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This Month's Studio Rumble: Best Movie or TV Car

Tribester Opinions

Well it is a bit of stretch as to how I connect it as the best movie or TV car. My choice is a 1955 Porsche 550 Spyder.

For some reason this car just speaks to me with its styling and form and it has just about always been number one on my list of "gee I would love to have one of those".

Given that their production run by Porsche was limited coupled with the fact they are highly prized as collector cars, they are extremely rare and an original would cost a small fortune.

How is this beauty of engineering a movie car you ask, well unfortunately it is the same car James Dean was driving when he was involved in accident that took his life at 24 years of age on September 30, 1955.

James Dean, had wrapped up shooting on the Warner Bros. film Giant and being an avid sport car racer was set to compete in an automobile race held at the Salinas Airport.

Dean originally intended to pull his new 1955 silver Porsche Spyder on a trailer behind his 1955 Ford station wagon to the race. However, while he stopped to gas up on the way to the race track last minute he decided to drive the sports car to put some pre-race mileage on it.

Accompanying Dean in the Porsche was his mechanic, Rolf Wütherich, 28. Following in the station wagon-with-trailer were Sanford Roth, a noted photographer, and Bill Hickman, a fellow actor.

The two cars turned west onto Highway 466 (today shortened to 46) at Famoso, just north of Bakersfield, and headed for Paso Robles, where they would catch U.S. 101 north for Salinas.

Dean's fast Porsche left the slower station wagon behind as the two cars climbed over Polonio Pass.

The downgrade from the pass runs straight as an arrow down to the "Y" intersection of Highways 46 and 41; a short distance beyond, Cholame is visible.

Approaching the intersection from the opposite direction was a large black-and-white 1950 Ford Custom Tudor coupe.

Donald Turnupseed, 23, a student at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, was headed home to Tulare for the weekend to visit his parents.

At the "Y" intersection just past Cholame he would veer left onto Highway 41 and head northeast for Fresno.

Turnupseed's recollection of the accident, which became part of the record at a coroner's inquest held in San Luis Obispo on October 11, 1955, was that he slowed as he approached the intersection, glanced up the hill to look for oncoming cars, then crossed over the center line to continue his trip on Highway 41.

According to testimony at the hearing, Turnupseed said he never saw the other car until seconds before the collision. Police later concluded that the color of Dean's car and the twilight dusk camouflaged the Porsche. Turnupseed's Ford and Dean's Porsche hit almost head-on.

The impact of the crash was horrific. Dean's shattered Porsche ended up in a ditch by the roadside, "looking like a crumpled pack of cigarettes," said Roth, who arrived in the station wagon minutes after the crash. Turnupseed's Ford, knocked almost 180 degrees by the impact and with its left front fender shorn off, came to rest in the westbound lane of Highway 466.

Rolf Wütherich, thrown from the wreck, survived with a smashed jaw, a broken leg, and multiple contusions, cuts and abrasions. Donald Turnupseed escaped with a gashed forehead and a bruised nose. No charges were filed against the student.

Rushed westward in an ambulance, James Dean was dead on arrival at Paso Robles War Memorial Hospital.
-- Tony Passero

Wow, so many options here the mind reels... Magnum PI's Ferrari 308, Eleanor Mustang from "Gone in 60 Seconds", anything from the Steve McQueen classic "Le Mans". My ultimate selection however would have to be Lotus Esprit driven by James Bond in 1977's "The Spy Who Loved Me". The Giugiaro penned design was the epitome of the classic wedge shape which was in vogue at the time for mid-engined sports cars. Combine the design with the submarine and missile capabilities make this combination that has not been topped in any Bond film before or since.
-- Joe Kaput

"Just some good ol' boys, never meanin' no harm. Beats all you never saw, been in trouble with the law since the day they was born..."

That's right, the General Lee from the Dukes of Hazzard. Sweet paint job. Doors welded shut. Some sort of teflon hood to make sliding across it while on the run super-easy. And the horn, don't get me started.
-- Andy Owens

It is difficult to imagine a car being so intrinsically tied to a character or an icon than the Batmobile. Toss the new and modern movies aside, Tim Burton had it right. The car was defined by an elegance and a darkly gothic nature that was innovative without being superfluous. That manifestation of the Batmobile had a powerful and enigmatic presence that reflected that of the dynamic hero it carries. I remember when I was young, how I marveled at that vehicle. I still find it a more fitting and aesthetically pleasing Batmobile than any other. Best of all, all of the features actually worked. The turbine... yeah, it was a fully functional turbine. Beat that.
-- Charles Koers

Colt Seavers' early 80's GMC pick-up truck. Roll bar, off-road headlights, front-end winch and an eagle on the hood. 'Nuff said.
-- Mike Chorvat

The flying cars in the TV show The Jetsons. I remember always thinking how cool those cars were. They're also comparable to the cars in Star Wars episodes I, II and III (the newer ones). They're shown not only flying way above ground level, but flying up, down, side to side, etc. They also have cars like this in The Fifth Element. I always thought the window service Chinese food cart was really cool.
-- Lauren Okura

Those that know me well would probably assume that I would go for a mustang (one in particular that comes to mind is the 1968 Ford Mustang GT 390 from "Bullitt.") However, I have to go with the first car that popped into my mind. Not only is it my favorite car of all time, but it was also driven by my favorite James Bond. Yes, I am referring the 1964 Aston Martin DB5 driven by Sean Connery in the movie "Goldfinger."

Seriously, there's no contest -- it's absolutely gorgeous! (I'm referring to the car, ladies') And, with its 282-horsepower, bulletproof glass, and machine guns, it can out-run and out-gadget all the competition!
-- Shannon Kemp