The most iconic movie cars from every decade since the ‘60s

From Mustangs to DB5s, they’re all here

What does it mean to be iconic? Symbolic, recognisable and stirring are probably good criteria to start with. Thing is, it’s almost impossible to agree on what the most iconic cars are – especially when it comes to movie motors.

Thankfully, GoCompare has taken choice out of the equation. Eschewing a good long chat in the pub in favour of hard data, it pinned down the cars most frequently seen on the big screen, blended them with a tally of the most popular movies (according to IMDb) and – hey presto! – made a list.

And from that list we pulled together what are apparently the three most iconic movie cars from every decade since the 1960s, according to the data. And by cars we mean cars you could actually find on the street – so the Batmobile gets the boot. Sorry.

1960s: Austin Mini Cooper S

Could there be a car more synonymous with '60s cinema than the mighty Mini Cooper S?

Shooting to fame in the classic heist caper The Italian Job, nothing other than the dinky Austin motor would have done for shifting gold through the tight streets of Turin – just ask Fiat, who unsuccessfully tried to have their own motors replace the British machines on screen.

1960s: Ford Mustang

Ford’s original pony car has a lot to thank Bullitt for – not least its modern Mustang cash-in of the same name.

What rapidly became the most famous car chase in cinema history saw Steve McQueen’s tough cop Frank Bullitt use a Mustang GT Fastback to fend off a chasing Charger for 11 minutes of gloriously edited footage, and in the process ensured the Mustang became an instant icon.

Both of the Mustangs used in the chase recently resurfaced after many years of being lost to the world; the one pictured here was a star of the 2018 Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance.

1960s: Aston Martin DB5

Few marques have a history as entwined with cinema as Aston Martin and the James Bond franchise – and it all began with what is arguably the most symbolic movie car of all time: the DB5.

First seen in 1964’s Goldfinger, a combination of beautiful styling and nippy performance – not to mention a gaggle of gadgets – cemented its place as a true movie icon.

1970s: Ford V8 Deuce Coupe

American Graffiti was a '70s-made throwback to the '60s that introduced the world to the likes of George Lucas, Harrison ford and Richard Dreyfus.

And, if you’ve seen the movie, you’ll doubtless recall John Milner’s evocative cruisin’ machine – a mustard-yellow 1932 Ford V8 ‘deuce coupe’ hot rod.

According to GoCompare, it’s more iconic than Steve McQueen’s Porsche 917 K from Le Mans. Who knew?

1970s: Lincoln Continental Mark III

An Oscar-winning thriller that pitches a pair of New York cops against a French drug smuggler, it’s only fair that The French Connection’s main motor also be deemed iconic.

Imported from Marseille chock full of drugs, the Lincoln Continental of Henri Devereaux is so significant to the plot that it should arguably get an acting credit.

1970s: Ford Falcon

Watch '70s cult classic Mad Max closely and you’ll see a host of post-1972 Ford Falcons littered throughout the film.

The opening chase scene sees the titular character flinging about his yellow Ford Falcon Interceptor, many of the MFP officers drive Falcons throughout and the film also closes with the undoubtedly iconic ‘Pursuit Special’, which is in fact a heavily modified 1973 Ford Falcon XB GT and which went on to star in both Mad Max 2 and the 2015 sequel, Fury Road.

1980s: Dodge Monaco

Both the Ghostbusters ambulance and the Batmobile place higher on GoCompare’s list, but as we’re sticking to street cars it’s the Dodge Monaco that comes next – a machine better recognised by many as the Bluesmobile.

Equipped with a giant speaker and mocked up to look like a Mount Prospect police car, its most evocative outing arguably came in the classic Chicago car chase in The Blues Brothers.

1980s: Buick Roadmaster

While Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman might be the most recognisable faces in Rain Man, their life-changing road trip could never have happened without the 1949 Buick Roadmaster inherited by Cruise’s Charlie Babbitt.

Given the film’s hugely positive reception – not least in its tackling of autism on the big screen – there’s little question that Charlie and Raymond’s Buick steed should be deemed iconic.

1980s: De Lorean DMC-12

Could there be any other vehicle to top the '80s list than the De Lorean DMC-12? In fact, so iconic is the modified car-come-time machine immortalised in the Back to the Future franchise that the gullwing motor was actually found by GoCompare to be the most iconic movie car of the '90s, too.

1990s: Lincoln Continental

Come the '90s and things get a bit rocky: skipping the already included DMC-12, the bus used in Speed, the Batmobile and the Chevrolet Nascar featured in Days of Thunder, we have to start – according to GoCompare – with Inspector Gadget’s Lincoln Continental.

Questionable, perhaps, but next above it was Blur from The Little Rascals. Exactly.

1990s: Peugeot 406

If you’ve never seen cult French action film Taxi (the original, not the Queen Latifah remake) then go and watch it.

Now you’ll understand why the Peugeot 406 – complete with bodywork modifications, of course – is probably on the cusp of being iconic, given its prominence as main man Daniel’s Merc-beating taxi of choice. Naturally, it had to be French.

1990s: Ford Thunderbird

Even with the De Lorean on the list, there’s a strong argument for suggesting the Ford Thunderbird is the most iconic movie car of the '90s: if Thelma and Louise is the classic road trip movie, then the Thunderbird wagon has to be the classic road trip car.

Top down and gleaming in blue, it’s instantly evocative of the 1991 Oscar-winning film.

2000s: Volkswagen T2 Microbus

Would 2006’s Little Miss Sunshine have been the award-winning, feel-good success it became without the presence of the bright yellow VW T2 Microbus that held together the dysfunctional family road trip?

Unlikely, given how the already iconic wagon’s symbolism became entwined with the critically acclaimed indie movie, far beyond the posters it graced.

2000s: Chevrolet Camaro

Even if you’re not a fan of Michael Bay’s Transformers franchise – and, if you don’t like CGI, explosions and broken metal then there’s a good chance you’re not – you’ll probably recognise the Chevrolet Camaro as the disguise of Bumblebee.

So symbolic is the machine in recent cinema that GoCompare reckons the Camaro (albeit the later 2015 model) is also the most iconic movie car of the 2010s.

2000s: Ford Gran Torino

Iconic, yes, but perhaps not for the film you’d expect: while 2004’s Starsky and Hutch remake certainly gave Ford’s Gran Torino good screen time, it was Clint Eastwood’s gritty 2008 drama that clinched the top spot for the American motor.

Gran Torino centred around the attempted theft of, naturally, its namesake – and was a huge box office success.

2010s: BMW X5

Into the present decade and it feels like GoCompare might be stretching the definition of iconic.

Ignoring the Tatra 815-7 truck from Mad Max: Fury Road and the Grumman-Olson Kurbmaster van from Chef, the next most recognisable machine is, apparently, the BMW X5 M50d from 2013’s Locke.

While the X5 is the stage for Tom Hardy’s compelling one-man performance in that film, it’s probably a stretch to call the car an icon.

2010s: Ford Mustang

Should the Mustang be allowed in this list? While it was certainly the centrepiece of Need for Speed, the version onscreen was also the recipient of a fair dose of Hollywood magic – with non-functional air intakes, scoops and ducts dotted all around the car.

All the same, it’s still recognisably a pony and possibly, just possibly, on the edge of iconic (though there’s an argument for saying some Fast and Furious motors ought to place higher).

2010s: Lincoln Town Car

Surely in the running for a credit as a supporting actor, the 1986 Lincoln Town Car from which Matthew McConaughey’s smooth-talking lawyer conducted his business in The Lincoln Laywer served not just as a plot device but as something of a swansong for the big V8 machine – and, in a quiet way, became something of an icon in the process.

Want to see more of the list? You can check out GoCompare's full Movie Motors campaign here: http://www.gocompare.com/car-insurance/movie-motors