Today is Father's Day. To celebrate, we present you ten of the coolest and most memorable cars driven by TV and movie dads. Every so often, Hollywood does dad right. Ferrari 250 GT California, anyone?
10. Jack Campbell's Ferrari 550/575
TV Show/Movie: The Family Man, 2000
At the start of The Family Man, Nicolas Cage has no family. By the end of the film, he has seen what could have been and changed his ways. In the process, however, he has to give up his silver 550/575 Maranello. I'm all for redeeming main characters who go after the girl and make the right decision and all that, but I would have liked this movie a whole lot more if Nick Cage's character had been able to hold on to the Ferrari.
Photo credit: Supercars.de
9. Darth Vader's TIE Fighter
TV Show/Movie: Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, 1977
While it's not technically a car, and no one has revealed to Luke or Leia that they're brother and sister and ol' Darth is their Dad, Vader's TIE Fghter is still a pretty cool part of the Star Wars universe. It's a one-off prototype for an advanced class of TIE, most notably featuring shield generators (unlike the base TIE fighter), which saved his life following the end-of-film incident in one of the Death Star's trenches. It kept him alive so that he could drop a paternal bombshell on young Luke in the next film.
Photo credit: StarWars.pl
8.) Tim "The Toolman" Taylor's '33 Ford
TV Show/Movie: Home Improvement, 1991-1999
For Home Improvement's Tim Taylor, the garage provided a source of peace and quiet in an otherwise hectic home. Except when it caused even more trouble. Often the cause of fights between Tim and Jill Taylor, the '33 Ford hot rod you see here also brought Tim and his son Brad together. In one episode, Tim famously challenged Bob Vila to a drag race — before putting an engine in his car!
Photo credit: IMCDB.org
7. George Jetson's Aerocar
TV Show/Movie: The Jetsons, 1962-1963, 1985-1987
The Jetsons live in a world where we finally have flying cars. Flying cars that fold up into suitcases! How cool is that?! How is that even possible? I think that, in all my years of watching The Jetsons on TV after school or on weekend mornings, that was the part of the show that fascinated me the most. If, by the year 2062, we're not driving flying cars and living in apartment buildings on giant poles hundreds of feet in the air, I'm going to be very disappointed.
Photo credit: Twin city Sidewalks
6. Fred Flintstone's Car
TV Show/Movie: The Flintstones, 1960-1966
Powered by what had to have been some of the strongest legs in the world, the car from The Flintstones probably weighed a ton, but with the addition of the whole family and Dino the dinosaur, it's hard to imagine how Fred got the whole thing moving with just his legs. (More important, how did it steer?)
Photo credit: Feminist At SeaVII
5. Homer Simpson's Crapcan
TV Show/Movie: The Simpsons, 1989-Present
Likely some kind of malaise-era American sled, the exact make or model of Homer's daily driver is never noted. But given how much it's been through in the show's 21 seasons, it's got to be built out of some kind of wonder metal. The car has been crashed, smashed, flown through the air, driven underwater, rolled, driven drunk, and pretty much constantly abused. Here's to many more seasons before it gives up the ghost.
Photo credit: 3click.tvVII
4. Mr. Incredible's Sports Car
TV Show/Movie: The Incredibles, 2004
Once Mr. Incredible restarts his superhero career, he becomes flush with cash. Naturally, one of the first things he does is unload his old, horrible econobox and step into something way more awesome. With elements of Mercedes 300SL, 1960s Corvette, and Ferrari 275/250 GTO, the resulting sports car is actually pretty cool. And it sounded awesome.
Photo credit: /Film
3. Clark Griswold's Wagon Queen Family Truckster
TV Show/Movie: National Lampoon's Vacation, 1983
Built on a Ford LTD Country Squire chassis by George Barris, the Truckster is one hell of a car. It's one of the ugliest cars on this list, but it's also one of the most lovable. Even though the Griswold machine sounds horrible, drives badly, and looks disgusting, it means well, and that's all that matters. Also, by the time Mr. Griswold realizes what he's done, it's too late: His Vista Cruiser has already been crushed.
Photo credit: IMCDB.org
2. Red Foreman's Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser
TV Show/Movie: That 70's Show, 1998-2006
The Olds Vista Cruiser from That 70's Show is almost as important to the show as the series's human counterparts. It's featured in the show's opening credits for the first seven seasons, and it caused strife every time it broke down, usually stranding the gang in the middle of nowhere. Other cars popped up on the show — including a Honda Civic hatch and an Aston Martin DB5 — but the Vista Cruiser held a special place in the hearts of the cast. The car used in the show's production is currently owned by Wilmer Valderrama, who played foreign-exchange student Fez. When the series ended, he purchased it from the production company for $500.
Photo credit: IMCDB.org
1. Mr. Frye's Ferrari 250 GT California
TV Show/Movie: Ferris Bueller's Day Off, 1986
One of the most famous cars in movie history, the 250 California owned by Cameron's dad is awesome. Playing hooky from school is cool, but cutting class to drive a multimillion dollar Ferrari through Chicago is cooler. (Just keep an eye out for sketchy garage attendants.) Luckily, the cars seen in the movie were mostly reproductions, not real Ferraris.
Side note: The MG in the background of this shot is an overhead-cam model produced before World War II. Anyone guess what it is?
Photo credit: ShopTradition.com