Top ten best cult cars

Ever wondered what car the Batmobile was, whether KITT from Knight Rider refuelled himself, or whatever became of the De Lorean DMC-12 from Back to the Future?

If you have a life, the chances are that you answered these questions with a bemused negative.

If, however, you´ve a passion for the world of cult, scif-i and adventure film and TV, you´ve probably asked those questions, scanned Wikipedia for the answers, browsed Youtube for some clips of said cars and pretended your 1.1 Citroen Saxo is a Mini Cooper from The Italian Job.

In an age where oddball or eccentric cars generally mean certain death for a manufacturer; a vile pastiche such as the Chrysler PT Cruiser can win plaudits for its retro daring; and faceless Repmobiles patrol our motorways, we need cult cars more than.

Oh, and anyone who thinks the newest iteration of the Batmobile is the coolest is really wrong.

The Batmobile - Batman

Author: Andrew Brown

Published: 31 January 2008

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Bruce Wayne, aka Batman, is only a mortal man and therefore requires the best gadgets available to help him battle his numerous adversities, such as green-haired lunatic Joker and penguin-like, er, Penguin. But the best gadget he owns is a car - the Batmobile.

This car has gone through many different transitions, from the 1955 Lincoln Futura concept in the 60s TV show, through to the tank-like Hummer-esque vehicle depicted in the 2005´s Batman Begins. But whatever form the car there is a common thread linking them all - they all rock.

De Lorean DMC-12 - Back to the Future

A car that not only looks superb but can also travel through time, as seen in the Back to the Future films. Upon reaching 88mph the 170bhp car was transported through time, although it never ended up in a place where the DMC-12 made a profit.

Result, I´ll have one of those please. Except that when the De Lorean went on sale there was only a very limited number of them, so you´ve little chance of turning up a good one. Never mind, what with fuel prices nowadays sky- rocketing, the 2.8-litre petrol V6 that powered the DMC-12 wouldn´t leave you with much change for plutonium.

Aston Martin DB5 - Goldfinger

The coolest Bond film, the coolest Bond car from the third film in the franchise, when Sean Connery was playing Bond and the films still resembled the books.

So impressive was the DB5 in fact, that it appeared in a number of other Bonds, most recently in the Daniel Craig iteration of Casino Royale.

The Aston Martin was handy in a combat situation, but not overloaded with weapons and gizmos, unless you consider a car telephone the height of technical wizardry. Instead there´s a 282bhp 4-litre straight-six with three carburettors that was good for a sub-ten-second sprint to 62mph - not bad for a car that weighed over 1.5 tonnes built over 40 years ago.

But forget that flashy aquatic Lotus. This one epitomises the style and elegance of Bond. And it had a ejector seat for those annoying back seat drivers, or to dispatch any butlers with lethal bowler hats.

The DB5 from Goldfinger was later refitted with Bond weaponry before being stolen in 1997, presumably giving the thief in question more than he bargained for. Let´s hope the ejector seats were still in working order.

KITT - Knight-Rider

Granted, KITT may have had a voice like a repressed butler, but we all wanted to drive the Pontiac Trans-Am where the effete auto vigilante lived.

Featuring awesome theme music, benevolent boss Devon Miles, token hot babe Bonnie Barstow and David Hasslehoff playing Michael Knight with a massive afro haircut and more tight leather trousers than a portly German cow farmer, Knight Rider was the archetypal 80s cult TV show, with KITT as its undoubted star.

KITT was decked out with a ´Turbo Boost´, the ability to generate an electric charge and heavy artillery, while being blessed with an evil alter-ego named KARR. But did anyone give a toss about KITT´s carbon emissions?

Most importantly, he had a cool flashing red light on the front. Magic.

The General Lee - Dukes of Hazzard

The Dodge Charger was such as cult car that it had its own name (General Lee) and was spawned its own fan club, despite a large Confederate flag painted on the roof. History does not recall whether the fan club had a large African-American following.

The real star of the 70s American television show, when car chase followed, and sometimes preceded, car chase. Back in Hazzard County the Dodge Charger in question was actually a series of V8-equipped cars that were regularly wrecked in the making of the programme

The Charger re-appeared, sans flag, with the ability to drift - American muscle cars not known for their ability for dideways movement - in the dismal 2006 Dukes of Hazzard. Sean William Scott and Johnny Knoxville starred, while the General Lee and Jessica Simpson were the only reasons to watch.

Nissan Skyline - The Fast and the Furious

Known in the UK as the GT-R, the Skyline is stylish, powerful and sleek. And more importantly, stupidly fast. Put the pedal to the metal and get pushed back into your seat by the power. And if you like it enough, consider buying in 2009 when Nissan finally imports the beast to the UK.

Here comes the science: 473bhp 3.8-litre twin-turbo V6 developing 434lb-ft. Translated into English that means 62mph in 3.5 seconds. Fast.

Known for its ability to drift, the Skyline featured prominently in The Fast and the Furious with Vin Diesel, and Paul Walker, a film that is essentially car porn. The Skyline was never officially exported outside of Japan, but interest was so great that the right-hand-drive car was privately exported all over the world.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

Not the most rock and roll car on the list, admittedly but bear with us for a second. First of all it can fly, which given the congestion of the roads could be very handy indeed.

Secondly, it can drive itself so you can sup that post-work pint without guilt. Virtually hand-built around a petrol V6 from Ford, three of the Chitty cars still exist to this day - two in a car museum and one privately owned and available for bookings.

Chitty has managed to gain cult status despite having to share a screen time with Dick ´Diagnosis Murder´ Van "Oim a cockney" Dyke in the 1968 film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. That alone means it is worthy of a place on this list.

Mini Cooper - The Italian Job

It may be small and compact but there is a surprising amount of power underneath the bonnet. The Mini Cooper S models featured in the film were powered bya plucky 1.3-litre engine developing 76bhp.

The Issigonis Mini Came to international acclaim when it starred with Michael Caine and Noel Coward in the classic British film, The Italian Job when a team of red, white and blue minis made off with lots of Italian loot.

Let´s not mention the remake, eh?

A-Team van - The A-Team

Technically it isn´t a car, but when it´s being driven by a former wrestler with enough chains on him to sink a battleship, technicalities go out the window.

It may have had a big red line down the side which may have helped the police to identify it, but it would take a brave man to mention that to Mr T.

Served the A-Team well throughout the long running TV series - frequently forming the basis of some kind of home-made Armoured Personnel Carrier and despite being riddled with bullets nearly every week - and Mr T enjoyed driving it more than he enjoyed flying.

Bessie - Doctor Who

The third Doctor´s souped up Roadster summed up everything you really needed to know about the Time Lord.

No machine gun-toting supercar for The Doctor, but a tuned-up and modified canary-yellow open-top, endearingly eccentric and resolutely British. Actually a limited-edition 8bhp kit car by Siva/Neville Trickett, Bessie was based on on the Ford Popular´s platform.

Bessie is seen here confounding The Master´s escape attempt, which involves knocking out Sergeant Benton with a cloak and running away, due to Bessie´s remote control. Clever old Bessie.