While we don't know about first place, we definitely count James Bond's submersible Lotus Esprit as one of the finer movie cars ever committed to celluloid. A recent poll by UK DVD rental firm Lovefilm put the white Lotus at the top of the list, followed by Doc Brown's DeLorean, David Starsky's Ford Torino, Herbie, the Batmobile, Frank Bullitt's Mustang GT 390, The Bluesmobile, Greased Lightning, the Ghostbusters' ambulance and the Thelma & Louise T-bird.
What? No Lane Meyer Camaro? No Japanese Howard Cosell Ford Falcon? No Corvette Summer 'Vette? (Okay, that was truly a hideous car.) And furthermore, no '77 Trans Am? No Dodge TransCon Medevac ambulance? We suppose the British just aren't sophisticated enough to understand the subtleties of Burt Reynolds' oeuvre.
Bond's Lotus Esprit voted top movie car [The Register, UK]
Related:
The Internet Movie Car Database; Halleluiah [Internal]