We continue our trawl around the 50 greatest imaginary cars. You may not agree and, if that’s so, let us know. Whether you do or not, read on, there’s bound to be something you didn’t know about our next five picks…
45 The General Lee from The Dukes of Hazzard
The General Lee was originally supposed to be a Trans Am, but how much would the program have lost had they not plumped instead for the inconic Dodge Charger? The ride of Duke cousins, Bo and Luke, is the very embodiment of the deep south, bearing the Confederate naval jack on its roof and a horn that plays the melody from “Dixie”. Did You Know that is was painted orange as an afterthought? Or that 32 General Lees were used in the series? Or that the first Lee, LEE 1 was salvaged out of a Georgia junkyard in August 2001 fully restored to its on-screen appearance and recently bought by US Masters golf winner Bubba Watson for $110,000?
44 Ecto-1
This 1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor Ambulance/Hearse ferried around Egon ([Harold Ramis), Ray ([Dan Aykroyd), Peter (Bill Murray) and Winston (Ernie Hudson) saving New York from the paranormal. In the original movie, this vehicle was purchased by Ray Stantz for the relatively high price of $4800 (about £9,000 in today’s money). Did You Know that in a deleted scene, a police officer places a ticket on Ecto-1 only to have it instantly burn to ashes. Oh, wouldn’t that be lovely? Or that the original script described Ecto-1 as being black, with purple and white strobe lights giving the vehicle a ‘purple aura’?
43 Mad Max’s Pursuit Special
Max’s black Pursuit Special was a limited version of a 1973 Ford XB Falcon Hardtop and was only sold in Australia from 1973-76). After filming of the first movie was completed, the car went up for sale but no buyers were found! Eventually, it was handed over to the film’s mechanic Murray Smith. After the initial film’s success, the was car re-purchased for use in the sequel, Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior. When that finished, the car went to an Adelaide wrecking yard before being salvaged, restored and is currently on display at Dezer Museum, Miami.
42 Scarface’s 1963 Cadillac
There is only one man who could get away with driving a pale yellow Cadillac with a leopard skin interior. And that man is Tony Montana. The car is sp popula, it remains one of the most re-made in diecast form… Say hello to this little (you know the rest).
41 Bumblebee
Many would have you believe that the true star of The Transformer’s series was Megan Fox’s posterior but, for us, it’s got to be the 2009 Chevrolet Camaro. Did You Know that, in the on-screen version, Bumblebee starts out as a 1977 Camaro, changing, over the course of the film, into a 2009 Camaro. )In the comic book, Bumblebee transforms into a Volkswagen Beetle). The 1977 Camaro movie vehicle was sold on eBay for just over $40,000. In the film, Bumblebee has a bee-shaped air freshener which was the subject to of a $850,000 lawsuit due to its alleged resemblance to another design.
