Where Are They Now? 15 Famous Cars, And What Happened to Them After Filming Wrapped Up

Have you ever seen a car in a movie and been like, "Wow, I have to have that car!"? I know that I have. There are some cars out there that are just so cool-looking that they instantly become famous. In this blog post, we're going to talk about some of the most famous cars used in films. Everyone knows that some of the best movies ever made feature unforgettable cars. From classics like "Bullitt" and "The Fast and the Furious" to modern favorites like "Mad Max: Fury Road," these vehicle-centric films have entertained us for generations.

Well, some of those cars are actually out there on the market, ready for you to buy. But what happened to them after filming wrapped up? Some were donated to charity, others were auctioned off, and still, others just disappeared into storage somewhere. Here's a look at some famous cars from movies and what happened to them after filming ended.

We tracked several iconic cars to learn how they’re living out their retirement days.

15

Jeff Dunham has the Batmobile. A ventriloquist getting ahold of the Batmobile sounds like a Batman plot, but that's what happened. Dunham bought the prop from Tim Burton's Batman, put a Corvette engine in it, and turned it into a real car that can be driven around. — Source: Comic Book

14

The DeLorean got a new flux capacitor and went to a museum. The main car that played Doc Brown's stylish time machine was fully restored in the 2010s, after years of neglect at Universal Studios (even the flux capacitor was missing). Now it is on display at the Petersen Automotive Museum, in Los Angeles. — Sources: Petersen Automotive Museum, Petrolicious

13

KITT lives happily in Pennsylvania. This bad boy is one of only five surviving KITTs. It was on display at Universal Studios for several years after the show ended, before being sent to a junkyard. Fan Joe Huth rescued it and restored it to its former glory. — Source: Motor1.com

12

Fans saved the car from Ghostbusters II. While the original Ectomobile was fully restored, the Ecto-1A from the sequel was neglected and destined for the scrap heap. Fans started a petition, asking Sony to sell the car to them instead and while they didn't get it, they managed to convince Sony not to trash the car. — Source: Hemmings

11

James Bond's Aston Martin went missing. Two 1965 Aston Martin DB5 were used for Goldfinger and Thunderball, and two more for promotion. Three of those are still around, but the main star car was stolen in 1997 from a hangar at the Boca Raton airport, in Florida. As of 2021, it hasn't yet been found. — Sources: MotorTrend, Motorious

10

Golfer Bubba Watson owns the General Lee. Over 300 Dodge Chargers were trashed during the run of The Dukes of Hazzard, but Watson has the original the one that shows up in the opening credits. He had the confederate flag painted over in 2015. — Source: *USA Today*

9

Christine was brought back from the dead. Who would want to own the Plymouth Fury from Hell? Well, any car fan would and 16- year-old buff Martin Sanchez had a friend in the industry, who helped him find and restore one of the cars used in John Carpenter's movie before it went to the crusher. — Source: BangShift.com

8

Ferris Bueller's Ferrari fetches high prices (but it's still a bargain). A real Ferrari 250 would've eaten up a huge chunk of the movie's budget, so three replicas were used instead. They're still around in good condition, and you can get one for a few hundred thousand if you're in the market for a sham Ferrari. — Source: *Automobile Magazine*

7

Wilmer Valderrama owns the Oldsmobile from That '70s Show. A fan of old cars, Valderrama went up to the props department when the show was ending and bought the Vista Cruiser station wagon for $500. He never even put an engine in it he just likes having the car around. — Source: *The Wall Street Journal*

6

Vincent Vega's car disappeared for nearly twenty years. Vincent's Chevy Malibu wasn't just keyed, it was also straight up stolen just as shooting was wrapping up. It was finally found in 2013 - a guy had bought it now knowing it was stolen, or that it was the car from Pulp Fiction. In fact, the man hadn't even ever seen Pulp Fiction. — Source: Birth.Movies.Death.

5

The original Batmobile sold for a record price. Batman's car from the '60s show remained with its creator, auto customizer George Barris, until a guy named Rick Champagne bought it in 2013. Champagne paid $4.62 million, the highest price paid for a car made for movies or TV. He put it on sale again two years later. — Source: Hemmings

4

You can see Dominic Toretto's car in Texas. Three Dodge Chargers played Dom Toretto's ride in The Fast and the Furious. The one you can actually see Vin Diesel driving was on display for some time at the Universal Studios Theme Park, and now you can take a look at it at the Austin Auto Show. — Source: Austin Auto Show

3

Mad Max's Pursuit Special went through several owners. Max Rockatansky's pimped out 1973 Ford Falcon GT was given to the movie's mechanic as payment, and then bought back for the second movie. After several changes of hands, it ended up in Florida, where it was put up for sale again in 2020. — Source: Shannons Club

2

Thelma and Louise's car didn't fly off a cliff. Well, at least one of them didn't a total of five cars were used for the movie. This survivor (a completely unmodified Ford Thunderbird, except for the signatures of Brad Pitt and Geena Davis) sold for $71,500 in 2008. — Sources: *Harper’s Bazaar*, Gold Eagle Co

1

A guy owned James Bond's Mach 1 and didn't know it. When Mike Alameda got his car in the mid '80s, he thought it was just a Mustang. It wasn't until years later that he learned that it was the car Sean Connery drove through Las Vegas in Diamonds Are Forever. The car went to auction in 2004, but didn't meet the reserve price. — Source: CommanderBond.net

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