These are our favorites, in no particular order.
Monica’s 1985 Porsche 911 Carrera Targa, Friends
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1928 Porter, My Mother the Car
Yes, this was an actual TV show in 1965 and unsurprisingly lasted only one season. Let’s take a moment to rehash the plot: Dave Crabtree discovers his mother has been reincarnated as a vintage car. She communicates through the car’s radio speaker, and, of course, only talks to Dave. According to the show, the car was extremely rare, and several plots revolved around the attempts of a car collector trying to obtain Dave’s mother. In fact, the Porter Motor Company made only three models in the U.S.: one a steam car in 1900, the second the Mercer Raceabout of 1911–1914, and the other a luxury performance car in 1919 through 1922.
The TV car was built either by Norm Grabowski, who was also responsible for the Kookie T car in 77 Sunset Strip, or by George Barris, who was responsible for the TV Batmobile, the Munster Koach, and The Beverly Hillbillies’ car. Reports vary on who actually built the Porter, but what doesn’t is what makes up the car. The car combined a 1924 Model T touring body with a Chevy 283 V-8 engine and Powerglide automatic transmission, also taking parts from a Maxwell and a Hudson. The car was modified to become the fictitious 1928 Porter for the pilot. To soup it up for the pilot, a brass radiator with the Porter company script, a longer hood, and a rear-mounted fuel tank were added.[/nextpage][nextpage]
1969 Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser, That ’70s Show
Hello Wisconsin! That ’70s Show‘s pilot centers around dad Red Forman handing son Eric the keys to his Vista Cruiser—every teen’s dream scenario. The Vista Cruiser, an undisputed star of the show, is used in the first seven seasons of the show’s theme, as a setting for dialogue, and as the object of several storylines that revolve around it.
Manufactured and marketed by Oldsmobile over three generations from 1964 to 1977, Eric’s model is the second generation, produced from 1968 to 1972. A 350-cubic-inch V-8 engine came standard, with 5,700-cc, 5.7 liters, and either a two- or three-speed automatic transmission. At the end of the series, Fez himself (Wilmer Valderrama) bought the Cruiser from Carsey-Werner for a cool $500.[/nextpage][nextpage]
Bluth Company Stair Car, Arrested Development
We all know the infamous Bluths, and love to watch them fail more than succeed. When you can’t afford a company jet anymore, why not try to maintain the luxurious experience by driving around Newport Beach in a stair car? Per Jason Bateman’s Michael Bluth, the stair car basics are: “In order to get this thing up to a minimum speed, you’ve got to jam on the gas pedal for about a minute, okay? But in order to slow this thing down, you’ve got to get almost immediately back on the brake pedal, ’cause you’ve got about two tons of stairs behind you.”
The stair car seems like a unique contraption, but it’s really just a super-modified Ford F-350, a beast of a pickup truck. Apparently, the stair car is working on the side, as it made an appearance in 2016’s Captain America: Civil War in the background of the massive airport battle scene. Anthony and Joe Russo directed both the film and multiple episodes of the TV show, back when it was actually airing. For the recent fifth season on Netflix, which was released May 29, 2018, the stairs went on an eight-city promotional tour. Just remember, you’re gonna get some hop-ons.[/nextpage][nextpage]
1960 BMW Isetta 300, Family Matters
In suburban Chicago, circa 1993, this spinoff of Perfect Strangers—who knew, right?!—gave us some sitcom greatness, not including when Harriette was replaced for the last season. In true Urkel style, his car is just as outlandish as the dweeb himself. A microcar, the BMW Isetta is an Italian-designed vehicle powered by a single-cylinder, four-stroke engine paired with a manual four-speed transmission. With a max speed of 53 mph, the first 30 mph was reached in around half a minute, though Steve could still do his usual damage with the car, like when Carl teaches him how to drive. It featured a front-mounted door, with the steering wheel attached to it. Both the door and wheel swung outward to create easy access to the interior.
The Isetta model found a second life in 2016 as a recognizably updated car, courtesy of Switzerland’s Micro Mobility Systems. Reportedly starting production at the end of 2018, the fully electric Microlinocosts around $13,700, with a weight of 959 pounds, a maximum speed of 56 mph, a range of approximately 78 miles or 124 miles (with a 14.4 kWh battery), and the ability to be recharged in four hours at a conventional domestic power socket or in one hour with a Type 2 connector. I think the man himself would say, “Did I do that?”
(Excerpt) Read More at: Popular Mechanics.com[/nextpage]