Lightning McQueen - Cars
Lightning McQueen may be the most popular talking car on screen these days, but he raises a lot of concerning questions. Where are all of the people in this universe? Who built these cars - or if nobody did, where do more cars come from?
And what’s up with the trailer for Cars 3, where the lovable goofball race car with Owen Wilson’s voice is horrifically torn apart in a realistic, slow-motion car crash? That’s the stuff nightmares are made of.
KITT - Knight Rider
The Knight Industries Two Thousand helped Michael Knight in his missions as a crimefighter working for an eccentric billionaire in Knight Rider. It also helped David Hasselhoff onstage at his musical engagements.
This 1982 Pontiac Trans Am was voiced by William Daniels and sported more gadgets and abilities than an entire Justice League’s worth of heroes.
Optimus Prime - Transformers
The Transformers are robots from the distant planet Cybertron, who for some reason can shape-shift into modern cars from the Planet Earth. Even with the in-universe explanations, it doesn’t make a ton of sense. But it doesn’t need to.
But it doesn’t need to. All that matters is that this Kenworth K100 truck gave his life to save his planet and his people.
Turbo Teen - Turbo Teen
WHAT?! WHY? WHAT IS ANY OF THIS AND WHY DID IT HAPPEN?
THIS IS BODY HORROR ON A SCALE BEYOND ANYTHING CRONENBERG COULD HAVE EVER IMAGINED.
Herbie - The Love Bug
Herbie the Love Bug doesn’t talk, but he definitely has a mind of his own. This Volkswagen Beetle appeared in the last live-action film that Walt Disney ever had a hand in making.
He escaped from an unpleasant owner and went on to win races, bring true love together, and star in five sequels and a short-lived TV series.
Christine - Christine
Steven King and John Carpenter sound like a dream team, and depending on who you ask, they are. But this odd movie about a murderous 1958 Plymouth Fury is one of the more divisive Steven King adaptations out there.
Like Herbie, Christine doesn’t talk, she just does what she wants. Unlike Herbie, what she wants to do is some unaliving.
The Talking Car - The Talking Car
This baffling 1969 public service announcement sees a little boy almost get hit by a car after running into the street.
He’s visited in a dream, Scrooge-style, by three cars (from the 1920s, ‘40s, and ‘60s, respectively) with terrifying animated faces that teach him (and his dog, for some reason) the “see and be seen” rules of road safety.
Benny the Cab - Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
Who Framed Roger Rabbit? Is a masterpiece, and Benny the Cab is a standout part of it. This worn-down cab has exactly the attitude you’d expect from a car that’s been working the streets of LA for 37 years.
Voiced by Charles Fleischer, the short-tempered taxi helps Roger and Eddie Valiant escape the murderous Judge Doom. Benny’s not front and center like Herbie, but he’s every bit as memorable.
Speed Buggy - Speed Buggy
Speed Buggy’s main character was voiced by legendary Looney Tunes voice actor Mel Blanc, and that’s sort of the most memorable part about the whole show.
One of Hanna-Barbera’s less ambitious efforts (let that sink in) Speed Buggy basically cloned the Scobby-Doo gang, replaced the dog with a car, and dropped them into plots recycled from a third Hanna-Barbera show, Josie and the Pussycats.
Creech - Monster Trucks
This one’s sort of odd. Lucas Till and Jane Levy are in a movie called Monster Trucks, about a truck with an actual (friendly) monster inside it.
We've never actually seen it, so we can't say how it all goes over. But even though the movie has everyone from Rob Lowe to Danny Glover in it, Paramount doesn’t seem incredibly confident about it. We aren't too sure either.