HERBIE THE LOVE BUG
Even if you’ve never seen The Love Bug, there’s still an excellent chance you know the adorable white Volkswagen Beetle with the big number ‘53’ on its hood and larger-than-life personality. Produced by Disney in 1969 and directed by Robert Stevenson, the film follows down-on-his-luck race driver Jim Douglas and his adventures with a sentient Volkswagen Beetle named Herbie. The pair work together to defeat the evil Peter Thorndyke in the grueling El Dorado race. Like many famous movie cars, Herbie has become a cultural mainstay that many think of as soon as they see a classic Beetle.
K.I.T.T.
K.I.T.T. stands for Knight Industries Two Thousand, based on the car’s fictional creator, Wilton Knight. The car went by another name when the series was early in its production: T.A.T.T., which stood for Trans Am Two Thousand.
When it came time to give a name to K.I.T.T.’s evil doppelganger, a completely different name was created in K.A.R.R. This stands for Knight Automated Roving Robot, and it was voiced by Peter Cullen, who was the man behind another talking vehicle: Optimus Prime from The Transformers cartoons and movies.
THE MYSTERY MACHINE
The Mystery Machine is the main transportation of Mystery Inc., taking them on their adventures all over the world. The Mystery Machine looks like an early to mid 60s Ford Taunus Transit Van, modified with a different dash. There's a bench seat with (possibly) either a ford small block 221 cui V8 with 145 hp and 218 lbft of torque if the van is an early 1960s or a 260 cui V8 with 164 hp and 258 lbft of torque if the van is mid 60s for the animated series (by the way the engine is most likely under the seat). Most of the time the van’s license plate is blank, but occasionally detail has been added. "AC-712", "SCOOBY", "195 343", and "DISCORLS" have all been license plates for The Mystery Machine.
ECTO 1
According to Dan Aykroyd, the original vision for the Ecto-1 looked significantly different from its final design. In a YouTube video on the official Ghostbusters channel, the actor and co-writer shares that the car’s original exterior was completely black, with purple, yellow, and green details including purple strobe lights for a spookier look.
However, after giving the design further thought, the filmmakers realized that since they needed to shoot scenes of the car at night, the black color wasn’t the best option. So, for a better visual perception of the vehicle, they chose to make it white.
THE GENERAL LEE
While we all might know the name of the Dukes of Hazzard car is the General Lee, but it may come as a surprise at just how many Lees were destroyed in the making of the TV series.
The lifespan of a General Lee was definitely short. It is estimated that upwards of 300 Dukes of Hazzard cars were used through the TV series that ran from 1979 to 1985. To all the lost Chargers, may you all rest in peace. The car's name is a reference to American Civil War general Robert E. Lee. ... The idea for the General Lee was developed from the bootlegger Jerry Rushing's car, which was named for Lee's favorite horse, Traveller. Traveller was also the name of the car in Moonrunners, the 1975 movie precursor to The Dukes of Hazzard.