# Coolest TV/Movie car **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 7, 2000, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coolest-tv-movie-car/44430 "2000-12-07T03:39:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![plnnr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@plnnr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plnnr)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2000, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coolest-tv-movie-car/44430/41 "2000-12-08T13:45:18Z")
Steve McQueen’s Mustang in “Bullit” had a magical quality to it that few people noticed - the hubcaps would spontaneously regenerate. One minute they’re there, the next they’re gone. The next scene they’re back. Also worth noting is Gene Hackman’s car from “The French Connection.” I don’t recall the make or model, but the chase scene has never been equalled. ---
**Author:** ![Juniper200](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@Juniper200](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Juniper200)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2000, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coolest-tv-movie-car/44430/42 "2000-12-08T14:32:03Z")
I was always partial to Remington Steele’s Auburn, which I think was like the one [here](http://www.autogallery.org.ru/k/a/35aub851customcoupe8cyl_KI.jpg), except his was white with gold accents. ---
**Author:** ![Torgo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@Torgo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Torgo)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2000, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coolest-tv-movie-car/44430/43 "2000-12-08T23:35:38Z")
I can’t believe nobody’s mentioned Detective Columbo’s battered Renault (late 50s/early 60s model?). Talk about your bitch magnets. ---
**Author:** ![pr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/eada6e/32.png) [@pr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pr)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2000, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coolest-tv-movie-car/44430/44 "2000-12-09T02:23:23Z")
In response to rocketeer, The TV batmobile has class. Memory is going back 25 years now, the Batmobile was made off a 1950’s “future car” called the “Firebird III”. I thought it was a Pontiac not a Lincoln, could be wrong. But I do know that there is a resemblence between the “Firebird III” and the first model Firebird produced by Pontiac in 1967. The original name for the Firebird is a cute little story by itself. It was supposed to be called the “Banshee” ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2000, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coolest-tv-movie-car/44430/45 "2000-12-09T04:02:45Z")
zen101 wrote: > [@](#): > > [http://www.mymach5.com](http://www.mymach5.com) They made one that had the blades, spy bird, periscope and auto-jacks and that was auctioned off (proceeds went to national child safety or some such). The prototype (at [http://www.mymach5.com/Prototype\_Specs/prototype\_specs.html](http://www.mymach5.com/Prototype_Specs/prototype_specs.html)) is shown with its circular saw blades extended, but I reeeeally have to wonder if those “pneumatic jacks for jumping” in the specs actually work. ---
**Author:** ![blastfurnace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5e9695/32.png) [@blastfurnace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blastfurnace)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2000, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coolest-tv-movie-car/44430/46 "2000-12-09T04:08:28Z")
My vote goes to the stretch Pinto from Wayne’s World. That is on su-weeeeeeeeeet ride. ---
**Author:** ![kinoons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a698b9/32.png) [@kinoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kinoons)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2000, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coolest-tv-movie-car/44430/47 "2000-12-09T04:53:36Z")
The blues brothers! Both Elwoods car, and Cab’s pimp ride. ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2000, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coolest-tv-movie-car/44430/48 "2000-12-09T05:14:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Kat \* > The car that **Cursor** made in _Automan_ I’d almost forgot that. 🙂 [singing]Thanks for the memories[/singing] How about the car from _Ghostbusters_. Some jammy bastard won it in a MTV contest. ---
**Author:** ![Uniball](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Uniball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uniball)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2000, 9:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coolest-tv-movie-car/44430/49 "2000-12-09T09:03:20Z")
[QUOTE] \*Originally posted by zen101 \* \*\* > [@](#): > > [http://www.mymach5.com](http://www.mymach5.com) They made one that had the blades, spy bird, periscope and auto-jacks and that was auctioned off (proceeds went to national child safety or some such). But they are making more or them as well as soon to be making the Shooting Star (thats Rex Racer’s aka Racer Xs’ car). > \*\* Rex Racer. Turn it around, Racer X. And he even wears the damn Mach logo (actually, the M stands for Mifune Motors) in his uniform! That must be one of the lamest “secret identities” in history, yesireebob… ---
**Author:** ![zen101](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c68b51/32.png) [@zen101](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zen101)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2000, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coolest-tv-movie-car/44430/50 "2000-12-09T11:59:42Z")
[QUOTE] \*Originally posted by Uniball \* \*\* > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by zen101 \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > [http://www.mymach5.com](http://www.mymach5.com) They made one that had the blades, spy bird, periscope and auto-jacks and that was auctioned off (proceeds went to national child safety or some such). But they are making more or them as well as soon to be making the Shooting Star (thats Rex Racer’s aka Racer Xs’ car). > > \*\* > > Rex Racer. Turn it around, Racer X. > And he even wears the damn Mach logo (actually, the M stands for Mifune Motors) in his uniform! > That must be one of the lamest “secret identities” in history, yesireebob… \*\* At least he had a full mask unlike Clark Kent. heh 🙂 Of course you didn’t mention the whole “Go Team” translation debacle actually meaning “5 Team” or “Team 5”. Thus leaving you with only a possible 8 points in Spped Racer trivia. ;Q ---
**Author:** ![Darqangelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecccb3/32.png) [@Darqangelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darqangelle)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2000, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coolest-tv-movie-car/44430/51 "2000-12-10T21:41:35Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Coldfire \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by Darqangelle \* > > **-deep green Aston Martin Vantage from “The Living Daylights” (fave)** > > One of my faves too, but it wasn’t green. [It was brown.](http://members.aol.com/astonpics/am167.jpg)\*\* Actually, the lighting in the photo is misleading. There’re yellow lights on the metallic paintwork, making it look brown, but actually, it was either a dark (almost black) gray, or green. (Watch the movie). And was the photo taken before or after the movie? According to sources, the car used in the movie WAS actually blown up. (Then again, they had to have a few models, didn’t they?) ---
**Author:** ![Darqangelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecccb3/32.png) [@Darqangelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darqangelle)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2000, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coolest-tv-movie-car/44430/52 "2000-12-10T21:43:37Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Kat \* > **The car that Cursor made in _Automan_** Wasn’t that a wingless Lamborghini Countach with neon-green stripes? ---
**Author:** ![cheezit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c57346/32.png) [@cheezit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cheezit)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2000, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coolest-tv-movie-car/44430/53 "2000-12-10T22:21:44Z")
I don’t think that anyone has mentioned the littlest cool car yet. So I will. It has to be Steve Erkels’ Iseta. Not real fast, but hey, you could open up the whole front of the car. 😃 Who made those, anyway? Wasn’t it BMW? ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2000, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coolest-tv-movie-car/44430/54 "2000-12-10T22:52:22Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Torgo \* > \*\*I can’t believe nobody’s mentioned Detective Columbo’s battered Renault (late 50s/early 60s model?). Talk about your bitch magnets. \*\* A _Renault_?? The heresy! Actually, it is a [1959 Peugeot 403 Decapotable](http://www.columbo-site.freeuk.com/car.htm). I take my _Pugs_ seriously, what can I say 😉 **Darqangelle** : Hmmm. The way I see the Vantage, on film or paper, it appears brown to me. I do have a slight problem with judging colours, so it’s probably me. I just can’t see any green in it. Still, what a car eh? **cheezit** : The _Iseta_ was indeed made by **BMW**. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2000, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coolest-tv-movie-car/44430/55 "2000-12-10T23:32:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Coldfire \* > Hmmm. The way I see the Vantage, on film or paper, it appears brown to me. I do have a slight problem with judging colours, so it’s probably me. I just can’t see any green in it. Still, what a car eh? It’s been a few years since I saw the movie, but it should be dark green for historical reasons. Before corporate sponsorship, cars in international racing were painted different colors depending on what country they were from. British cars were dark green. In fact, if you see a car ad with the abbreviation BRG, it stands for British Racing Green. Not many people pay attention to it anymore (there was a BRG Miata, for crying out loud), but the folks at Aston Martin would certainly remember. And I’m telling you people [Rendezvous](http://us.imdb.com/CommentsShow?0169173). ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2000, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coolest-tv-movie-car/44430/56 "2000-12-11T00:17:41Z")
Don’t insult my intelligence, I know about BRG 😉 It’s just that I don’t see how that would apply here. I mean, the Vantage didn’t compete at Le Mans or something. It was just Bonds car. I’ll see what else I can dig up. Interesting link, that “Rendezvous” thing. I gotta see that thing! > [@](#): > > According to rumor, it’s the famous racecar driver Jaques Lafitte who drives this car as it speeds insanely through the near empty streets of Paris at 200km/h one early morning. Veering for cars and buses, almost hitting pedestrians and pigeons on every corner, this is as close to a real snuff movie you’ll ever get. Very little is known about the car and it’s driver. But I can assure you this: It was in no way sanctioned or produced with the cooperation of the police. It’s far too risky for that. But what a ride! An absolute must see for any film or racing fan. Brilliant! Jaqcues Lafitte eh? Well, it would be one kick-ass way to lose your superlicense 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Torgo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@Torgo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Torgo)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2000, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coolest-tv-movie-car/44430/57 "2000-12-11T00:33:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Coldfire \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by Torgo \* > > \*\*I can’t believe nobody’s mentioned Detective Columbo’s battered Renault (late 50s/early 60s model?). Talk about your bitch magnets. \*\* > > A _Renault_?? The heresy! > \*\* Eh, as Columbo would say, “That there’s a French car.” ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2000, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coolest-tv-movie-car/44430/58 "2000-12-11T00:43:13Z")
zen101 wrote, re _Speed Racer_: > [@](#): > > Of course you didn’t mention the whole “Go Team” translation debacle actually meaning “5 Team” or “Team 5”. What **is** it with Japanese Animation and the number 5?!! G Force had 5 team members. Voltron III was made from 5 robot lions. Voltron I was made of 3 teams (air, land, and sea) consisting of 5 vehicles each. And now, you’re tellin’ me that Speed Racer’s racing team was the “5 Team”. Does 5 have some kind of mystical significance in Japanese culture or something, the way 7 is lucky and 13 is unlucky for us Westerners? ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2000, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coolest-tv-movie-car/44430/59 "2000-12-11T01:58:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Coldfire \* > Don’t insult my intelligence, I know about BRG 😉 > > It’s just that I don’t see how that would apply here. I mean, the Vantage didn’t compete at Le Mans or something. It was just Bonds car. I’ll see what else I can dig up. Didn’t mean to be insulting. Not everybody knows about the old national racing colors, in fact you may be the first person I’ve run into who did. Do you know what color German cars were before they were silver, and why they changed? I remember an article about Aston Martins racing at Le Mans in the fifties. The cars were all BRG, but they had eyebrow shaped flares over the front fenders that were in different colors. And within the last year or so I read that they debuted a new model at an auto show and it was British Racing Green. I think Aston Martin would know the tradition and want to keep it alive. I don’t know why the DB5 in Goldfinger was silver. > [@](#): > > Interesting link, that “Rendezvous” thing. I gotta see that thing! I bought it on Amazon about a year ago (rather pricey for a nine-minute movie). It’s almost disappointing to actually see it, since the story of how it was made is so good. The film is grainy and the light’s bad. But still, anytime people start debating cars and car movies, there’s nothing else like it. ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2000, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coolest-tv-movie-car/44430/60 "2000-12-11T12:10:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Robot Arm \* > **Do you know what color German cars were before they were silver, and why they changed?** A pop quiz, eh? 😃 I don’t know, actually. All I know is that they used to be silver. The change may have had something to do with WWII, as a WAG. Then again, I think those pre-war AVUS cars were silver as well. Other ones I can think of: blue for French cars, red for Italian. White for American? As you said, the DB5 was silver, so I don’t think the BRG holds here. I found some pictures of Aston Martin V8’s. Admittedly, these are Series II models, and Bonds car was a Series V. But the colour schemes appear the same. [The brownish colour which I think is the same as 007’s car](http://www.astonmartins.com/v8/am1439.jpg) [The typical British Racing Green version](http://www.astonmartins.com/v8/am1137.jpg) Would you agree that the first one is the same colour as the one used in **The Living Daylights**? If so, that’s not a BRG one. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coolest-tv-movie-car/44430.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coolest-tv-movie-car/44430.md?page=4)