Admit it, animated cartoon car characters are simply the best.
The bright colours, the high-speed and the killer attitude, we bet you wanted to ride these cars when you were little.
Or maybe you still do, we don’t judge here.
Honestly, we feel the same. Our love for animated cars knows no bounds.
Plus, in the animated world, car’s can be more than just car’s. They can be flying cars, have superpowers, transform into other things, can talk, and so be so many things.
Cartoon car characters embody everything you want them to be. So let’s dig deep into the best car characters we’ve got to cherish.
Pick your favourite car from these top 10 cartoon car characters of all time.
1: Lightning McQueen, Cars
It would be unfair to not give the first spot to any car other than Lightning McQueen. Pixar’s masterpiece!
Lightning McQueen took the world by storm when starring in the animated Pixar film- Cars, and its sequels Cars 2, and Cars 3.
Montgomery “Lightning” McQueen in an anthropomorphic car, i.e someone who has human attributes like emotions.
Lightning is what you expect a Nascar car can be, a hotshot rookie with a loud, arrogant and slightly dim personality.
Underneath lies a beautiful soul who discovers that life is about the journey, not the finish line.
The creators behind McQueen were inspired by sports cars like Mazda MX-5 and Dodge Viper. You can see it in the friendly face.
Many people confuse the inspiration behind the name of Lightning McQueen. Unfortunately, it wasn’t named after the great Steve McQueen, rather Pixar animator Glenn McQueen who passed away in 2002.
This stunning red car cartoon character with big, bright eyes with a buttery smile will take you for a ride. You can only imagine good times.
2: The Mystery Machine, Scooby-Doo
Can you be a group of teenagers, a mystery-solving squad, without a great mystery machine? Nope!
No cartoon character driving a car is cooler than the Mystery Machine from Scooby-Doo. It’s been a companion for the last 50 years, I googled.
This famous medium blue van with green accents and funky orange flowers was owned by a travelling family band called the Mystery kids. Thus, the name.
It was painted by lead pianist, Flash Flannigan and eventually sold to Fred Jones, the leader of Mystery Inc – your favourite group of nosy teenagers solving supernatural crimes.
There’s simply nothing to hate about the Mystery Machine, the vast accommodating seats, the vivid colours with prints and the fun adventures it brings you on.
If anything, you are desperate to have one van for yourself.
There’s a lot of “mystery” behind what kind of vehicle Mystery Machine was. It looked very similar to the 1960s-era panel vans but there are not enough details to confirm the van’s model or year.
Some fans believe the van is inspired by Dodge A 100 while others day Chevy G-Body Van.
The aesthetic of the van was incredibly brilliant, it matched the show vibe. The Mystery Machine however changes a bit over time.
Not too much though, it almost always had the signature green and blue paint job, with a green and orange Mystery Machine decal placed on the side.
3: Batmobile
Clearly, Batmobile is the most stylish car to exist in animation history.
It’s everything a Superhero car must-have. It’s a badass, slick, and modern car.
Made for the rare! The Batmobile is as iconic as the person who drives it – Batman.
Within the animation, the Batmobile has undergone several rebirths. Each time tasking the viewer’s breath away.
It’s changed drastically from a concept car to a sports car, with a few tanks thrown in there.
Regardless of the change, bat-emblems or efficiency remained an integral part of the vehicle’s history. Even with the dozen different Batmobile versions, each one contains its own sense of uniqueness and coolness.
Although the Batman comic strip started in 1939, Batmobile only showed up two years later.
The craze for Batmobile took off and never took a turn since. The Batmobile now also has its own cartoon, showcasing the story of the heroic vehicle from DC Comics.
The show is called Batwheels and it’s an animated preschool series from Warner Bros. Kids dig cool cars too.
The real-life versions of Batmobiles are simply too many. Sold in millions across the globe to Batman enthusiasts.
Till today, Batmobile remains an iconic superhero cartoon car character in all of pop culture.
For over 75 years, the Batmobile raced across the pages of Batman comics and made a place in comic’s history.
4: BumbleBee, Transformers
Bumblebee from the Transformer is one of the beefiest, the most alpha cartoon car characters. It’s just difficult not to love Bumblee, especially with that name.
This little yellow dude is the most wholesome car you’ve ever come across. He’s an underdog, a small and the weakest transformer of all.
But his heart is humongous, filled with great bravery and compassion. BumbleBee is the purest, and gentle friend you want to have near you.
If you didn’t know, Bumblebee has 6 different alternative modes. The most iconic is the original, small and reliable yellow Volkswagen Beetle.
It was the closest alternative that matched his personality.
With the most heroic heart and puppy dog’s loyalty, Bumblebee was simply adorable.
Nowadays, it’s known as a modern Chevrolet Camaro due to the Michael Bay live-action movie franchise.
Don’t worry, it still has its bright yellow colour, only a few modifications have been done to it.
Spoiler alert! Despite the death of Bumblebee in comics, he’s the only one of the original Autobots to survive in the live-action film series.
As far as our research, Bumble seems to be almost four million years old. Which isn’t a bad age for your favourite cartoon car character.
However, you might struggle with getting the warranty of the car.
5: The Leyland Mini 1000 Mark IV, Mr Bean
Mr Bean is a character that almost everyone is familiar with.
Whether you are a fan of the live version or the animated series, his signature brown coat, the iconic teddy bear and the lime green car are simply unmistakable.
The memories of his Mini car or the Leyland Mini 1000 Mark IV is printed in every Mr Bean fan.
The green mini was the centre to several of his antics, such as Mr Bean getting dressed in the car, attempting to avoid car park fees, or driving with an armchair strapped to the roof of the car.
The car’s always been there!
We are pretty sure everyone has a memorable episode running in their mind with the car being dragged through Mr Bean crazy adventures.
This green two-door car of Mr Bean has only been driven by him. Of Course, accompanied by Mr Teddy Bear.
The Leyman Mini was launched in 1977 and manufactured in Mini’s Great Britain plant. The car has a 1-litre petrol engine to generate power of 35 hp and a torque figure of 70Nm.
The Leyman Mini could hit a top speed of 130 kmph and had a front-wheel-drive setting. Perfectly cosy to accompany a young bachelor and his teddy bear.
6: Gru’s Car, Despicable Me
From the animated film “Despicable Me”, Gru, the villain turned loving father, was armed with his Grumobile.
A large, rocket-powered car that was his primary vehicle to launch attacks. It’s one of the coolest automobiles to have as a villain.
Grumobile was just like Gru’s personality, sharp and explosive. It was a sort of land-speed car, extremely bulky and oversized.
With a metallic slug, rear-mounted jet engine and flame-throwing features, the car gave the right amount of intimidation required to scare away your opponent.
Gru drove around Grumobile without shame for his evil acts as well as driving the kids to Super Silly Fun land.
Yes, it’s something we have to get used to with people like Gru. There’s almost always flame coming out of the Grumobile.
When he drives the Grumobile away from Miss Hatte’s Home for Girls, after adopting the girls, the flame burns the child’s balloon while driving away.
Every ride in Grumobile is designed to be a fun time.
Whether you are making a daring escape or breaking the speed barrier or picking up the kids from school, just take the Grumobile for a spin.
Yes, it might block the traffic and cover a lot of space and might cause accidents, it was however designed by Gru so expect some inconveniences along the way.
7: ECTO-1, Ghostbusters
If it’s from Ghostbusters, then it’s definitely a great vehicle.
The ECTO-1 in Ghostbusters was an ambulance/hearse inspired from 1959 Cadillac chassis, brought by Dr Ray Stantz.
The cartoon version of ECTO-1 ran for five years from 1889 and won an Emmy Award as well.
ECTO-1 is always an integral part of the Ghostbusters film, whether it’s the cartoon, Bill Murray’s Ghostbusters 1984 movie or Ghostbusters 2016 version.
The ECTO-1 had a brand new front end with blush push bumpers, winch and square-shaped headlights.
It also featured small and modern equipment tied onto the roof, complete with roll-cage. The car’s paint is off-white with big red lightbars.
ECTO-1 has since undergone several modifications, each time designed with the latest upgrade.
At its core, ECTO-1 is the perfect cartoon car character you wish to drive in while catching ghosts in town. A cool car for a cool job.
The paint job is stunning, genius design work to draw attention with its unique red lights and modern equipment kept on the roof.
Whether you watch the all-women Ghostbusters, 2016 version or Bill Murray 1984 all-men version, or the best, the animated series 1986, the car design always stands out.
The car’s off-white colour and red lights are always a part of the conversion.
8: The Jetsons’ Flying Car, The Jetsons
Yes, it’s an arguable fact that the Jetsons vehicle is a car or just a vehicle with wheels on for landing or a briefcase.
But when you dig deeper into the show, you’ll realise the word “flying car” is thrown around here and there, mostly in every newspaper and magazine story.
It’s 2021 and we’ve hardly seen any car flying in the sky. The 1960s however were ahead with the concept of flying cars.
If anything, flying cars were great for travelling to work, at least for the Jetsons.
Every morning, George Jetson will get into his flying car, fly to work and shrink into the size of a briefcase to bring into the office.
How convenient!
The Jetsons created the most innovative item which is still anticipated to become true.
With an optimistic view of technology and the future, the Jetsons embarked on their journey in their flying cars.
This speedy car cartoon character made their transpiration aerial, a lot more comfortable and adventurous for the most part.
The Jetsons vision of the future was showcased in the beautiful car called Jetsons Flying car which was thrilling to imagine and think about the changes in future.
For the viewers, the flying car became a medium to think about the future and the technology’s impact on making human life better.
Most importantly, how cool flying cars are in general.
The Jetsons however fell short on emailing and texting, which consumes 90% of our life nowadays.
9: Flintstone Mobile, The Flintstones (1960)
If you remember the Flintstones, congrats, you had great taste in cartoons.
It was such a great time when you think about it. The age of innocence and pure fun.
The fans of the show can even sing the first few lines of the theme song. It’s catchy and fun to sing along with.
The greatest thing to find relevant in a stone age cartoon was the choice of the car. The Flintstone mobile ran two feats, and the ride was always high quality.
The Flintmobile or the Cavemobile is one of the iconic vehicles owned by Mr Fred Flintstone.
The Cave Mobile is Fred’s car and he often uses it for his transportation.
For instance, Fred’s takes the Cave Mobile to work every day and travels back to work and other places like Bedrock, Bedrock Drive-In Theater, and many more.
Very similar to what you do with your car. Except Fred’s car is made up of sticks and stones.
He even tags along with his best friend, Barney Rubble and his wife Wilma for a wonderful drive.
In all sense, Cavemobile is the most simple yet stunning cartoon car character to exist.
Sure, it has no motor. And yes the entire car can be destroyed by a rack of Bronto-ribs but was it an excellent ride to drive during prehistoric times.
Yes, most definitely.
Long before Ford, Audi or Tesla hit the market, there was a growing demand for Cave Mobile. The foot-powered car that brought the revolution.
10: Quagmire’s ’57 Chevy (Family Guy)
The family guy and the adventures of the Griffin family revolves around driving in their 1957 Chevrolet car, introduced in 1956 by General motors.
The father, Peter Griffin, a bumbling and clumsy but a good guy in general, has a blue-collar job, with a beautiful car to drive around.
The shiny red cars have a series of fun stories to tell you. The poor Belair convertible hosted Quagmire’s series of conquests.
It’s one of the treasured vehicles of Family guy.
Conclusion
Cars, whether real-life versions or animated, are always fun to watch. Some you can buy while others you can simply rave about to have in real life.
Cartoon car characters are a treat to the eyes, it helps you relive your childhood experience and bring abundant joy.
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