From Harry Potter’s beloved Ford Anglia to the Mystery Machine van in Scooby Doo, this is how much you need to spend to drive a truly blockbusting vehicle.
When it comes to some of Hollywood’s most famous flicks and TV shows, the car can be just as big a star as any actor.
If you dream of having an A-list motor on your driveway, you’re not alone.
And the good news is that some of the legendary vehicles that have graced the big and small screen are perhaps more affordable to own than you might think.
Using listings data from UK and the US, the team at Select Car Leasing has ranked and revealed some of the cars that are up for grabs, if you look in the right place:
The Bucket List’s 1970s Dodge Challenger – £30,000
As featured in the hit 2007 Jack Nicholson film The Bucket List, you can get your hands on an iconic 1970s Dodge Challenger for around £30,000 here in the UK.
The actual Challenger used in The Bucket List – and which featured a roaring 5.7-litre ‘Hemi’ V8 engine – was sold on ClassicCars.com in 2014 for a cool $57,500 – around £47,100.
Gran Turismo’s Nissan GT-R – £35,000
Video game Gran Turismo has been delighting racing fans since the mid-Noughties. Fast forward to 2023, and the game jumped to the big screen.
One of the cars featured most prominently in the new movie is the thundering Nissan GT-R, a vehicle Nissan no longer sells in the UK. You can pick up a used model from 2009 for around £35,000, though newer versions honed for the track – and coming with power of 570 PS – will set you back around £130,00.
Scooby Doo’s Dodge A100 Mystery Machine Van – £57,605
Did you know that the famous Mystery Machine in Scooby Doo is actually a Dodge A100? While Scooby Doo started life as a cartoon, studio Hanna-Barbara used an actual 1966 Dodge A100 panel van to promote its creation.
And now die-hard fans build and sell their own Scooby Doo vans, with one recent example attracting a £57,605 price tag.
Two-Lane Blacktop’s 1955 Chevrolet 150 – £130,000
A film favourite for petrolheads, 1971 flick Two-Lane Blacktop is a road movie that sees two street racers – actors James Taylor and Warren Oates – embarking on a series of drag events in a souped-up 1955 Chevrolet 150. The actual car used in the film, directed by Monte Hellman, was sold at auction in 2015 for £130,761.
The Karate Kid’s 1947 Ford Super Deluxe – £35,000
The original Karate Kid is a classic for many reasons, one being that it features the glamorous and glossy 1947 Ford Super Deluxe Convertible – which is gifted to Ralph Maccio’s character by his mentor Mr. Miyagi. Thesp Macchio is thought to still own that actual car to this very day, having been gifted to him by the film’s producer. But recreation models have sold for around £35,000.
Bugsy’s Cadillac – £30,000
Classic gangster flick Bugsy, starring Warren Beatty, hit multiplexes in 1991 and was based on the real-life exploits of American mobster Bugsy Siegel.
In the movie, Beatty drives a 1941 Cadillac Series 62 Convertible DeLuxe Sedan. And if you wanted one, you’d need to spend at least £30,000 to look as good as Beatty does on the silver screen.
The Equalizer 3’s Alfa Romeo Giulia – £43,000
Actor Denzel Washington was back on screens earlier this year in The Equalizer 3, in which he plays a retired U.S. Marine who goes up against the Mafia in southern Italy.
You’ll see an abundance of cars from Italian manufacturer Alfa Romeo in the flick – including a fleet of vehicles driven by the bad guys.
One of the most prominent models is the current Alfa Romeo Giulia, which costs from around £43,000 to buy outright. You can also lease an Alfa Romeo Giulia from £537 per month. The 2.9 litre ’Quadrifoglio’ variants come with power of 520 hp and can accelerate from 0-62 mph in just 3.9 seconds.
Ant-Man and The Wasp’s Volkswagen ID.4 – £38,985
Comic book flick Ant-Man and the Wasp stars Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly. While it was first released in 2018, we enjoyed a sequel – Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania – earlier this year.
The original Ant-Man and the Wasp saw the studio joining forces with manufacturer Hyundai, so the sleek Hyundai Veloster featured prominently.
For this year’s sequel, Rudd’s character Scott Lang drove an electric VW ID.4 as his family run about – which you can lease for around £327 a month.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets’ 1961 Ford Anglia – £11,500
There are few vehicles more famous than the bold and blue 1961 Ford Anglia from 2002’s Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
It wasn’t a quick car; according to the British Motor Magazine, the Ford Anglia had a top speed of 70 mph and took a whopping 29.4 seconds to hit 60 mph. Good job, then, that in the movie the car could actually fly! One recent example of the Ford Anglia sold at auction this year for £11,500, and Potter fans have been snapping them up.
Knight Rider’s 1982 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am – £246,000
Hit 1980s TV show Knight Rider saw actor David Hasselhoff fighting crime with the help of K.I.T.T, an artificially intelligent Pontiac Firebird Trans Am.
In 2021, Hasselhoff, now 71, auctioned-off his own, personal, fully-functioning replica of K.I.T.T for £246,000 ($300,000), with the proceeds earmarked for some of the charities he supports. If that price tag is a bit rich, you can pick up a non-K.I.T.T version of the Pontiac Firebird Trans Am from around £35,000. In black, of course.
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