6 Iconic Movie Cars Sold via Auction

There’s nothing like the Big Screen inclusion of a car chance scene to capture the imagination of a petrolhead, young or old. From Knight Rider’s talking Pontiac to 007 being handed the keys to a new Aston Martin, some of our favourite movie characters through the years have, indeed, been of the four-wheeled variety. We look at some of the highest-profile movie cars to have been sold at auction.

 
Toyota Supra from The Fast and Furious

The car that introduced the Supra name to an entirely new generation of car enthusiast, while the makers of the Fast and Furious franchise continue to stretch the realms of believability when it comes to what’s possible behind the wheel of a car, who could forget the late Paul Walker’s first scenes from the driver’s seat of this “candy orange” Toyota Supra?
Complete with a “Nuclear Gladiator” decal and massive APR wing, the Supra used in the movie did, in fact, feature an original 2JZ-GTE 3.0-litre turbocharged inline 6-cylinder engine, though was fitted with a four-speed automatic transmission rather than the heavily overworked manual ‘box seen in the movie’s iconic drag race scenes.

No doubt influenced by the untimely death of the car’s original “owner”, this Supra recently sold at a Barrett-Jackson auction for $560 000 (around R9 million).

 

Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

Long before the Game of Thrones television show shocked audiences with moments of draw-dropping plot twists, I can clearly remember the scene in the 1986 movie, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off when while our young miscreants attempted to turn back the odo reading of a “borrowed” Ferrari 250 GT, the wheel jack failed, and the car shot backwards out of its garage and down a ravine. Surely not?!
It was years later before I learned that the car destroyed in this scene was, in fact, one of three replicas built for this movie by Modena Design. While an actual 250 GT California Spyder was used for all close-up and detain shots, one of these replicas was used each time the car appeared to being abused by the school-skipping protagonists in the movie.

Fake or not, #GTC0003 was sold at an auction in 2020 for $396 000 (around R6.3 million).

 

Aston Martin DB5 from Goldfinger

Is this James Bond’s most iconic car? While the Lotus you’ll see listed below had its own popcorn-spilling scenes, the silver DB5 from Goldfinger remains arguably the coolest car in 007’s collection – and one that’s made a welcome return in a few of the newer Bond movies.
First driven by the late Sir Sean Connery’s Bond character in 1964’s Goldfinger, one of the two DB5s used during filming was, in fact, a prototype. This priceless, gadget-laden car was stolen out of an airport hangar in 1997 and has yet to be seen again. The second car was sold at auction in 2010 for $4.6 million (more than R73 million).

 

Batmobile

Besides the name of actor that will assume the role of the Caped Crusader, arguably the most anticipated inclusion in any modern Batman movie is the shape of the car that will be parked in the cave below Bruce Wayne’s mansion.

While everything from a military-spec all-terrain vehicle (The Tumber from The Dark Knight) to the muscle car shown in the first trailers for the forthcoming latest adaptation have fulfilled their respective roles, the first Batmobile to appear on the big screen did so in 1966.

Built on a 1955 Lincoln Futura, the original Batmobile’s features included a nose-mounted chain cutter, lasers, rockets, a rear smoke emitter and even an on-board telephone.

The Batmobile sold at auction in 2013 for $4.62 million (around R74 million).

 

Lotus Esprit S1 from The Spy Who Loved Me

Among the audience of movie-goers awestruck at the sight of 007 driving his stunning Lotus Esprit off a pier before flicking a switch to “transform” the car into a submarine, this car’s current owner, Elon Musk, is said to be determined to make this special effect a reality.

The South African born founder of TESLA, Musk is said to have paid $997 000 (close to R16 million) for the 1976 movie car at auction in 2019.
Said Musk, "I was disappointed to learn that it can't actually transform. What I'm going to do is upgrade it with a Tesla electric powertrain and try to make it transform for real."

 

Bullitt Mustang

If by modern standards the movie itself isn’t as spectacular as it was when it premiered in 1968, both this thriller’s lead actor and his Highland Green Ford Mustang would be destined for notoriety. Endorsed by his renowned skills behind the wheel of any number of actual racing car, Steve McQueen’s preferred ride in the movie Bullitt was a ’68 Mustang Fastback fitted with a 390-cubic-inch V8.
Sold on completion of the movie, the car would finally reappear after a lifetime of initial daily school run use and subsequent barn storage, in 2018.
Driven in anger by McQueen in one of the most iconic chase scenes in movie history, the orginal Bullitt Mustang sold at auction in 2020 for $3.71 million (nearly R60 million)

A motoring journalist with more than 20 years’ experience, Ian McLaren will be compiling a series are articles documenting his learning curve when it comes to all things auction. Find him on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok at @IanMcLaren76.

These articles aim to offer insights only and in no way encourage reckless or hit-and-miss purchasing decisions.