Automotive Blogger

With the Transformers movie having come out earlier this summer, fictional cars are very much on my brain. But what fictional cars would you include in the top five? And should you limit them to cars that have appeared in movies, or are cars from books okay? For this week’s Friday Five, I offer Fictional Cars.

1. The Batmobile: It’s evolved over the years, of course, from the comic books through the television series to the current version - did you know the first one in the comics was actually RED? - which has been described as a Lamborghini crossed with Hummer. Still, with its introduction in 1940, it’s probably the longest-lived fictional car.
2. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang: This car was featured in a children’s book written by none other than Ian Fleming, creator of James Bond, before it made it to the big screen as a cheesy musical. If you have kids, and haven’t introduced them to this story, you should, because it’s a timeless combination of gadgets and good times.
3. Christine: Leave it to Stephen King to give us a 1958 Plymouth Fury with a soul and a taste for murder. But then, it shouldn’t be surprising - after all, this is the same man who turned a clown into a representation of evil, incarnate.
4. The General Lee: With it’s horn rigged to play Dixie and its drivers two of the best known “good ol’ boys” ever to grace the airwaves, who can forget this car from The Dukes of Hazzard, a Dodge Charger with a controversial Confederate flag painted on it? I’m betting as many boys tuned in just to see the car scenes as they did to catch a glimpse of Daisy Duke.
5. KITT: Let’s be honest, it is not David Hasselhoff’s performance that got anyone hooked on Knight Rider; it was KITT, the sleek black Pontiac Trans Am that could navigate around any obstacle, help capture the bad guys, and then pause to steal the show with a snappy punchline or snarky retort.

Your turn: These are five of my favorite fictional cars. What are yours? Are you a fan of Herbie, or should the Mystery Machine from Scooby Doo, have been in this list? Would Optimus Prime or the Bumblebee, or even Lightning McQueen from Cars make your list? Tell me in comments.