Some of the best cars ever aren’t even real; that was the crushing realisation when writing this feature. Some of the cars I want to drive most in the world are little more than a few lines on a piece of paper. That’s right, all the best cars are in kids’ TV shows and here are the ones which we remember most fondly…
Batmobile
Wham, straight in there. You knew Bruce Wayne’s ride was going to appear at some point so we may as well get it out of the way first. We’re particularly focussing on the Batmobile from ‘Batman: the Animated Series’, which was universally praised for its mature tone and stylish visual flair when it aired in the early-to-mid ‘90s. Also, because it’s one of the best looking Batmobiles in the franchise’s history.
The Batmobile includes everything an orphaned crime-fighting multi-billionaire would need to y’know, fight crime. *shrugs*
There’s jet boosters, ejector seats, oil spillers, those spiky wheel trims that pop bad guys’ tyres, a grappling hook, and a retractable roof, enabling Batman to hop in and speed off at a moment’s notice (who needs doors when you’re the world’s greatest detective?).
Not only is it bulletproof, it can also withstand intense prolonged abuse from a 20 foot mechanical bull (skip to 1.53).
The Flintmobile
From one extreme to another, Fred Flintstone’s footmobile proves that a car doesn’t need any gadgets to be cool; the Flintmobile is literally stone-age in terms of technological advancement and that’s why we love it so much.
There’s no power steering, no windows, there’s not even an engine, just Fred and his feet but it’s easily one of the coolest things in the whole show, so much so that loads of people have been inspired enough to make it a reality and built their own working replicas.
It must have taken some serious leg muscle from Fred to move his entire family in a car constructed of solid stone and tree trunks using just his bare feet. He doesn’t look like a super fit guy and he seems to put away a lot of red meat, but here I am deliberating the diet of a cartoon caveman…
The Mystery Machine
Scooby Doo’s spook-hunting panel van may play a relatively low-key role but it has an uncanny knack of carrying exactly the right thing to help Scooby and the gang bust another ghastly ghoul (or as it almost always transpires, another overly irate idiot in a rubber mask), be it a ladder, ropes, lanterns etc.
Many believe that the Mystery Machine was based on a VW Microbus but it has more in common with a 1961-1966 Chevy Sportvan, at least that’s what Jalopnik reckons.
Brum
Away from cartoons, Brum was a small yellow Austin 7 convertible from the late 1920s that would sneak out of a museum to have cheeky adventures around Birmingham (where else?!).
Aside from honking his horn, Brum didn’t speak and relied on his expressive Johnny 5-type eyes and opening his doors to get his message across.
Two series comprising 26 episodes were filmed in the early 90s before a further three series were produced in 2001 and 2002. For 14 years, it seemed that was it for Brum, but his adventures resumed in March this year with a new CGI animated show, produced especially for YouTube.
The Gadgetmobile
Only one cartoon car can rival the Batmobile for anti-villain tech and that is Inspector Gadget’s Gadgetmobile.
It can transform from a van into a slick police car (skip to 0.38) and includes a robotic claw at the front to grab stuff and emits ‘hilarious gas’. Oh, it can fly into space too.
In police car mode, the car’s general silhouette draws a lot of inspiration from the 1983 Toyota Supra, with a flat diagonal roofline, wedge-like front end and pop-up headlights. There’s also a bit of DeLorean in there too.
Optimus Prime
We couldn’t exclude Transformers from this list and singling out our favourite was a tough job but Optimus Prime has to get our nod here.
The Autobots’ noble leader could turn into a truck and was subject to some pretty grisly deaths over the years, mostly notably his demise in the first animated feature from 1986 that floored me and countless other kids around the world.
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