Which Car Brands Have Appeared Most Often in Movies and on TV?
While we’ve often discussed the top movie cars of all time — focusing on such things as James Bond’s Aston Martin DB5, Steve McQueen’s Ford Mustang in Bullitt, the VW Beetle as Herbie the Love Bug and Doc Brown’s DeLorean in the Back to the Future movies — it’s not often that we consider which car brands have been depicted most often in movies and on TV.
In research conducted on the Internet Movie Cars Database for At The Drive-In, a list of the top 50 car brands seen most often in international films and television series has been compiled.
“Cars have played a significant role in some of the most-famous movies and TV shows of all time and often end up taking center stage and becoming one of the most memorable aspects for the audience,” the researchers said in a news release.
The list focuses on the top 3 brands seen on the big and little screens because they far and away have the most numerous sightings.
The top brand by a long shot is Ford, which has tabulated 61,683 appearances, the results show. But while the researchers chalk up the lofty number to some of the top-billed appearances, such as the Bullitt Mustang and the Thunderbird convertible in Thelma and Louise, one must consider which Ford is most often seen in films and TV shows: the ubiquitous Crown Victoria police cruiser.
The 1975 Ford Gran Torino in the 'Starsky and Hutch' TV show, with Paul Michael Glaser and David Soul | Walt Disney Television archive
