A bit of fun today … Now I don’t drive, but even I have to admit there have been PLENTY of iconic vehicles in movies and TV! Which ones would you add to this list? For me, it would have to be the QUATTRO, driven by the legendary Gene Hunt in Life On Mars. What about you?
Motoring enthusiasts and film fans alike were celebrating recently when news broke that the DeLorean Motor Company is putting the iconic DeLorean car — which shot to fame for its starring role in the Back To The Future trilogy — back into production starting from 2017.
To celebrate the occasion, the UK’s largest used van retailer Van Monster has come up with a list of famous vans from TV and movies which are due a revival!
1) 1973 Volkswagen Transporter (Type 2)
Type of van: Camper van
Movie/TV show where it shot to fame: Little Miss Sunshine
Memorable moment:
The Hoover family had to push start the classic Volkswagen bus when the vehicle showed its age and became increasingly unreliable during the two-day journey to get young Olive to the Little Miss Sunshine junior beauty pageant in California.
Essential driving stats: Power — 72 horsepower. 0-60 mph — 22 seconds. Top speed — 75 mph.
2) 1984 Ford Econoline
Type of van: Multi-purpose vehicle
Movie/TV show where it shot to fame: Dumb and Dumber
Memorable moment:
When taking the Mutt Cutts van on a cross-country adventure of America, Harry and Lloyd offer to give hitchhiker Joe Mentalino a lift and proceed to make comedy gold with the ‘want to hear the most annoying sound in the world’ moment.
Essential driving stats: Power — 114 horsepower.
3) 1997 Chevrolet C-2500 Silverado Fleetside
Type of van: Truck
Movie/TV show where it shot to fame: Kill Bill
Memorable moment:
Early in The Bride’s quest for revenge — which involved her working through a hit list of the people who have wronged her — the lead character acquires the bright yellow Chevrolet after finding the keys in the pocket of her second victim. The truck stood out even further for its ‘Pussy Wagon’ nameplate.
Essential driving stats: Power — 255 horsepower.
4) 1963 Ford Econoline Custom Van
Type of van: Multi-purpose vehicle
Movie/TV show where it shot to fame: Scooby Doo
Memorable moment:
In the fifth episode of the first season of the TV show What’s New, Scooby-Doo — the Mystery Machine goes from friend to foe. By the end of the episode though, viewers discovered that the van hadn’t gone rogue but had been under the control of a culprit using wireless controls.
Essential driving stats: Power — 85 horsepower at 4,200 rpm.
5) 1951 Ford F1 4×2
Type of van: Full-size pickup truck
Movie/TV show where it shot to fame: Sanford and Son
Memorable moment:
While the Ford truck made many appearances throughout Sanford and Son, it’s how relevant the van has remained following the end of the show in 1977 that is especially impressive. The truck was one of the standout attractions at the 2011 4th of July parade in Argos, Indiana, and made further headlines when it was reunited with one of the show’s main stars, Nathaniel Taylor, at the Hard Rock Rocksino Northfield Park, in Cleveland, Ohio, in June 2016.
Essential driving stats: Power — 100 horsepower at 3,600 rpm.
6) 1983 GMC G-15
Type of van: Full-size van
Movie/TV show where it shot to fame: The A-Team
Memorable moment:
Rather than just pick out one scene, it seems more appropriate to honour just what the A-Team van went through during the TV show and movie. This is because B.A. Baracus’ vehicle stood strong even when put through various gun battles, incredible jumps, accidents and even being stripped apart.
Essential driving stats: Power—110 kW (150 PS(Hp))
7) 1993 Ford Explorer XLT
Type of van: SUV
Movie/TV show where it shot to fame: Jurassic Park
Memorable moment:
One of the most memorable scenes in the entire Jurassic Park franchise has to be when the park’s electricity shuts down in the original film, causing the electric cars and its occupants to become stranded. Who can ever forget watching the glasses of water ripple ahead of the rampage of a terrifying tyrannosaurus rex?
Essential driving stats: Power — 160 horsepower. 0-60 mph — 11.3 seconds. Top speed — 110 mph.
8) 1968 Volkswagen T2A
Type of van: People Mover
Movie/TV show where it shot to fame: Lost
The Volkswagen bus made its entrance in Lost during the episode entitled Tricia Tanaka Is Dead — episode ten of season three. It would pave the way for one of the main plots of the episode, as everyone’s favourite good guy Hurley went out of his way to get the abandoned vehicle started again. The conclusion was a very heart-warming moment for the series.
Essential driving stats: Power — 57 horsepower at 4,400 rpm. 0-60 mph — 37 seconds (estimated). Top speed — 65 mph.
9) 1986 Fleetwood Bounder RV
Type of van: Motorhome
Movie/TV show where it shot to fame: Breaking Bad
Memorable moment:
One of the most memorable moments of the 1986 Fleetwood Bounder in Breaking Bad also happens to be one of the first that fans saw when watching the series. In the pilot episode of the show, Walter White would proceed to crash his newly acquired RV into a ditch in the New Mexico desert before going through a chain of bad luck that culminated in the protagonist standing under the hot sun in only his underpants.
Essential driving stats: Length — Up to 40 feet long.
10) 1973 Reliant Regal
Type of van: Three-wheeled vehicle
Movie/TV show where it shot to fame: Only Fools and Horses
Memorable moment:
It has to be in Dates — the 1988 Christmas special of the hit BBC sitcom — when Rodney attempts to impress his date, Nag’s Head barmaid Nery. The situation soon gets out of hand though and the duo get involved in a high-speed chase where the Reliant Regal is pursued by a gang in a much flashier sports car. Watch out for the moment where the three-wheeler achieves incredible hang time.
Essential driving stats: Power — 30 brake horsepower. 0-60 mph — 25 seconds. Top speed — 75 mph.
The name’s Martin…Aston Martin.
I think you may have left Bond’s Goldfinger Aston from the list just to gently wind up us Bond fans?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUG1GexVz2k
“Ejector seat? You’re jokling.”
Not in the top ten? You are joking 🙂
Scarily, I don’t think I’ve ever watched a Bond Movie all the way through, that’s why! 😛 haha
A friend who taught film studies at A level once admitted he had never seen Star Wars….and now this. The World’s gone mad.