There are plenty of cool movie cars that are glamorous, exciting, good looking and inspire us to imagine being behind the wheel of them. Almost any Bond hero car, the Blues Mobile, the Back to the Future DeLorean and many more. But what about the unglamorous movie cars that still had a starring role in a movie? A car that you wouldn’t dream of driving and would likely sit ignored on a dingy used car lot in most circumstances. For a little fun, we decided to choose some examples to stir up some debate and dust off our obscure movie knowledge.
The Evil Dead Oldsmobile Delta 88
An odd quirk of director Sam Raimi is to find a way, when possible, to work his beloved Delta 88 into any movie he directs. Our first glimpse of the Delta was in the original The Evil Dead movie. Since then it’s appeared in countless movies including the first Spiderman movies, and most recently in the newest Doctor Strange movie. If you ever got a chance to get behind the wheel, would you feel cool or Bruce Campbell cool?
Better Off Dead 1973 Ford LTD Station Wagon
Before his surprise love interest helps resurrect the derelict 1967 Camaro in his front yard, Better Off Dead’s Lane Meyer is driving around in a 1973 Ford LTD wagon dodging a sadistic paper boy looking for his two dollars and a pair of Howard Cosell speaking, drag racing addicted Asian nuts.
Beverly Hills Cop 1970 Nova
In Beverly Hills Cop, cruising through a variety of early 1980s luxury cars and is the beat up 1970 Nova with Eddie Murphy behind the wheel. In a tell we know this Nova couldn’t have spent its life in Detroit because it doesn’t have rust holes and other meal cancer wounds. But even with what looks to be a base 307 V8 the Nova still manages to elude the police driving a diminutive Dodge K-car sedan.
For Your Eyes Only Citroen 2CV
After his gadget-laden Lotus Esprit self-destructs in For Your Eyes Only, Roger Moore has to elude Hector Gonzalez’s henchmen in a pedestrian banana-colored Citroen 2CV. The car takes a hell of a pounding through the sequence while being “out-horsepowered” by the henchmen’s Peugeot sedans. In an interview for the Top Gear special focusing on Bond cars, Roger Moore admitted the 2CV was his favorite of all the cars he got to drive in his Bond movies.
Fandango 1959 Series 62 Cadillac
In Fandango, a young Kevin Costner and Judd Nelson with their two buddies embark on one final college adventure before the reality of life in 1971 come crashing down on them. The vehicle of adventure is Judd Nelson’s 1971 Cadillac which eventually loses its front clip and has the front end of a 1950 International truck grafted onto it. Lot of funny moments in this one including a parachute jump school brush with death.
Say Anything 1977 Chevrolet Malibu
John Cusack was pretty much the poster boy for high school love angst and romance in the 1980s. Better off Dead, One Crazy Summer, and this one Say Anything where he navigates life and the street in a 1977 Chevrolet Malibu. A noteworthy line from the movie “Man, dissed in the Malibu?! That’s your castle, man!”
Stripes 1968 Chevrolet Caprice
Deciding to join the Army together in Stripes, Bill Murray and Harold Ramis drive to the recruiting center in Ramis’ dilapidated 1968 Chevrolet Caprice. While only on screen for a short time, the Caprice provides a Segway into one of the best lines of the movie. After parking his pile a nearby man shouts at Ramis “Hey, you can’t park here!” to which Murray smoothly replies “We’re not parking it. We’re abandoning it.”
The Muppet Movie 1951 Studebaker Commander
In The Muppet Movie, Fozzie Bear and Kermit the Frog embark on adventure in Fozzie’s 1951 Studebaker Commander. The picture pretty much tells the story on this one.
The Losers 1974 Ford Pinto
During The Losers, when Idris Elba asks Jeffrey Dean Morgan where the seatbelts are at in his Pinto, Morgan replies “You don’t need them. The G-forces will keep us in our seats.” An ironic statement considering the Pinto couldn’t generate any noticeable Gs unless you dropped it off a tall cliff.
