Movie cars have long ceased to be mere props - they have become full-fledged characters in films and objects of desire for collectors around the world. Seeing a spectacular car on the screen, many wonder: is it really possible to get one in your garage, and what will it cost?
We have compiled a selection of five iconic cars from famous films and found out their real cost as of October 2025.
Prices are approximate, collected based on auction data, sales ads, and expert estimates (indicated in US dollars with conversion to rubles at the current exchange rate). Interesting details are attached to each model. Let's go!
Pontiac Firebird Trans Am - "Smokey and the Bandit" (1977)
Why it became a legend
"Smokey and the Bandit" is a classic comedy-action movie about the daredevil Bandit (Burt Reynolds), who drives away from the police nicknamed "Smokey" in a black Trans Am. The black 1977 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am with the golden "Firebird" ornament on the hood became so popular after the film that sales of this model skyrocketed in reality. The image of a brutal but stylish muscle car of the seventies is forever associated with that very "Bandit Trans Am" - it doesn't come with a cowboy hat, but it seems like it should.
Technical data
Trans Am is the top version of the Pontiac Firebird. In 1977, it was equipped with a 6.6-liter V8 (two options worked: Pontiac 400 CID at ~200 hp and Oldsmobile 403 CID ~185 hp), an automatic transmission, and a noisy dual exhaust. Despite not having the highest power by the standards of the early seventies (environmental standards were already in effect), the Trans Am was a menacing-looking muscle car with impressive torque. The film used a special series Trans Am SE (Special Edition) - these were black with gold stripes and a bird on the hood, like Bandit's.
Current cost
Until recently, late muscle cars of the seventies were valued much lower than their predecessors of the sixties, but nostalgia takes its toll. Today, the cost of a good 1977 Pontiac Trans Am can reach $100,000 + (8+ million ₽) at auctions. For example, at the 2025 auctions, two restored Trans Am SEs went for $118,000 and $123,000. On average, a decent "Bandit" will cost $50-80 thousand (4-6.5 million rubles), and projects for restoration can be found even cheaper.
A separate story is the cars personally associated with actor Burt Reynolds: one of these Trans Ams, given to him after filming, was sold in 2022 for almost $500,000. Thus, the cult status confidently raised the Trans Am from the category of old "Pontiacs" to the major league of collectible cars.
Interesting fact
In 1977, Pontiac Trans Am sales doubled - largely due to the success of the film. People came to dealers and asked for "a car like Bandit's". Pontiac even publicly thanked the filmmakers for the free advertising. And Burt Reynolds became so associated with this model that in the last years of his life he often sold his personal Trans Ams at auctions (he had several of them).
Cadillac Miller-Meteor 1959 (Ecto-1) - "Ghostbusters" (1984)
Why it became a legend
The white hearse "Ectomobile" from "Ghostbusters" is one of the most recognizable cars in pop culture. The huge retro car with flashing lights, antennas, barrels, and ghost logos on the sides served as transport for the team of hunters. It is funny, scary, and incredibly charismatic at the same time. The very appearance of the roaring Ecto-1 on the street with a siren is already half the success of the scene.
Technical data
The base for Ecto-1 is the 1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor, an ambulance/hearse model. This is a rare body type, made by hand on the Cadillac Series 62 chassis. The car is huge: length ~6.4 m, weight about 3 tons. Engine - 6.3 l V8 (~320 hp) with a three-speed "automatic". At the time of 1959, such cars were the embodiment of luxury and power, with an abundance of chrome and famous tail fins.
In the film, a used 1959 hearse was bought by the heroes for a symbolic $480 - in terrible condition, but after "pumping" it turned into a technical miracle. Of course, all the equipment is fiction, but the appearance of Ecto-1 has firmly entered history.
Current cost
The original screen Ecto-1 belongs to Sony and is not for sale. However, for evaluation, you can look at replicas. And here the numbers are impressive: in 2021, an accurately restored copy of Ecto-1 was sold at a Barrett-Jackson auction for $220,000 (about 18 million ₽).
Another highly detailed replica recently went for ~$297,000. The basic 1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteors are rare and valuable in themselves - even without "hunting" equipment, a restored carriage Cadillac from the late fifties can cost $100-150 thousand. So it is not surprising that with the addition of sirens and coloring, the car will cost as much as a good apartment.
Interesting fact
Two cars were used for filming: Ecto-1 and the destroyed version Ecto-1A for "Ghostbusters 2". Both were stored in a warehouse for many years and deteriorated until in 2020 the studio restored the original Ecto-1 for the release of the new film. Fans around the world are also not sitting idly by - there is a whole community of enthusiasts who are converting old ambulances into Ecto-1s. However, finding a suitable car is another task: only a few hundred Cadillac Miller-Meteors were produced in 1959. Therefore, enthusiasts sometimes use later models or even other brands of cars.
Volkswagen Beetle - Herbie film series
Why it became a legend
The small charming "Beetle" named Herbie is the hero of a series of Disney family films, starting with The Love Bug, 1968. The white Volkswagen Beetle with the number "53" and a red and blue stripe turned out to be not just a car, but an animated character with its own character. Herbie raced in rallies, played pranks, and invariably defeated villains. These films made the ordinary people's car VW Beetle a star of the screen.
Technical data
Herbie is embodied by a series of 1963 VW Beetles with a sunroof sedan. Under the hood is a modest 4-cylinder air-cooled boxer engine with a volume of 1.2 liters (about 40 hp). Gearbox - 4-speed manual, rear-wheel drive. In general, the most ordinary Beetle of those years, no superpowers except cinematic ones.
Current cost
There are plenty of classic "Beetles" in the world - after all, Volkswagen produced more than 21 million of them. An ordinary VW Beetle of the sixties costs about $10-15 thousand (0.8-1.2 million rubles) in good condition on the market. However, Herbie is another matter. One of the original Herbie cars that participated in the filming was sold in 2018 for $126,500 - this is more than 10 million ₽, and a record amount for a Volkswagen Beetle in general.
Other copies from the films have also previously gone for tens of thousands. Thus, stickers and history increase the cost of a modest "Beetle" many times over. Nevertheless, making a replica of Herbie is relatively simple and inexpensive - therefore, at car shows, you can often meet fans who have turned their Beetle into a cute movie character (albeit without magical abilities).
Interesting fact
The number "53" for Herbie did not appear by chance - it is a tribute to the famous baseball player Don Drysdale from the LA Dodgers team, whose number was 53. And the name Herbie came from a comedy sketch, where that was the name of... a Mongolian sumo wrestler. In the first films, Herbie does not speak, but expresses "emotions" with a horn and stunts.
Peugeot 406 - "Taxi" (1998)
Why it became a legend
The snow-white Peugeot 406, on which the daredevil driver Daniel cuts through Marseille, is the main character of the French comedy series "Taxi". In the film, an ordinary-looking sedan transformed into a low racing projectile with aerodynamic body kits at the touch of a button, overtaking all the police. For a whole generation of viewers, the 406th Peugeot became a symbol of adrenaline-fueled urban chases.
Technical data
Specifically, Daniel's car is a Peugeot 406 of the first generation, model years 1997-1999. In the film, it is equipped with a 3.0-liter V6, which in reality produced about 210 hp in the standard version. 6-8 cars were prepared for filming, and one was actually boosted to ~280 hp and even used the racing version 406 T16 in several scenes. The basic model is a front-wheel drive family sedan, externally modified in the film (aerobody kit, spoilers, interchangeable wheels) and with a lowered suspension.
Current cost
Here without the magic of cinema. In real life, the Peugeot 406 of the late nineties is an affordable used car. Today it can be purchased for literally $2,000-4,000 (about 200-350 thousand ₽) depending on the condition. Rare perfectly preserved cars may cost a little more, but in general it is inexpensive transport. Even one of the real 406s from the filming of "Taxi 2" was estimated at only ~$10,000. So, to feel like a hero of the franchise, you don't have to be a millionaire - it is enough to find a well-groomed 406th and invest in tuning.
Interesting fact
The cars for the filming process were prepared by Peugeot itself in partnership with Luc Besson's studio. In the first part, Daniel's car is externally as close as possible to the serial 406, but starting from the second film, the body kit became more and more fantastic. Nevertheless, the standard V6 and front-wheel drive remained under the hood - so the incredible jumps and drifts in the film were provided by professional stuntmen and specially prepared cars (for example, lightweight bodies were used for jumps). It's funny that the Peugeot 406 Taxi became so popular that fans around the world created replicas - one such "taxi car" was even sold for 3,500 euros, almost like in the film, only it couldn't fly.
Shelby GT500 "Eleanor" - "Gone in 60 Seconds" (2000)
Why it became a legend
In the remake of "Gone in 60 Seconds" in 2000, Nicolas Cage as thief Memphis Raines pursues his "white whale" - a chic silver Shelby GT500 nicknamed "Eleanor". The chase scene on this roaring classic became the culmination of the film. The car became so popular with the public that it became a legend in its own right: Eleanor is perhaps the most famous custom Mustang in the world.
Technical data
The prototype was the 1967 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 - a charged version of the "Mustang", refined by the famous Carroll Shelby. In the original, the GT500 has a 7.0-liter V8 (428 Cobra Jet) with a capacity of about 355 hp, a 4-speed manual and a reinforced chassis under the hood. However, the movie "Eleanor" is a modified Mustang: 11 cars with a unique body kit were built for the film (design by Chip Foose). They were equipped with modern tuning components: a 5.7 l V8 (351 Windsor) engine with a nitrous oxide system (NOS), a 5-speed manual, reinforced brakes and suspension. The sound of the engine and the appearance of Eleanor became the standard of the "restomod" automotive style.
Current cost
Both the original Shelby GT500 '67, and especially "Eleanor", are extremely expensive toys. A real 1967 Shelby GT500 in good condition easily costs $200-300 thousand (16-25 million ₽). And officially recreated Eleanor replicas are sold by specialized firms under license in the range of $190,000-$300,000 (up to 25 million ₽). Not to mention the originals from the set: one of the screen "Eleanors" was sold in 2013 for $1,000,000 (~82 million ₽). Another, fully restored, went to auction in 2020 for $852,500. Thus, "Eleanor" is among the most expensive muscle cars on the planet.
Interesting fact
The name Eleanor was originally worn by the yellow 1973 Ford Mustang in the original "Gone in 60 Seconds" film of 1974. In the new film of 2000, the creators decided to pay tribute to the classics of the sixties, choosing the Shelby GT500 '67 as the updated "Eleanor". Interestingly, after the success of the film, a boom in Eleanor replicas began: hundreds of fans converted their Mustangs to this style. This even led to legal disputes - the copyright holders of the name "Eleanor" prohibited unauthorized copies. But in the end, officially licensed copies (from companies like Fusion Motor) still went on sale in a limited series. In general, if you see a gray mustang with black stripes at a car show, there is a high chance that the owner was inspired by the film and created his own version of the legend.
Price difference: from mass models to museum exhibits
Having considered the top five movie cars, you can notice several patterns:
Age and rarity: The most expensive are usually classic cars of the 1960s and earlier, and even in limited edition. Pontiac Firebird, Shelby GT500 - are collectible in themselves, and with a film history, the price tags skyrocket astronomically.
Mass models remain available: Cars like the Peugeot 406, despite their screen fame, have not become rarities - too many of them have been produced, and they are not sporty or luxurious in themselves. Their value is more emotional.
Nostalgia vs. characteristics: Prices for many iconic cars are driven not by their technical parameters at all, but by nostalgia and a fan base. The Pontiac Firebird Trans Am is not a supercar in terms of driving performance, but it costs as much as a modern sports coupe.
Limited market: It should be noted that the market for movie cars is quite thin. The number of people willing to shell out half a million for a "car from childhood" is limited. Therefore, such sales often occur at major auctions, where wealthy collectors flock. But an attempt to sell a "movie car" without a sufficient audience may fail. There have been cases when replicas or even originals did not reach the reserve price.
Conclusion
If your eyes lit up and you wanted your own "movie car" - there is a choice for any wallet, from the affordable Peugeot 406 from "Taxi" to auction lots for millions. And most importantly - there is a community of like-minded people for whom the car is also a movie hero.
And finally: we have considered foreign movie cars, but there are also legends in our films - from the black "Volga" from "Beware of the Car" to the GAZ-24 in "The Diamond Arm". But we will talk about them another time.
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