So your old junker of a car is on its last legs and you need another set of wheels to help get yourself around town. Sure, you could save up the money and buy a brand-spanking new vehicle to blast through the morning work commute, race off to the city’s hottest hangs after hours, or disappear on a long drive over the weekend. But why would you do such a thing when, thanks to the miracle of television, you can put together your own dream car?
Just imagine the possibilities. Considering all of the famous cars, trucks, vans and miscellaneous land contraptions fictional folks like Adam West’s Batman and Tom Selleck’s Thomas Magnum have field-tested in television’s laboratory, there are plenty of good apples to pick from. Sure, there’s always the threat of creating a dud like “The Homer” from The Simpsons, but considering the options we’ve collected below, we probably won’t be putting anyone out of business.
From Knight Rider, KITT’s Intellect
These days, the various peripherals we use regularly don’t amount to much unless the word “smart” suffixes them. Hence, the smart phones we practically live off, and — with the massive intelligence displayed by KITT in the original Knight Rider series (and the recent reboot) — smart cars. With KITT at the helm, yours will be the smartest car on the road. William Daniels not included.
From the ’60s Batman Series, the Batmobile’s Parachute
Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight films updated the Batmobile with the Tumbler, a real-world military behemoth that made sense for that Batman’s purposes. For your new car, however, the ’60s Batman series starring Adam West and Burt Ward provided the grooviest Batmobile ever to grace the road. It had all the gadgets — including a parachute that, when deployed, let the driver complete a 180-degree turn without fail. You need this when you realize that you left your laptop on the kitchen counter.
From Scooby Doo, Where Are You!, the Mystery Machine’s Paint Job
The brighter the car, the more likely it is that everyone else will notice it. Most will probably go for the basic, most bland paint jobs imaginable, but why not spice things up with a bit of psychedelic flair? That’s what the original gang did in Scooby Doo, Where Are You! with the eye-catching Mystery Machine. Maybe flower power isn’t en vogue these days, but your new wheels could be the catalyst for its resurgence.
From The A-Team, the GMC Vandura’s Utility
B.A. Baracus pitied all fools equally, especially whenever he was behind the wheel of The A-Team‘s GMC Vandura. It may have been a beast of a machine, but its utility was unmatched in its day. From Hannibal’s various disguises to the team’s numerous pieces of “acquired” equipment for certain missions, this baby could haul and utilize just about anything under the sun (and on it).
From the ’60s Green Hornet Series, Black Beauty’s Scanner
Like most famous vehicles driven by superheroes of the ’60s, Green Hornet‘s Black Beauty offered its titular hero and his sidekick, Kato, numerous weapons. However, chief among its more clever tools was a scanner that, when deployed, would fly covertly into enemy territory to record audio and visual information for later use. A sort of proto-personal drone, this baby would be perfect for your new car.
From Sanford and Son, the Sanford and Son Salvage Truck’s Durability
The 1951 Ford F1 driven by Fred Sanford of Sanford and Son was as durable as it was iconic. The primary vehicle of the main character’s “Sanford and Son Salvage” company, this baby had more than 20 years’ worth of use on its wheels, but the family business kept it going with every tuneup and fix imaginable. Ol’ red was a helluva strong vehicle, so if that strength was transferable, then your dream car would surely benefit from it.
From Speed Racer, The Mach 5’s Steering Wheel Hub
The speed from this iconic animated race car would come in handy, but the steering wheel hub unlocked the car’s true potential, allowing it to serve as a kind of Swiss Army knife on wheels. Need to deploy tires that will allow you race across any surface? Wanna deploy a pair of saw blades to clear the way? How about drive underwater? Imagine adding all of that to some of the other toys and special features on this list.
From Magnum, P.I., Robin 1’s Garage
Thomas Sullivan Magnum IV of Magnum, P.I. had it good, thanks mostly to his wealthy and unseen benefactor, Robin Masters. The latter’s posh guest house was there for the private investigator’s use, of course, but so too was his massive garage. The Robin 1 and many other cars and planes serviced Magnum throughout the years, but wouldn’t access to the garage itself best serve your new wheels? Just think of all the things you could cull from its stores for your car.
