With television’s second season upon us — the time of year when September’s flops get replaced — Cars.com has put together a list of the 10 most memorable cars in television history.
1) KITT, 1982 Pontiac Trans Am, “Knight Rider” – David Hasselhoff may have been the show’s star, but KITT was the main attraction. The supercomputer controlling this black Trans Am rendered it intelligent, sarcastic, bulletproof and able to jump over obstacles. The closest most of us will get to a talking car is using a navigation system.
2) The General Lee, 1969 Dodge Charger, “The Dukes of Hazzard” – The General Lee and KITT were neck and neck for the top spot. Although the iconic orange Charger had legions of teens attempting Luke Duke’s opening-credits hood slide, KITT won out for having enough gadgets to make James Bond jealous.
3) The Mystery Machine, “Scooby-Doo” – Not only could this multicolored van hold a quizzical Great Dane and four meddling kids, but there was also plenty of room for the Harlem Globetrotters, Don Knotts and whatever other guest stars dropped by for some ghost hunting.
4) Ferrari 308 GTS, “Magnum, P.I.” – Thomas Magnum lives in a guest house on a gorgeous Hawaiian estate, works sporadically and drives his employer’s cherry red Ferrari whenever and wherever he wants. How great is that?
5) Batmobile, modified 1955 Lincoln Futura concept, “Batman” – Forget the various Batman movies; Adam West’s Batmobile is the one everyone remembers best. With the long fins, afterburner and assorted bat-gizmos, the Penguin never stood a chance.
6) 1975 Ford Gran Torino, “Starsky and Hutch” – Although the Gran Torino wasn’t quite as popular as other muscle cars of its era, this “Striped Tomato” wasn’t without fans. Ford even released a limited-edition version painted to look like David Starsky’s.
7) 1973 Chevrolet El Camino, “My Name is Earl” – This is by no means the best-looking car on the list. It’s dusty, full of trash and repaired with enough spare parts to create a multicolored mess. Still, there’s something poetic about Earl embarking on his karmic quest in a pieced-together El Camino.
8) 1983 GMC G-Series, “The A-Team” – Who better to own a van that’s continually crashed, chased, disassembled and shot at than former military man and master mechanic B.A. Baracus?
9) Mach 5, “Speed Racer” – This 5,000-horsepower racing machine had seven buttons on the steering wheel that could adjust road traction, slice obstacles out of the way, turn the car into a submarine and more – and that was 40 years ago.
10) 2005 Maserati Quattroporte, “Entourage” – If you’re lucky enough to ride Aquaman’s coattails all the way to a glamorous Hollywood lifestyle, a new Maserati is just icing on the cake. “Entourage” got a whole new generation of drivers drooling over this classy Italian exotic.
Honorable Mentions
The Flintmobile, “The Flintstones” – Without an engine or real brakes, it couldn’t crack the Top 10.
1971 Plymouth Barracuda convertible, “Nash Bridges” – Don Johnson revisits the police drama in a bright yellow convertible.
Toyota Pickup, “Baywatch” – Wasn’t everyone watching “Baywatch” for the shots of Mitch’s yellow truck speeding down the beach to a dramatic rescue?
Pontiac Firebird, “Rockford Files” – Who needs Magnum’s Hawaiian estate and red Ferrari when you have Jim Rockford’s rundown L.A. trailer and a gold Firebird?