Which is the best movie car of the eighties?
Review by Brendan McAleer
Originally published April 24, 2014.
Films from the ’80s are a mixed bag – some have stood the test of time, and some most emphatically have not. Actually, some of them were awful right out of the gate. Not unlike most of the cars of the decade.
There are, however a few gems to be found that combine the best in movie magic with the best on four wheels. Here are our picks for the ten best movie cars of the 1980s.
1950 Mercury
1986’s Cobra is not a very good movie. It’s actually pretty terrible, and not even in that guilty pleasure way.
However, Sylvester Stallone’s car, a customized 1950 Mercury, is simply badass, all hunkered down and mean-looking, and powered by a hot-rodded V8. Predictably, Stallone’s Cobretti wrecks it in spectacular fashion.
Porsche 928
There’s no substitute for this one, particularly if you’re being chased by Guido the killer pimp. This 1979 Porsche 928 shared the screen with a 21-year-old Tom Cruise in 1983’s Risky Business, and made Tom a household name.
The 928 was intended as a ‘Vette competitor and an eventual replacement for the 911. Of course, that never happened, with the 911’s quirks finding a wider audience, and some of its tail-happy behaviour tamed by technology.
Today, the V8-powered 928 is a classic, but an affordable one. Maintenance can be costly, but they are comfortable and easy to drive, and still very quick.
There’s even one on autoTRADER.ca.
  Cobra – 1950 Mercury & Risky Business – Porsche 928. Click image to enlarge |
Buick Roadmaster Convertible
    Rain Man – Buick Roadmaster Convertible, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off – Ferrari California Spyder, Blues Brothers – Dodge 440 Monaco, National Lampoon’s Vacation – Wagon Queen Family Truckster. Click image to enlarge |
Is there any better name for a car than “Roadmaster?” Well, maybe just one – more on that later in the list.
Used in another Tom Cruise vehicle, Rain Man, this gorgeous, cream-coloured 1949 Buick doesn’t just make an appearance, it’s a third character playing alongside Dustin Hoffman and Cruise. Two cars were used in filming, and with its glorious straight-eight engine and classic styling this is definitely, yes definitely a good car. Definitely.
Another autoTRADER.ca example.
Ferrari California Spyder
This is so choice. If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up.
As far as means go, you don’t even have to be that flush with cash. The car used in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off wasn’t an actual 1963 Ferrari California Spyder, which would be worth something like $10M today, but a replica built by a company called Modena. The body is fibreglass, and the engine is a Ford 289.
Dodge 440 Monaco
Jake and Elwood made for one dynamic duo, but you can’t help feeling that there was a third Blues Brother: the Bluesmobile. Cop motor. Cop shocks. Cop powerplant. But yes, the cigarette lighter is broken.
The 1980s flick The Blues Brothers is such a huge cultural phenomenon, this car hardly needs an introduction. Even so, it’s just about the coolest thing ever, a valiant, battered warrior that refuses to give up the ghost in various epic car chases. Plus it hates Illinois Nazis, and handles well down at the local shopping mall.
Ford Country Squire
Less a car than a wood-panelled ocean-liner, the Clark Griswold’s Family Truckster is an eyesore on wheels. And, if you hate it now, just wait ’til you drive it.
Star of National Lampoon’s Vacation, the Truckster’s stacked headlights and functionless gills were hacked together by George Barris in a monument to bad taste. Absolutely terrible, and very, very funny.
  Christine – 1958 Plymouth Fury & Batman – Batmobile. Click image to enlarge |
Plymouth Fury
Now here’s the best name that ever found its way onto a car. This blood-red, demonic 1958 Plymouth coupe was the star of the eponymous Christine, originally penned by Stephen King.
Wreaking carnage across the screen, Christine is capable of great vengeance, and can self-repair. I’ve experienced British cars with many of the former attributes, but not the latter.
Batmobile
Trying to determine which Batmobile is best is a guaranteed way to start an argument and, subsequently, a fist-fight. Biff! Pow! Sock! There goes the neighbourhood.
Picking the best Batmobile of the 1980s is easy: Tim Burton’s creation from the 1989 movie titled, simply Batman. Underpinned by a Corvette frame, this all-black menace has twin gatling-guns, retractable armour, and rocket boost.
DeLorean DMC-12
One of the most easily recognized cars in the world thanks to the Back to the Future trilogy, everybody knows what a DeLorean is. Remember when one showed up in the video for Macklemore’s Thrift Shop? Instant nerd credit.
The Delorean had a protracted birth, and failed rather spectacularly. It’s still a pretty neat car, built in Belfast with a body made of polished stainless steel, and powered by a slightly wheezy Renault V6. This last is actually decent if it’s retuned and reworked, and despite the heavy-looking body, the DeLorean is pretty light.
In fact, it’s light enough to fly – where we’re going, we don’t need roads! Three cars were used for filming, with the stunt car – the one used for close-up shots – restored and now sitting indoors at Universal Studios in California.
  Back to the Future – DeLorean DMC-12 & Ghostbusters – Ecto-1. Click image to enlarge |
Ecto-1
Even if it had never made it to the silver screen in 1983’s Ghostbusters, the Ectomobile would still be an important and historical car. You probably recognize the chrome grille and bullet taillights as belonging to some sort of 1950s Cadillac, but in fact, this is a custom, coachbuilt car.
Ecto-1 started life as a 1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor Futura Duplex – a combination hearse and ambulance built on a Cadillac commercial chassis. Caddy made a good bit of money selling underpinnings and basic bodywork to companies like Miller-Meteor, but the cars weren’t very common. While the DeLorean DMC-12 production numbers hover around 9000, just 2000 or so Cadillac commercial chassis were delivered in 1959, and that has to be broken down across multiple vendors and variants.
Suffice to say, it’s a pretty rare car, and the original Ecto-1 version is even rarer: they only built one. Sony pictures rented the black car first seen onscreen, and had hardware consultant Steven Dane fabricate the iconic white-and-red car out of a dusty-brown relic they actually bought. Fun fact: the script originally called for the car to be painted black, but it wouldn’t show up well during the frequent night scenes.
