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Exciting Movie Cars That Were Actually Built From Boring Vehicles

Vukasin Herbez April 25, 2023

The debut of cars and motion pictures dates back to roughly the same age. So it was just a matter of time before those two would form an unbreakable bond. From the early days of Hollywood all the way to today’s blockbuster movies, cars were also stars on the silver screen. Legendary films turned movie cars into icons and became bonafide cultural icons.

Movie cars have grown to be legends in their own right. Sometimes, you even forget the actors or the plot of a movie but you still remember the car and how cool or interesting it was. However, even though movie cars can do anything and everything on the silver screen, in most cases, they were based on some pretty dull vehicles. We looked at some incredibly famous movie cars that use ordinary models as their basis. Check out these movie car icons that had simple beginnings right here.

Mustang A80

“Death Race” is a crazy post-apocalyptical movie with some insane driving action. Even though it came out 15 years ago, it’s still exciting and features aggressive hero cars equipped with machine guns, protection panels, and overly powerful engines. The Mustang A80 is the definitive model from the movie and it used the standard 2005 Mustang GT S197. We love “Mad Max” style vehicles and apocalyptic designs, but Mustang with machine guns, twisted panels, and ready-for-battle is next-level cool. This is precisely why the Death Race Mustang “Frankenstein” car is on this list (via Street Muscle Mag).

The world was stunned when Ford introduced the fifth generation of Mustang in late 2004 as a 2005 model. Its retro-futuristic design was perfect for the times. It captured the essence of the legendary first generation and presented a very elegant and sporty, modern shape, even 15 years after its unveiling. With a 4.6-liter 300 HP V8 engine at first and a 5.0-liter 425 HP V8 from 2011-2014, the GT was a capable car with exceptional road manners.

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‘Herbie The Love Bug’

The actual VW Beetle was never a performance car. Yet in this Disney classic, Herbie wins races against Ferraris. Although it was adorable, Herbie was nothing more than just a VW Beetle with some wide wheels, a characteristic paint job, and a famous name (via Wikipedia).

Officially, production on the VW Beetle started in 1938 and ended in 2003, during which time more than 22 million cars were made in 14 countries around the globe. The Beetle was indeed the first global car in terms of popularity, affordability, and presence. The Ford T motorized the world as the first globally popular automobile. Still, the VW Beetle became a car for classes that only dreamed about owning a vehicle, especially in third-world countries.

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The Car

A menacing, heavily modified ’71 Lincoln is the main character in “The Car,” and it was a machine everyone was afraid of. Although everybody had nightmares about this dangerous machine, the basis for it was ordinary (via Rotten Tomatoes).

It was an enormous boat of a car with a long hood, soft suspension, and a hefty 460 or 400 V8 up front. The vehicle had every possible convenience option and was a typical cruiser of the day. However, for Lincolns like this, days were numbered due to the fuel crisis in the late ’70s.

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ECTO-1

You might not know the exact name of this vehicle, but you definitely know it. It’s the iconic white ’59 Cadillac ambulance from the “Ghostbusters” movie series. This 1959 Cadillac sold a staggering 142,000 units, which is very respectable by today’s standards. Cadillac sold several models, including the Eldorado, Fleetwood limousine, and even a bare chassis with engines for commercial users like ambulances and hearses (via Lego).

Thanks to its timeless design, incredible power, and quality, the 1959 year remains one of the best years in Cadillac’s history. It’s also one of the landmark American cars of all time. The wagon model that was the basis for ECTO-1 was, in coach-built by an outside company and used as a hearse or ambulance, which was standard in the late 1950s and ’60s.

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The Batmobile

There are numerous versions of the Batmobile, each one is very recognizable and legendary. Today, we’ll cover one of the first, featured in the 1960s TV series starring Adam West as Batman. The story of this Batmobile is an interesting one since it connects to one of the famous custom car builders of the era, George Barris (via Barris).

This Batmobile started life as a 1955 Lincoln Futura concept car. Although it looks striking, it was one of many similar concepts that fall into obscurity once their auto show days are over. Barris got the vehicle for a $1 price, and for years, it sat outside his shop in L.A. When the producers of the show asked him to make a Batmobile. He transformed the Lincoln Futura into the Dark Knight’s ride and the rest is history.

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Hydra Schmidt

Even though the name doesn’t sound familiar, you may know this car as a hero car from the blockbuster Captain America: The First Avenger. Famous automotive designer Daniel Simon designs it and is on magnificent and extraordinary luxury cars of the 1930s like Duesenberg or Mercedes. However, the producer wanted this model to be much bigger to emphasize its power and importance (via Top Gear).

That put engineers in a difficult position since no standard car chassis could accommodate such a large body with six wheels. The solution was simple – use a truck chassis, V8 power, and truck transmission and cover it with a seductive and custom-made body. The result is impressive; you can see what’s underneath by looking at the truck tires.

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Ferrari 250 California Spider Replica

“Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” would be just another teenage comedy if it wasn’t for the gorgeous 1961 Ferrari convertible. Based on the regular 250 Convertible, Enzo Ferrari introduced a special version called GT California Spider. It featured a racing engine in a gorgeous open-top package. Offered until 1960, only about 55 cars left the factory in Italy (via Collier Auto Media).

However, such a rare and expensive car was not used in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.” In fact, the seductive fiberglass body of the Ferrari 250 California Spider Replica was put on a 1980 Corvette frame. That made it look almost like a classic Ferrari.

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Wet Nellie

A sports car that turns into a submarine? That exists only in James Bond movies. White Lotus Esprit earned its place on our list with its incredible ability to become an underwater weasel in a few seconds. This crazy contraption was just a scale model used for shooting (via Car Sales).

As one of James Bond’s favorite cars, Lotus Esprits has a particular spot in enthusiasts’ hearts. Introduced in the early ’70s and sold until the mid-1990s, the Lotus Esprit was a competent sports car. This was despite the fact that it had a smaller engine but less weight compared to competitors. The Esprit was a fast and nimble car with Giugiaro styling, wedge shape, and compact dimensions. Critics attacked it for its build quality and its tiny interior. But buyers loved it for its handling and performance.

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Ford Explorer

First-generation Explorers are not exactly the most exciting vehicles. But when they were in the ’90s mega-hit “Jurassic Park,” they became memorable and cool. As one of the first really popular SUV models, the Explorer from the early ’90s was a typical example of the concept (via JP Motor Pool).

Big, powerful, and luxurious, it could easily carry its passengers over any terrain. At least, it looked like it could. Despite its popularity, alarming reports of instability and rollovers plagued the market and the car public.

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‘Back To The Future’ Mustang

The “Back To The Future” series is of course famous for the DeLorean DMC12 but it featured many other cars. The interesting thing about the Mustangs in this movie is that they were artistic visions of future models, not regular production cars. Since Marty and Doc Brown travel in time, they encounter future vehicles. In this case, a red Fox-body Mustang GT convertible with strange add-ons (via Futuropedia).

The rise in power of domestic cars during the ’80s brought the first actual performance to the Mustang range in almost 20 years. The Fox-body Mustang grew more and more powerful with each model year, starting from 175 HP in the 1983 model. By the late ’80s, the venerable 5.0-liter V8 engine was pumping 225 HP and 300 lb.-ft of torque. This translated to reasonably competent 0 to 60 mph times.

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