Twenty to thirty years ago, a car could carry its own TV show. Viewers would watch a television program because they had to see a specific car and what it would do next. We don’t live in that world anymore, and we don’t have the same level of awe towards these high tech vehicles. The level of technology has jumped so significantly that it takes a lot to impress us in fiction. The last time a major network tried to release a car-centric drama, it was the 2008 reboot of “Knight Rider” that only lasted a single season.
There are still memorable cars and vehicles on TV. For example, we can collectively laugh at the Winnebago on “Breaking Bad,” but does anyone really want to go out and buy one based on the misadventures of Walter White and Jesse Pinkman? If you’re into the latest car technology, then “Top Gear” is probably the best TV show for you. But in the realm of fantasy, the best TV cars are still the ones from the past. These are the iconic vehicles that look like they’d be a blast to ride and own. This is our list of the Top 5 TV Cars, but feel free to share your favorite television cars in the comment section below!
The Top 5 TV Cars
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5. Jim Rockford’s Pontiac Firebird Espirt
One thing that seems to have been forgotten is that the driver of a car can go a long way towards making an audience fall in love with the car.
James Garner’s Jim Rockford made the Pontiac Firebird Esprit into an icon on “The Rockford Files.” The car wasn’t a high tech marvel, but Rockford made the Firebird look cool as he used in the course of his private investigations. It was part of the Rockford mystique. Jim Rockford wasn’t a superhero or even an action icon. He was just a regular guy who got the most out of his car while solving particularly interesting cases.
There’s still talk that a “Rockford Files” reboot may eventually become a reality. If so, the studio had better not mess with the car.
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4. Thomas Magnum’s Ferrari 308 GTS
If Jim Rockford was the everyman P.I., then Thomas Magnum (Tom Selleck) was the rockstar of private investigators.
“Magnum P.I.” was one of the biggest TV hits of the ‘80s, and part of its appeal was that Thomas Magnum was living the lifestyle of a millionaire even though he was still a relatively normal guy. Prior to the events of the series, Magnum did a big favor for a reclusive millionaire named Robin Masters. In return, Magnum got to live on Masters’ estate in Hawaii and he had full access to almost all of Masters’ greatest toys.
Magnum used Masters’ Ferrari 308 GTS so many times that most fans don’t even remember that Magnum wasn’t the real owner of the car! The popularity of the Ferrari skyrocketed just because Magnum made it look cool. And the car certainly made Magnum look good as well.
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3. The General Lee
If ever there was a TV show in which the drivers were disposable, it was “The Dukes of Hazzard.”
When series stars Tom Wopat and John Schneider got into a money dispute with the network, Bo and Luke Duke were shipped out of town and Coy (Byron Cherry) and Vance Duke (Christopher Mayer) were brought in to replace them. Coy and Vance were clearly inferior to Bo and Luke (the audience also seemed to reject them), but the star of the show was always The General Lee.
The Duke boys (no matter who was driving) used their modified 1969 Dodge Charger aka The General Lee to elude the corrupt police officers of Hazzard county while also taking down the villains-of-the-week with impossible car stunts.
When Wopat and Schneider came back to the show, nothing really changed. The General Lee was still the big draw, although Catherine Bach’s Daisy Duke was also an icon that was created by the show.
Even the defects of The General Lee added it to its popularity. Because the doors were welded shut, Bo and Duke always had to climb in through the car’s windows. To this day, the image of the Duke boys sliding through the open windows of The General Lee is one of the indelible scenes from “The Dukes of Hazzard.”
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2. The Batmobile
Say what you will about Adam West’s Batman. His Batmobile was awesome.
Sure, the Batmobiles from Tim Burton’s Batman and the Tumbler from Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy are impressive, but they look like they would be hard to drive around on an actual road. Adam West’s Batmobile manages to capture the Batman aesthetic without being impossible to handle.
This Batmobile was a customized 1955 Lincoln Futura Concept car and it’s stood the test of time. Nearly 50 years after the ‘60s “Batman” TV series made its debut, this Batmobile is still one of the most iconic cars in television history.
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1. KITT
The Knight Industries Two Thousand (aka KITT) wasn’t the first car to be the star of a TV show. But KITT may have arguably been a better actor than his onscreen co-star.
KITT was not only a cool looking Pontiac Firebird Trans Am, but he was also an advanced A.I. program voiced by actor William Daniels. Thirty two years after “Knight Rider,” technology still hasn’t quite caught up to KITT. Although a lot features in current cars and Siri seem to date back to KITT. But let’s see Siri pick a lock with a laser and then we’ll talk!
KITT also had a discernable personality and the ability to engage his driver, Michael Knight (David Hasselhoff) in conversations. KITT wasn’t just Michael’s car, he was his friend and partner.
NBC tried to update “Knight Rider’s” winning formula for a modern audience, but it just wouldn’t take. “Knight Rider” is too tied in with the ‘80s to make a comeback. But can you imagine a better car or a better wingman than KITT?
I think not!
