitude

Uncle Rico’s orange Tradesman is the go for his gig, peddling Tupperware and, um, herbal enhancements door-to-door. Grapefruit resistance notwithstanding, the van is about as cheesetastic as Rico’s frigate models.

No. 1 1983 Ford LTD Country Squire, "Vacation"
Drivetrain: 200-hp, 5.0-liter V-8 with four-speed automatic transmission; rear-wheel drive

Notable Features: Wood siding, hood-routed gas intake, driver-side airbag

It’s metallic pea, not Antarctic blue. There’s no rallye fun package, either. Rather, the Griswolds’ Wagon Queen Family Truckster is every family’s worst vacation memory. As the salesman said, “You think you hate it now, but wait till you drive it.”