The coolest TV cars….probably ever.
If you’re lucky, your first car resembles a pair of tin cans tied together with string and held together with hope. But not if you’re a television character. On TV, no one drives a lemon.
“Angel” 1967 Plymouth Belvedere GTX
Throughout the entire 1999-2004 run of the series, main character Angel drove the beautiful throwback Plymouth Belvedere. That’s a bigger accomplishment than it sounds like when you consider that reformed vampire Angel fought demons for a living, drove through many a gated lane in pursuit of the bad guys, and definitely vanquished more than one underworld dweller on the hood. In fact, Angel’s lover gave birth to a half-demon, half-human hybrid in the backseat. With all that action going on, how did Angel keep the car in mint condition? Must be a vampire thing.
“The Munsters” 1964 Munster Koach
The delightfully monstrous family’s one of a kind vehicle was assembled by iconic custom carmaker George Barris. The Koach, as he called it, required three Model T bodies and a 289 Ford V8. Barris loved the car so much that when it wasn’t filming, he drove it himself. When the Munsters were invited to participate in the 1964 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, they did so in their Frankenstein vehicle. These days all you see in the parade are deflated Spidermen and C-list pop stars.
“Dukes of Hazzard” Dodge Charger AKA General Lee
The General Lee 1969 Dodge Charger may be the most recognizable TV car of all. The Charger was just as much a member of the cast as Bo and Luke Duke. Even generations who never saw the show recognize its outrageous paint job, horn, and ability to soar high through the air. Not as cool? The Confederate flag painted on the back, which apparently was acceptable in the 1970s. If it’s any consolation, in 2015 the current owner of one of the original models announced that he would be painting over the flag.
“The Pink Panther” Panthermobile
The Panthermobile is another one-off. Created in 1969 by Bob Reisner, the bubblegum pink car was featured heavily in the show and is as iconic as the panther himself. In 2011, it sold at auction for $100,000, nice considering you can’t legally drive it. It barely looks like it conforms to the laws of physics; not suitable for cutting off soccer moms, cats.
“Family Matters” BMW Isetta AKA The Urkel Car
There were other cars that could’ve occupied this spot, but we’re giving it to Steve Urkel’s tiny BMW. Since it first appeared on the show (Urkel makes Carl teach him how to drive and naturally almost sends him into cardiac arrest) the car was the perfect automobile embodiment of its ridiculous driver. The top speed was 53 MPH, and Urkel rode on the brakes anyway. The Isetta met a grisly end when it careened off the cliff during one of Urkel’s improbable dates on “Paradise Bluff.” For reasons unclear, Urkel managed to get more action than I do. Not cool.
