Certain films and television shows feature automobiles that have become as famous as or more so than the human actors who drive them. They often outlive the memory of the films they appeared in, and can inspire vehicular lust in generations of people who long to own them (or a reasonable approximation.) This is by no means an exhaustive list, and there are too many famous movie cars to mention here, but these are ten iconic vehicles that many of us can aspire to own a copy of someday.


10. 1977 "Bandit" Trans Am (Smokey and the Bandit)

The second-generation Pontiac Trans Ams had been popular models from their introduction in 1970, but that popularity exploded in 1977 with the release of Smokey and the Bandit. Burt Reynolds played adventurous scofflaw Bo "Bandit" Darville, and he needed to have a car that matched his swagger and machismo. The black and gold Trans Am he drove is as much a character in the film as any of the human actors, and both the movie and its car star were hits — Trans Ams were suddenly the car to own, and people couldn't get enough of them. These days anyone wanting to drive a Bandit Trans Am will probably have to spend somewhere between $15,000 and $30,000 to buy a classic that's survived in decent condition, and might also have to spring extra for the correct paint job.


9. 1963 Volkswagen Beetle "Herbie" (The Love Bug and its sequels)

In 1968, during the era of the American muscle car craze, the third-highest-grossing movie of the year featured a different kind of car — The Love Bug starred an anthropomorphic sentient Volkswagen bug named "Herbie," an unlikely film hero, but a big hit with Disney audiences. Fans who want to own a lookalike (presumably without the magic powers) will need to start with an old Volkswagen beetle. Nowadays, classic Volkswagens aren't inexpensive cars as they were when I was in high school, and a casual search indicates that ones in decent condition will start at around $10,000 and go up from there. Then tack on several thousand more for the distinctive paint job.


8. 1969 Dodge Charger "General Lee"

There are a lot of people who love The Dukes of Hazzard, and quite a few more who love the iconic orange 1969 Dodge Charger called "The General Lee." The 1968-'69 Chargers (the show occasionally dressed up '68s and other cars when '69s were hard to come by) were chosen for a reason - they were some of the meanest-looking muscle cars ever made in America, and had the performance to back those good looks up. Lots of folks grew up wanting their very own General Lee, and those old Chargers are in high demand, so be prepared to shell out $20,000-$45,000 for a nicely done replica. Buying an old Charger and converting it to General Lee specs will be a pricey endeavor, so it's probably more cost-effective to buy one someone else has already modified. It's worth noting that old Chargers were also featured in Bullitt, Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry and The Fast and the Furious, so there are other movie replica possibilities.


7. 1976 "Mirthmobile" Pacer (Wayne's World)

A lot of people seem to love 1992's Wayne's World movie, and it's gone on to become a heavily referenced piece of pop culture. The movie is forever associated with "Bohemian Rhapsody," "We're not worthy!" and the janky 1976 AMC Pacer in which Wayne's best pal, Garth, drives his crew around throughout the film. Fans of the movie who want to ride around in similar style, belting out singalong versions of old Queen hits, are in luck, relatively speaking - prices for vintage Pacers aren't exactly skyrocketing the way they are for the base vehicles of many other movie cars, and a nice one might set a buyer back $5,000 or less, based on what I've seen recently. Then, of course, they'll need to match the movie paint and its flame job, and install a proper sound system to blast classic rock on, and they'll be well on their way to tooling around town like their slacker heroes.


6. 1973 XB GT Ford Falcon Coupe - Mad Max Interceptor (Mad Max films)

"The last of the V-8 Interceptors," according to a mechanic in The Road Warrior, the second Mad Max film. The iconic car that fuels Mad Max fan dreams is also a difficult one to replicate...Especially for anyone not living in Australia. That's because the original was built from a 1973 XB GT Ford Falcon Coupe - a beefy muscle car sold only in Australia for a few short years. Because of that scarcity, I've seen replica Interceptors sell for $35,000-$100,000, or more. What a great movie car, though.