The auto and television industries have prospered together for over 70 years, so it’s normal that the cars driven by the characters from the tiny screen are well-known in our minds as the clothes they wore and the homes they resided in. Here are a dozen renowned TV shows that are still able to keep our motors revving.
‘Munster Koach’ Model-T Hot Rod/Hearse Hybrid
‘The Munsters’ (1964-66)
Combine parts of three Model Ts as well as a hearse, blend the three in a creepy funky manner, and then add some features like casket handles, “blood-red” velvet upholstery, and spider-web headlights, and you’ll have an automobile that resembles the Munster Koach, the ideal vehicle for a creepy family from a sitcom that had a patriarch who was employed in a funeral home and was reminiscent of Frankenstein. It was the brainchild of famous Hollywood car designer George Barris, who had been given three months by studios to design the 18-foot long Koach, nevertheless included a number of hand-formed components, such as the fenders and radiator made of brass. It was powered by a 289 cu.-in. Ford Cobra V8 engine, the long, low-slung drive, was an ideal suit for actor Fred Gwynne, who stood 7 feet tall in his Herman Munster costume. The cushion on the seat had to be removed in order to be able to take the wheel.
‘Batmobile’ Lincoln Futura Concept Car (1955)
‘Batman’ (1966-68)
Amazing return on your investment! The caped-crusader was designed for the funky caped collection,”Batmobile “Batmobile” began life as an idea car that was built in Italy and based on a Lincoln Mark II. The car was purchased in the year 1965. Tinseltown custom-builder George Barris bought the car for $1. The following time, 20th Century Fox asked Barris to design Batman’s ride for their upcoming show, again giving Barris just two weeks to turn around time according to Eric Seltzer, who operates 1966Batmobile.com. Barris created a myriad of modifications to the Futura as well as the Batman-themed aluminum bats that were attached to the hubs as well as the steering wheel, which was that was designed to look like an airplane yoke. (West expressed concern that the “U”-shape made the car difficult to drive and which is why Barris substituted it with the stock wheel of an 1958 Edsel.) Sadly for the famous Spandex-clad models Adam West and Burt Ward the car didn’t have the Bat’s Air Conditioning. In 1966, the Barris’s store, Barris Kustom City, used molds from”the “#1 Batmobile” and created at least three replicas. The year 2013 was the one when Barris traded the Batmobile Batmobile for $4.6 million for an Arizona businessman. The ownership changed in 2016 at an undetermined amount.
Volvo P1800 S (1962, 1964 and 1967)
‘The Saint’ (1962-69)
Before he became James Bond, Roger Moore was Simon Templar, the handsome rogue (with the right principles!) who was the protagonist of British spy-thriller “The Saint.” The production mostly used three Volvo P1800 sports automobiles (Volvo’s famous excursion into the tail fin realm) in the course of production. The first model, which was constructed by the U.K., would be discovered in the North Wales farm in 1991 and then restored. Then came the 1800 S model, which was manufactured in Sweden. Following Volvo’s change to the 1800 S model in the year 1965, the show was switched to the more modern model after “blowing up” the Saint’s previous model behind the hedge. The new ride was fitted with a fan inside that allowed actors to work under the glare of stage lights. A different ride was Moore’s personal one, which was surprising considering that the actor had initially been adamant about the Jaguar XK150 for Simon’s four-wheeled co-star. According to Moore recounted Jaguar declined to supply one for the show and claimed that they did not need publicity. “So,” Moore said, “our production manager showed me a picture from a motoring magazine of a P1800, and I thought: ‘Looks even better than the Jag.'”
Volkswagen T2A (model of the year from 1968 to 1972)
‘Lost’ (2004-10)
A blue and white VW Type 2 bus from the show with a time-bending castaway “Lost” hit the market in 2010at Auction house Profiles in History expected it to sell for around $8,000. The bus sold for six times the price. The show’s success rekindled interest in the hippie-surfer craze, in part because it placed it at the heart of one show’s more important mysteries: how did the vans arrive on this mysterious, off-grid island, and who was responsible for keeping the vans running? (Answer to it was the “DHARMA Initiative,” an obscure research project from the 1970s, which utilized vans to transport individuals and their supplies across the islands.) One van was the scene of an odd patricide involving toxic gas. On a more positive note, the fans were delighted when the underdog Hurley (Jorge Garcia) started a bus, which then played the Three Dog Night song “Shambala” on its 8-track player. It is believed that the Disney Co. owns at least one of the DHARMA vans and often displays at expos with memorabilia.
Dodge Charger ‘The General Lee’ (1969)
‘The Dukes of Hazzard’ (1979-85)
There was just one method of getting into the driver’s seat of your ’69 Charger if the car was owned by TV close friends Bo as well as Luke Duke: You would jump onto the back of your muscle vehicle (nicknamed “The General Lee”) by jumping over the doors, which were welded shut, as gymnasts leaping across a pommel horse. The General was no weakling in the jumping department. As per Road & Track, the famous opening credits jump was at 82 feet. This was only possible after the trunk’s back was filled with cement so that it didn’t become top-heavy. Cast and crew estimate that over 300 in ’68 and ’69 Chargers were doubled in the role of “The General,” over seven seasons. Stand-ins were so difficult to locate, so Warner Bros. later subbed in the revamped AMC Ambassadors and also used radio-controlled models for long-jump stunts later in the seasons. Would General Lee be able to make it onto the tiny screen of today with a name that pays tribute to the Confederate hero? Doubtful. Golfer Bubba Watson purchased “Lee 1,” the car featured in the “Hazzard” intro, at auction in 2012 for $110,000. Then, a few years later, Watson painted the rebel flag that was on the front of the V8-powered coupe and replaced it with Old Glory.
Mini (1969 and 1977)
‘Mr. Bean’ (1990-95)
In the British television series that debuted in the year 1990, Rowan Atkinson played a kid-like, resourceful liar with two pals: Teddy, a stuffed bear that was the victim of crimes such as decapitation as well as his Mini mini, which usually turned out just as badly as Teddy. The car that Bean’s character had in the beginning was a 1969 orange BMC Morris Mini 1000 Mark 2 appears to be destroyed off-screen during the pilot, although certain Mini experts believe that it was able to survive and have tracked down the exact location. In the following episodes, Bean’s replacement, a green-citron 1977 Leyland Mini 1000, was destroyed by tanks. The show lasted just 15 episodes. live-streamed shows were produced (a cartoon version was later made). However, the Mini is a key character in a variety of. One episode shows if Bean cannot get an armchair into the vehicle, he attaches his chair to the top of the car and then drives his car from there with a rope, pails, and mop. In another instance, when he’s running late to his dentist appointment, he scrubs his teeth as he drives, leaning against the window to wash with wiper fluid. (Fun fact the dispenser of fluid was located too far away from the center of the gag to function, So the reservoir was rebuilt and then plumbed.) Bean and his Minis have also been featured in two popular games, “Resident Evil 2,” and “Grand Theft Auto V,” where players must get the Mini and bring it to a club.
