Where The Original Famous Cars From Movies And TV Shows Are Today

When people affectionately look back on their favorite movies and shows, quite often, it's not just the fine acting or a twist in the tale they think about. Sometimes, it's the setting or the special effects, a moment of dialog or the emotional impact of a scene. However, sometimes it's the props, and the most memorable props are often the vehicles. It could be the Hogwarts Express from "Harry Potter" or Arnold Schwarzenegger's Harley-Davidson Fat Boy in "Terminator 2." Vehicle nostalgia could even stretch to the pirate ship from "The Goonies" or the Millennium Falcon in "Star Wars."

Today, however, we are looking at cars and where those original cars are today. The most memorable ones are arguably as important to plot development as the characters. "The Fast and the Furious" would be a silly movie without them, and an absence of the outlandish vehicles in "Mad Max" would result in a dystopian world with much less visual impact. The enduring legacy evoked by movie cars gives us something to look back on. Who could forget that first glimpse of the Batmobile when it roared onto the big screen back in 1989? Or even the Mystery Machine from "Scooby-Doo" if we want to go down the animated path. 

Beyond that, the post-filming tales of these cars are often just as captivating as the movie plots. With the utmost apologies to those whose personal favorite has been omitted, let's find out where some of the original famous cars from movies and TV shows are today. 

The Batmobile is one of the most iconic TV and movie cars of all time and certainly tops the list when it comes to the superhero genre. There have been several iterations of this vehicle, from the quirky Batmobile of the 1960s TV show to the more recent beasts driven by Ben Affleck and Robert Pattinson in their respective cinematic universes.

It's debatable which is the best Batmobile of all time, but the supercharged cruiser from 1989's "Batman" and 1992's "Batman Returns" has certainly achieved a legendary status. It stormed back onto the big screen in 2023's "The Flash," with the iconic Mercedes-Benz concept car and Michael Keaton's "Batman" proving to be the highlight of what was ultimately a box office flop. You can find one of the Batmobiles used in 1989's "Batman" at the Peterson Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. Another used in that movie is housed at the Hollywood Cars Museum in Las Vegas, while one from the 1992 sequel is on display at the Hollywood Star Cars Museum in Gatlinburg.

The original 1966 Batmobile is very different from the Keatonmobile. It's a customized version of the 1955 Lincoln Futura concept car, and it holds a special place in the hearts of many Batfans. After residing for years at Gatlinburg's Guinness World Records Museum, it has now found a new home at the Hollywood Star Cars Museum.

Sadly, the tank-like Tumbler from Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy is rumored to be gathering dust outside a warehouse in Dubai. The good news, however, is that it reportedly still gets taken out for the occasional spin.

The 1963 Aston Martin DB5 is arguably the most iconic movie car of all time. It made its James Bond debut in 1964's "Goldfinger" and followed up that dynamic appearance with 1965's "Thunderball." Driven by the late, great Sir Sean Connery, the silver DB5 had an array of spy-assisting gadgets and features, including a bulletproof shield and an ejector seat.

Since then, the car has had an eventful history. Following "Thunderball," it was sold to collector Gavin Keyzar, who then sold it to Utah jeweler Richard Losee. After keeping the car in his possession for 15 years, Losee sold the silver sports car in 1986 at Sotheby's New York auction. Car collector Anthony V. Pugliese III won the bidding and ensured the DB5 remained in the public eye by attending car shows and Bond events throughout the United States.

However, in 1997, James Bond's most famous ride mysteriously disappeared from a secure hangar at Boca Raton Airport in Florida. Interestingly, the car was recently rumored to have resurfaced somewhere in the Middle East. Christopher Marinello, the chief executive of Art Recovery International, was quoted as saying in the British broadsheet The Telegraph, "There are major automobile collectors in those countries and I have intelligence that the car could be in one of them and may have even travelled between them."

Unfortunately, nothing has been resolved, and according to the Art Recovery International website, a reward is still in place for any information on the much-loved espionage vehicle.

Anyone alive during the years 1983 to 1987 will likely have fond memories of the A-Team van and the ragtag band of mercenaries that drove it. Among "The A-Team" was the plan-making cigar-loving leader John "Hannibal" Smith and his trusted associates Templeton "Faceman" Peck, "Howling Mad" Murdock, and the mohawked B.A. Baracus.

The A-Team rolled in a modified black and metallic-gray 1983 GMC Vandura. It sported a distinctive red stripe with mounted fog lights on the roof and grill, a front bull bar, and a red rear spoiler. It was designed by legendary car customizer George Barris, the man behind many celebrated vehicles in TV and movie history, including the 1966 Batmobile.

As to the whereabouts of the A-Team van today? It isn't easy to pin down the exact location of all six that were used throughout the five seasons, but thankfully, one of them is on display at the Orlando Auto Museum at Dezerland Park and a stunt van resides at the Hollywood Cars Museum in Vegas. "I pity the fool" who doesn't make the effort to go see them.

The interesting thing about the time machine from the "Back to the Future" trilogy is that it was initially supposed to be a fridge. However, thanks to John DeLorean's arrest and charge for drug trafficking in 1982, scriptwriters Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale thought it would be hilarious to change the movie's time-travel device to a DeLorean. It's unlikely that even the ingenious "Doc" Brown could get a fridge to travel at 88mph, so with hindsight, it was a fantastic idea.

Of the six DeLoreans used in the series, the car that had the most screen time is the only one available for public viewing in the US. It has been housed at the Peterson Automotive Museum in Los Angeles since 2016. The other five, plus the extra fiberglass model that was the flying DeLorean we saw in the final scene of the original movie, all met with different fates.

However, Gatlinburg's Hollywood Star Cars Museum claims to have a DeLorean on display, which is stated to have been driven by Michael J. Fox. The museum states on its website that "the cars are all the genuine vehicles from movies and TV shows!" in its FAQ section.

As the story goes, Burt Reynolds came across an ad for a Pontiac Trans Am while browsing through a magazine and immediately knew that it was the right vehicle for his upcoming movie "Smokey and the Bandit." His hunch was spot-on because the movie went on to be the second-highest grossing of 1977 after "Star Wars" and the Firebird became one of the silver screen's most memorable muscle cars.

The cars used in the movie are modified 1976 models. Unfortunately, all four Trans Ams, including the prop car, were totaled during filming, although this will come as no surprise to anyone who has seen the movie. However, according to Bandit Movie Cars, a promotional car used for the movie was discovered, refurbished, and sold at the Barrett Jackson Scottsdale Auction for a world record $530,000. The car was refurbished by Burt Reynolds' personal friend, Gene Kennedy, and Reynolds was in attendance at the sale.

The sale led to the founding of Bandit Movie Cars, and the company went on to recreate other vehicles from Burt Reynolds' movies, including those from "Cannonball Run" and "Hooper." BMC also did a ground-up restoration on the only remaining Trans Am titled to Reynolds, and it has since been seen at events, such as the Houston Autorama show. Hollywood Star Cars Museum in Vegas claims to have a genuine 1977 Pontiac Trans Am from the movie, although the museum doesn't highlight any connection to "Smokey and the Bandit" on its website.

The 1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor from the "Ghostbusters" franchise is affectionately called the Ecto-1. Sony restored the original Ecto-1 after it fell into a state of disrepair and put it on display outside its Ghost Corps building in promotion of "Ghostbusters: Afterlife." The Hollywood Star Car Museum in Gatlinburg also claims to have an original Ecto-1 from the 1984 movie on display.

During the filming of "Ghostbusters 2," the Ecto-1 died, and a second Miller-Meteor that was used as a prop car in the original movie became the primary car. It was to become known as the Ecto-1A. Unfortunately, it also fell into a state of disrepair following the movie's release but was never restored due to the funds spent on the original Ecto-1's restoration. However, in a strange twist of fate, the aging Ecto-1A was in an ideal state for a return in the 2021 sequel "Ghostbusters: Afterlife" as a dilapidated version of the Ecto-1. 

The 1982 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am from the TV series "Knight Rider" is different from other cars on this list. That's because KITT (Knight Industries Two Thousand) was the star of the show alongside David Hasselhoff's Michael Knight. Voiced by William Daniels, KITT was an artificially intelligent, talking car that could drive by itself. It also used its intelligence to help Knight solve crimes. 

The stunning Firebird Trans Am was, however, not just a single car. Depending on who you ask, up to 25 of them were used across four seasons. Unfortunately, they were put through the wringer, and only five are said to have survived. Those five have gone on to enjoy different retirements with stays in various museums and theme parks, including Universal Studios and the Peterson Automotive Museum. 

Two of the five are owned by Knight Rider Historians Joe Huth and AJ Palmgren, who are dedicated to the preservation of artifacts from the series. They have even recently tracked down the show's F.L.A.G. Mobile Unit, the mobile headquarters comprised of a GMC General semi and KITT's garage trailer. However, the KITT Super Pursuit Mode, a faster and more aerodynamic mode the car could transform into, is on display at the Hollywood Cars Museum in Las Vegas.

The opening scene from Breaking Bad was one of TV's greatest ever opening sequences and left many viewers saying the same thing — "What just happened?" The intrigue created by an RV racing through the Arizona desert with the occupants wearing gas masks and police sirens in pursuit set the show up for a full five seasons of full-on drama.

The Crystal Ship, as named by the drug-addicted character Jessie Pinkman, is where he and his one-time chemistry teacher, Mr. White, illegally manufactured hard drugs. Walter White's idea was to leave his family enough money behind after his terminal cancer diagnosis. The Fleetwood Bounder RV was the center of many tense and memorable plot points and is easily the most recognizable mobile home in modern television history.

While many believe the RV to have been destroyed, the truth is that it was a replica that went to the junkyard in Episode 34. The RV lives on and is currently a part of Sony Pictures Studio tours.

There are many Herbies from the movie series still kicking around today. However, it might come as a big surprise to find out that the stunt vehicle from 1969's "The Love Bug" is among them. It's the oldest remaining Herbie that survives today and is known as Herbie #10. After appearing in "The Love Bug," Herbie #10 appeared in a cameo as a junk pile car in the 1974 sequel "Herbie Rides Again." Unfortunately, #10 was no longer the leading stunt car and, after filming, spent some time sitting neglected in the Disney back lot.

However, Herbie #10 did hit the road again by going on a roadshow alongside other celebrity cars of the time. Despite his beat-up appearance, Herbie #10 also spent time in the Swigart Car Museum before collector Tory Alonzo purchased him and loaned him out to the Antique Automobile Club of America. After several years, he was sold to Texan VW collector Clayton Capps. He still owns Herbie #10 and occasionally takes the old, beat-up Love Bug to shows around Texas.

However, some other Herbies from the original movie are still out there, including one housed at the Hollywood Cars Museum in Las Vegas. Herbie fanatics and VW Beetle enthusiasts can also enjoy the 1963 model used in 2005's "Herbie Fully Loaded" at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, and a 1967 model used in "Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo" can be found at the Hollywood Star Cars Museum in Gatlinburg.

Any fans of "The Dukes of Hazzard" show that ran for 146 episodes from 1979 to 1985 will tell you that they must have gone through a fair few 1969 Dodge Chargers. In fact, it's in the hundreds. Depending on your source, anywhere between two hundred to more than three hundred were totaled during filming.

However, during the initial episodes, shooting took place in Georgia before relocating to California. Of those early episodes, six Dodge Chargers were used, with only one surviving. That Georgia Dodge is available for everyone to view at the Volo Museum in the village of Volo, just outside Chicago. It survived the carnage because it was never actually used in filming, thanks to the relocation interruption. However, it is one of Season 1's originals and is the only Dodge to survive the entire series in perfect condition and without restoration.

However, 17 other cars from the series did survive, but are either in poor condition or have had a ground-up restoration. One of those 17 belonged to the show's co-star, John Schneider, who played Bo Duke. Schneider claims the General Lee he had in his possession was a stunt car from the series. Unfortunately, it was crushed by a tree during Hurricane Ida's destructive rampage across Louisiana in 2021. However, other stunt cars are on display, including one in Las Vegas at the Hollywood Cars Museum, while you can witness another at the Hollywood Star Cars collection in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.

If you could pinpoint the one moment in cinematic history that started Hollywood's love for car chases, it would be the '68 Mustang's pursuit of the '68 Dodge Charger in "Bullitt." Sure, we have seen some fantastic chases since, from the wonderfully shot race through New York featured in "The French Connection" to more contemporary efforts in the "Fast and Furious" franchise. However, it was undoubtedly Steve McQueen's chase through the streets of San Francisco in "Bullitt" that started it all.

Two cars were used in the classic 1968 movie, and it was presumed that only one survived. The survivor showed up years later in the possession of collector Robert Kiernan, who bought it via a newspaper ad for just $6,000. McQueen himself tried to get Kiernan to relinquish the vehicle, but he refused. After four long decades, the greatest muscle car of all time was passed on to his son, Sean Kiernan. Eventually, Sean sold the Ford Mustang GT for a jaw-dropping $3.74 million at Mecum Auctions on January 10, 2020. Still, the mystery continues, as only Frank Mecum knows who the buyer is, and he's keeping mum.

However, the story doesn't end there. The second car from the movie eventually showed up in a junkyard in Baja, California. Since then, there have been ongoing plans to restore and auction the legendary Mustang.

Tracking down where the original Starsky and Hutch car is today is a difficult task. Of course, it doesn't help that Ford produced 1,000 to 1,300 special-edition Ford Gran Torino replicas for sale to the general public in 1976 following the show's runaway success.

However, the striped tomato, as Paul Michael-Glaser affectionately called it, has made appearances. Of the (up to) 10 used in filming the series, a couple have survived. One of those is on display at the Hollywood Cars Museum in Las Vegas, sitting alongside many other famous movie and TV show vehicles. Another was previously at the Peterson Automotive Museum in LA, but that no longer seems to be the case.

Another of the originals was sold at auction back in 2014 for a paltry $40,000 to a private collector. When you consider one of the special-edition Gran Torinos from 1976 was sold for $35,000, the anonymous buyer of the original is lucky the cop duo aren't on his tail.