When Style Is More Important Than Functionality Cars In Legendary Films

Over the past decades, many films have been made in which the viewers' attention was drawn to cars in addition to the main characters. These vehicles were often explicitly created for filming, so they had a unique design and became a standard style. Functionality had to be sacrificed to achieve this effect, so using such cars in today's reality would be difficult and uncomfortable. Let's identify the most stylish vehicles from our favorite films and their main drawbacks.

DeLorean DMC-12 («Back to the Future»)

The DMC-12 is a unique car. It is among the top 5 most stylish vehicles, but in terms of quality and functionality, it is among the outsiders. The two-seater sports car appeared in 1981. It stood out with its stainless steel body and doors that opened upwards rather than to the side, like most cars of that time. These two features gave it a futuristic look and made it an ideal candidate for filming in movies about the future.

In all other respects, the DMC-12 was terrible. It was distinguished by low build quality, difficulty to control, and weak speed characteristics (compared to other sports models). Despite this, it became a cult car and became famous thanks to the film "Back to the Future", where it was given the role of a time machine. There, the DMC-12 was slightly modified and turned into a super-modern car capable of traveling through time.

The DMC-12 has long been discontinued, so the legendary vehicle can now be purchased exclusively at car auctions in Denver and similar online sites. According to rough estimates, only 6-6.5 thousand of these models are left, which makes them a rare rarity. In this regard, many fans of the famous film trilogy and collectors worldwide are “hunting” for the DMC-12.

Audi RSQ («I, Robot»)

RSQ is a sports coupe concept car developed by the famous German company Audi specifically for filming the movie "I, Robot." It was supposed to be a visual demonstration of the future cars, as described in the film. Its design combines traditional Audi exterior elements with some futuristic additions.

The car is equipped with spherical wheels, which allow it to move in any direction, not just in a straight line. RSQ also stands out for its ability to drive autonomously, which is ideal for a movie set in 2035. The model has unusual butterfly doors. They are attached to the rear pillars of the body and become a good option for future roads overloaded with cars.

In the movie "I, Robot," the Audi RSQ is the vehicle of Detective Del Spooner, played by Will Smith. The car perfectly demonstrated all its unique features to the audience and received many positive reviews. This significantly increased Audi's rating and allowed the company to increase sales of its various models.

Spinner («Blade Runner»)

The famous movie Blade Runner uses many stylish futuristic cars. These universal vehicles can fly and drive on the road equally well. In the film, they are called Spinners and are primarily used for police purposes. With their help, they patrol the streets of the future and do much other work.

The presence of a vertical takeoff option distinguishes spinners. This feature is partially repeated in the movie trilogy "Back to the Future" and in the movie "The Fifth Element". This vehicle was designed by the American designer Sydney Mead. According to his interpretation, Spinners from "Blade Runner" have a unique body shape, due to which air flows are directed downwards, thereby creating the necessary lifting force. A jet and antigravity engine also provide the ability to fly, and a regular ICE offers the ability to drive on the road.

The exterior design of the Spinner simultaneously uses futuristic and retro design elements. This combination gives the flying car an unusual look and makes it, unlike the models of our time. Another characteristic feature is the upward-opening doors, which give the vehicle an even more stylish look.

Landspeeder («Star Wars»)

Antigravity vehicles called Landspeeders are often seen in Star Wars. They were invented by British special effects guru John Stears, the author of the lightsabers of the Jedi Knights, James Bond's Aston Martin DB5 and much more. His Landspeeder was an absolute masterpiece. The mini-car Bond Bug was used as a basis, and it was modified and turned into a vehicle for traveling across the expanses of Tatooine.

Many types of land speeders are used in the film. The most famous is the X-34 Luke Skywalker. This two-seater vehicle is 11 feet long and is suitable for transporting various small loads. Its retractable windshield is a unique device that can scan the surrounding area and three turbine engines. Externally, the Landspeeder X-34 looks stylish. Smooth body lines and correct proportions distinguish it. Thanks to the latter feature, Luke Skywalker's transport has excellent maneuverability and can accelerate to high speeds.

Taxi Cab («The Fifth Element»)

"The Fifth Element" is a cult sci-fi action movie from the 1990s that became one of Luc Besson's best works. This film quickly became a favorite of millions, and everything connected with it instantly gained popularity. One of the memorable objects used in "The Fifth Element" was the Taxi Cab, the owner of which was the main character, Korben Dallas (Bruce Willis).

As in many other films about the future, the car in "The Fifth Element" could fly. It moved quickly in dense air traffic and was distinguished by excellent maneuverability. Also, the Korben Dallas vehicle could perform vertical takeoff and landing. In general, the taxi car's capabilities were quite broad, but compared to other models of the 23rd century, and it is at this time that the events of the film take place, it was far from ideal.

The appearance of the Taxi Cab is not much different from the design of flying cars in other sci-fi films. Nevertheless, it looks pretty stylish, even though it is not intended for exhibitions but for simple passenger transportation. When creating Taxi Cab, its authors combined futuristic and retro design elements. This combination made it possible to show the key features of the appearance of cars in the future and reminded us that the transport driven by Bruce Willis is still a relatively old model.

Batmobile Tumbler («The Dark Knight»)

In the famous trilogy "The Dark Knight. V,» the main character is Batman, and viewers saw a unique car that became a cult movie vehicle. Batman used it during various missions to save our planet from villains.

This model was designed as an independent vehicle (previously, all Batmobiles were made based on some car from our reality). This made not only its capabilities unique but also its appearance. The stylish design of this car turned it into one of the most recognizable vehicles. Its huge rear wheels, powerful jet engine and futuristic body are difficult to confuse with anything. At the same time, the stylish design overshadowed the impracticality of this car, which is visible to experts. Although it was filled with various functions, it did not consistently demonstrate good maneuverability and the ability to pick up speed quickly.

Cars play an important role in many famous films. Very often, they even overshadow the main characters and become the central figure in the story. Filmmakers develop unique designs and transform simple vehicles into stylish, futuristic supercars to achieve this effect. In doing so, they sacrifice functionality, which is why movie cars would hardly be in demand among drivers of our time in real life. However, due to their unique style, they are immediately remembered by viewers and leave their mark on the history of cinema.