Since the early days of cinema, movies have always featured automobiles. As the cars got cooler, they became as big of stars as their human counterparts. Just as actors have their own strong suits, like suspense, drama, or action, cars have been typecast. Goofy rides fill the comedic roles, while fast cars land the chase scene parts, and the A-list action stars are exotics and supercars.

A list of the best exotics could easily be filled entirely by the 2014 film, Need for Speed, and while it is represented, we’re striving for diversity. It’s also tempting to fill every entry with a killer ride from the Fast & Furious franchise, but again, this is about inclusion. As for James Bond, 007 gets plenty of love, but his signature Aston Martins are noticeably absent. There is no concrete definition for an exotic car, but the general consensus is it’s a supercar, and Aston Martins doesn’t seem to fit in that category.

The only two criteria for making this list are that the car is amazing, and it played an important role in an equally amazing film. Some consider the DeLorean from Back to the Future to be exotic, and while the movie is great, the car is tragically underpowered. With the rules of the road and the reel set, here are the greatest exotics to ever appear in a movie.

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In order to give you the most up-to-date and accurate information possible, the data used to compile this article was sourced from various manufacturer websites and other authoritative sources, including Automobile Catalog, Fastest Laps, and Road and Track. The cars have been ranked in chronological order of their film appearances.

10 Lotus Esprit

The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)

There were two Esprit cars in For Your Eyes Only, including one that exploded, but the money Lotus appeared in The Spy Who Loved Me. 007 movies are famous for gorgeous Bond Girls, cool gadgets, and hot rides. In the 1977 film, all three were combined in Bond’s white Lotus Esprit that fired missiles, turned into a submarine, and had Barbara Bach as a co-pilot.

Performance Specifications

(Data was collected from Automobile Catalog)

The Spy Who Loved Me is the film in which Roger Moore proved he was a worthy successor to Sean Connery, and also when the Lotus eclipsed Goldfingers’s Aston Martin DB5 as the coolest gadget-equipped 007 ride. Billionaire Tesla CEO, Elon Musk, bought the submarine version of the Lotus used in the film and was disappointed to learn it wasn’t an actual deep-sea diver.

• Six Esprits were used in the filming, but only one of them was actually operational
• The only driving Lotus in the film was loaned by Lotus Chairman Colin Chapman

9 Lamborghini Countach LP5000S

Cannonball Run (1981)

The 1981 comedy, Cannonball Run, based on a real-life underground cross-country race, featured some cool rides like a Ferrari 308 GTS, Chevrolet Chevelle Laguna, and Roger Moore’s character driving an Aston Martin DB5. In a departure from his Smokey and the Bandit days, however, Burt Reynolds’ character had the whiniest ride in the film, with a Dodge Tradesman ambulance.

Performance Specifications

(Data was collected from Automobile Catalog)

The Lamborghini Countach LP5000S driven by characters portrayed by Adrienne Barbeau and Tara Buckman, on the other hand,
was easily the most killer ride in the race. In his U.S. debut, Jackie Chan piloted a rocket-powered Subaru GL 4WD.

• Rat Pack members, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. drove the Ferrari in the film
• In his U.S. film debut, Jackie Chan piloted a rocket-powered Subaru GL 4WD

8 Ferrari 308GTSi

National Lampoon’s Vacation (1983)

The Ferrari 308GTSi was already a hot car, but it got downright sizzling in National Lampoon’s Vacation, with Christie Brinkley behind the wheel. In a hilarious subplot, the supermodel tormented Clark Griswald, played by Chevy Chase, for most of the movie by flirting with him, which made him do increasingly stupid things.

Performance Specifications

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(Data was collected from Automobile Catalog)

Brinkley, whose character in the film was named simply “The Girl in the Red Ferrari,” first caught Clark’s attention on the freeway in the 308GTSi, with a license plate that read “Love Me.” Distracted by her winks and blown kisses, at various points in the movie Clark almost hit a semi head-on, ate a sandwich drenched in dog urine, and ended up naked in a motel swimming pool.

• 1743 GTSis were made before being replaced by Magnum PI’s 308 Quattrovalvole in 1982
• In the 2015 sequel, Vacation, swimsuit model, Hannah Jeter, drives a 308 Quattrovalvole

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7 Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)

In the movie, the Ferrari is a character Cameron’s father’s prized possession, that gets “borrowed” for a day-long joyride and eventually ends up destroyed. Since real 1961 Ferrari 250 GTs go for $18 million and up, it made sense that the studio used fiberglass replicas. The film was made for a modest $5 million and ended up destroying two “Ferraris” which, if were real, would have erased the profit margin for the mild 80s hit.

• Cameron wears a Gordie Howe Redwings jersey, despite being in the heart of Chicago Blackhawks country
• The replica cars had Ford 302ci V-8s under their hoods

6 Koenigsegg CCXR Special Edition

Fast Five (2011)

The Koenigsegg CCX, which stands for Competition Coupé X, was a Swedish supercar produced from 2006 to 2010. The CCXR was a variant designed to run on biofuel and the CCXR Special Edition had a more powerful engine.

Performance Specifications

(Data was collected from Automobile Catalog)

Characters Roman and Tej have a friendly rivalry throughout the Fast & Furious films, and the fifth installment, involved Swedish supercars. Roman was bragging about his CCXR Special Edition, claiming it was one of only four in the world and the only one in the Western Hemisphere. Then Tej rolls out his Koenigsegg and corrects Roman that there are two in the Western Hemisphere. In reality, Tej’s car is a regular CCXR, so neither character’s numbers were correct.

• Koenigsegg CCXR cars sell for between $2.5 million and $4.8 million
• The Koenigsegg CCXR is one of the few cars not destroyed in the Fast & Furious franchise

5 Bugatti Veyron Super Sport

Need for Speed (2014)

Need for Speed has a 23 percent critic rating on Rotten Tomatoes with most reviewers complaining that the story was thin. The 2014 film was based on the popular video game franchise of the same name and starred Aaron Paul driving some truly amazing cars. It hit on all cylinders with thrilling race sequences, featuring killer exotics, and didn’t need a nuanced Shakespearean plot.

Performance Specifications

(Data was collected from Bugatti)

The movie is about a guy who enters an underground winner-take-all race to avenge the death of his friend, and that’s all the framework needed to showcase some spectacular exotics. As was mentioned in the opening, Need for Speed features a great number of impressive cars, including a Koenigsegg Agera R​​​​​​​ and a Lamborghini Sesto Elemento, but since those brands already have enough love on this list, the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport takes this spot.

• There are 25 installments in the Need for Speed video game franchise
• The Need for Speed video games have sold over 150 million copies

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4 Jaguar C-X75

Spectre (2015)

James Bond films use words like “gold” and “die” in their titles or have nonsense names like You Only Live Twice. Spectre, the 2015 entry of the franchise, was the most un-007 named film in the series Automobilesbeginningcarscinemacoolerfeaturedfrommoviestheyvery