Tracking Down 15 Of Hollywood’s Most Iconic Cars

While some cars were used in crash scenes and destroyed during filming, others are still in the condition they were when they first hit set. Today, we’re going to take a look at 15 of the most iconic movie cars in time and track down where they ended up long after filming was completed.

In 1964 and 1965, Aston Martin loaned the studio two DB5s for use. In 1969, Aston Martin sold one of the production models to U.S. radio DJ Jerry Lee for $12,000 before he sold it to renowned car collector Harry Yeaggy for just over $4 million.

This Ford Mustang GT500 was styled by Chip Foose and Steve Stanford to resemble a ’73 model. Only one of the 11 models during the film, the ‘hero’ car reserved for close-ups, was put up for auction, selling for a whopping $1 million.

This 1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor ambulance, famously known as the ‘Ecto-1 Car,’ had a uniquely futuristic appearance that many of us were unaccustomed to seeing at the time. Unfortunately, it now lies in disrepair at the Sony Pictures prop lot in Culver City, California. 

Unfortunately, only three of them survived. Two of the vehicles are currently owned by Universal Studios and are on display at their theme parks, while the third was sold at auction to an anonymous buyer from San Jose, California for $541,000. 

Ford produced three GT40s for the film, and luckily, two of them are still around to this day. The GT40 featured in the movie was sold at auction to an anonymous buyer in 2012 for $11 million.

Even funnier yet, this particular model ended up on It Started With a Kiss, the underrated Debbie Reynolds film. Though auto builder George Barris bought the prop car for one dollar, he sold it to Rick Champagne in 2013 for over $4.5 million.

The original car used in the show was later sold to a collector, who eventually listed it for sale on eBay in 2011. However, due to the massive response from fans wanting to purchase the car, the collector withdrew the listing.

Producers used fiberglass and plywood to construct the Batmobile, and a remote-controlled version was used for high-speed scenes. In 2015, ventriloquist Jeff Dunham bought the Batmobile, which had been mounted on a Chevy Impala chassis, for $500,000.

Although the movie included an Aston Martin and a Ferrari, the Sunbeam Tiger was the true stand-out. In 2008, the Sunbeam Tiger made its way into the film adaptation of the popular series, and today, you can find it on display at the Smithsonian.

Ford provided several Gran Torinos to the production and sold over 1,300 models through its dealerships to cash in on the success of the show. Not long ago, one of the 1976 Gran Torinos from the series sold for over $40,000.

Though the fourth car was intended to visit the scrapyard, it sold for $900 to a Christine fan, Martin Sanchez, who salvaged parts from other damaged cars to restore it. The three surviving cars can be found at the Volvo Museum in Illinois and with private collectors in Florida and the United Kingdom.

One of the vehicles was sold anonymously at auction in Italy for $65,000. It boasts a powerful 315 horsepower V8 engine, rear-wheel drive, and an automatic 3-speed gearbox.

However, in 2012, Bubba Watson, an American golfer, purchased the “General Lee” Dodge Charger used in the first episode of the show in 1979 for $110,000. In 2007, another Charger model from the show sold on eBay for $9.9 million.

Though museums in Korea, Germany, England, and the U.S. house these vehicles, a few private collectors have their own Herbies. Alex Micakovski, an Australian collector, purchased his 1977 Herbie for $150,000 in 2012.

In fact, the movie used three replicas, each fitted with a 5-liter V8 engine from Ford. One of these replicas sold at auction during the 2018 Monterey Car Week.