10 Most Iconic Cars From The Animated Past

Often, fond memories of festivals come from our childhood days, where one could throw caution to the wind and be wholly immersed in the celebration. Hence, while discussing Holi at the ZigWheels office, we drifted into our childhood memories. And being the car nuts that we are, we started discussing the good old era of animated shows and the cars they featured. From the ghost-fighting Mystery Machine to the folding-into-a-suitcase Jetson's car, these 10 animated machines had us hooked. Time then to drive into nostalgia with these 10 iconic rides.

1. Scooby Doo’s Mystery Machine

Dating back to 1969, ‘Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!’ is a show that we have all watched and adored. The gang - Shaggy, Fred, Scooby, Velma, and Daphne - solves a lot of mysteries driving along in the blue-green van, unmasking criminals and bringing them to justice. Because of its conventional shape, fans have gone ahead and brought the iconic livery to life on vans like the Ford E200. While the show might not be airing on Cartoon Network anymore, the Mystery Machine will forever be the ultimate ‘Hippie Van’ for us.

2. Fred Flintstone’s Footmobile

The Flintstones showcased a very modern stone age where Fred and Wilma lived with more modern animated machines than what you and I have today. The best of these were the cars, especially Fred’s Footmobile. While you might have questions about the practicality of the concept -- wouldn't it be simpler to walk to a place rather than pull a car -- it was a point of obsession for an 8-year-old. The car ran on two rollers and was powered by the owners themselves. This was reassuring given the fact that most fuels today are made up of decomposing dinosaurs, which the Flintstones had as pets. Made of wood and stone, the Fred Footmobile has a permanent space in the cartoon car hall of fame.

3. Jetsons Flying Aerocar

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A show back in 1962, about a future set in 2062, the Jetsons predicted numerous things right, like flat-screen hanging TVs, smartwatches, video calling and talking alarm clocks, even dense pollution, but wasn't quite able to get the car right. Or did it? With 43 years still remaining, the Jetsons Aerocar could indeed become a reality for the 1 per cent of the world. Personalised air travel isn't uncommon these days and with roof-top helipads getting common, who is to counter that we might not see people flying to work every day in what could be called an ‘Aerocar.’ As far as space travel is concerned, you’ve read the headlines.

4. Batman: The Animated Series Batmobile

Arguably the most iconic name in the superhero universe, Batman and his Batmobile have had a number of iterations in various series. The one I remember most clearly from my childhood is the one from The Animated Series. The stealth black, crime fighting, guns firing, rocket launching, long-ass car belong to none other than Batman. With trustworthy Robin by his side, the duo took on all possible villains, with the Batmobile have the most epic entry in the episode, at all times. To the younger me, it became a symbol of relief that Batman was going to be alright.

5. Speed Racer’s Mach Five

If you were remotely interested in cars while growing up, the Mach Five would’ve surely been one of your dream cars. With a lot of tricks up its sleeve, or say bodywork, the Mach Five could cut through rocks, jump across large gaps and could do almost everything to get Speedy across the finish line before any of his rivals. And all of this, by pressing buttons on the steering wheel. Today, Lewis Hamilton does the same thing on his Formula 1 car, minus the theatrics. Simply owning a small toy Mach Five used to count as street cred. In a quest to uncover the secret of Racer X, the Mach Five and Speed Racer left no stone or car unturned. Go Speed Racer, go!

6. Mr Bean’s Green Mini

Mr Bean is one of the most peculiar characters in the cartoon universe. Brought to life by Rowan Atkinson, the Animated Series too uses the same mute character to bring a smile on the face of younger audiences. Always by his side in his innocent adventures was Teddy and his green Mini with a blacked out bonnet. In the movie, while Mr Bean can be seen driving the car from a couch on the roof, things go a little further in the animated series, with the car often being loaded with a variety of oversized luggage. And not to mention, the poor Reliant Robin which always fell victim to the Mini’s near escape. If I ever end up getting a Mini for myself, you now know what paint scheme it's going to follow.

7. Lightning McQueen

While I believe that the Lightning McQueen needs a few more years to earn the coveted feather in its hat, the younger members of the team who have probably just hit puberty think differently. Nevertheless, the reason McQueen is on this list is the fact that it has changed how we have come to see animated talking cars. Talking cars have always had their eyes where the headlamps have been, like for example the characters from Bob The Builder. But the Cars series used the windscreen for the eyes, which the younger generation now assumes is the default way of presentation. While I don't have reservations to the new layout, I can see this new technique carrying on with future series as well.

8. BumbleBee

After a successful array of movies and a spinoff, BumbleBee is no niche character. The loyal Autobot with a yellow paint scheme always seems to find a Chevrolet Camaro to transform into. Before the movies though, BumbleBee started off as a humble Beetle and was showing his heroics in the animated series, Transformers: Robots in Disguise, which still remains one of my favourite cartoon series.

9. Hachi-Roku, Initial D

Developed with inputs from professional drifters and with a keen eye to get the driving details right, Initial D is probably THE cult anime series for car lovers. In fact, while the location names of the mountains and roads in the series had been changed, the roads were still based on actual roads used by illegal racers and drifters in Japan. At the centre of it all is the Toyota Sprinter Trueno AE86, a.k.a. Hachi-Roku. Driven by a delivery boy, the series takes the white and black Toyota in the world of underground drifting with some serious sideways action. I won't spoil it for you any further. If you love driving, this is one anime series you have to watch.

10. Swat Kats - Turbo Kat

Yes, we know it’s an aircraft. But this fighter jet is the most iconic machine from the cartoon universe and no child who has seen the series did not want to be not one of the Swat Kats. A plane built from parts scavenged from a junkyard, the Turbocat is the hi-tech warplane piloted by Furlong/T-Bone. While most of my memories of the series are in Hindi, the opening soundtrack is something which isn't restricted by any language and just unites the entire office.

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