Image: Lou Costabile via Youtube / Crockett Car Crash History And Fast & Furious Saga via Youtube / randomchannel137 via Youtube /OldCarMemories.com via Youtube
About This Quiz
"Turbo boost, KITT!" Do those words fill you with excitement, and maybe a touch of nostalgia for the halcyon days of the '80s, when a hot car was all you needed to get at least three or four seasons out of a TV show? If you've always been the type who paid as much attention to the cars and trucks the stars of the shows drove as you did to the shows themselves, you need to put the key in this quiz and fire it up!
Matching a vehicle to a show is more important than you might know. Can you imagine if Magnum, P.I. had driven around his lush Hawaiian locations in a Honda Civic or a Ford Crown Victoria? Sure, the 'stache would have still made the show cool, but the wheels Magnum was driving would have made him less than the icon of awesomeness he was.
You might automatically think of the "General Lee" that the Duke boys drove in The Dukes of Hazzard when you think of TV show cars, and for sure it's one of the most iconic (although you won't see it anymore thanks to that Confederate Flag on the roof). But there are hundreds more vehicles that starred in their shows, and we'll test your knowledge of the most famous here!
MadnessUS via Youtube
1975 Ford Gran Torino
Simon & Simon
Dynasty
Starsky & Hutch
Almost as big a star as the titular characters in Starsky & Hutch (1975-1979) was Starsky’s “striped tomato” Ford Gran Torino. Actor Paul Michael Glaser reportedly hated the car on first sight and even its later-model-year replacements with bigger engines.
Hill Street Blues
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NukezNitro via Youtube
The Mystery Machine
The Great Space Coaster
Scooby-Doo
The Mystery Machine is instantly recognizable as the Scooby gang’s groovy ride. Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy and Scooby always had a new mystery ahead in the psychedelically painted van of ambiguous make and model.
Captain Caveman
Loony Tunes
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Robert Videobob Moseley via Youtube
1983 GMC G-15
The A-Team
The A-Team (1983-1987) drove around in this flashy van, scaring off bad guys with homemade booby traps and by shooting near them (never at them). It had George “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” Peppard, Mr. “Rocky III” T, Dirk “Battlestar Galactica” Benedict, and … the guy who played Murdock.
The Punisher
The Addams Family
Life Goes On
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John Arehart via Youtube
1955 Chevrolet 6800 Superior Coach
The Partridge Family
This bus was what the musical Partridge Family drove around from gig to gig. In their very first episode, they bought the used school bus and gave it the colorful makeover you see here. Talk about mobile advertising.
The Brady Bunch
Eight Is Enough
Diff'rent Strokes
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Wiki Universe via Youtube
1986 Ferrari Testarossa
South of Sunset
When The Whistle Blows
The Ropers
Miami Vice
Sonny Crockett's white Testarossa took a 1980s-cool crime drama, Miami Vice, to the next level. The production actually used two of them on set. Never mind the fact that it would be hard to conceal an identity as an undercover narcotics cop for long even in a less flashy car, even in a city the size of Miami.
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1982 Pontiac Trans Am
Battlestar Galactica
Dallas
Knight Rider
The Knight Industries Two Thousand (KITT) was the artificially intelligent, talking car that helped David Hasselhoff fight the bad guys in Knight Rider (1982-1986). More recently, in 2008, NBC brought back Hasselhoff and KITT — this time in the form of a Shelby Mustang GT500KR — for a reboot pilot.
Full House
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Simpsonphile via youtube
The Homer
Futurama
The Simpsons
When Homer Simpson’s long-lost automaker half-brother “Unky” Herb invites him to design a new car, the result is The Homer. It’s everything Homer loves about automobiles, all in one striking $82,000 package. Predictably, the Edsel-like boondoggle ruins poor Unky Herb’s motor company.
Married With Children
Ren & Stimpy
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King Corvettes via Youtube
1980 Jeep CJ-7 Golden Eagle
The Dukes of Hazzard
Her good ol’ boy, former moonshine running cousins may have had a bright orange Dodge Charger, but Daisy Duke (Catherine Bach) had a curve-straightening, hill-flattening ride of her own. For much of The Dukes of Hazzard’s run (1979-1985), the short-short wearing heroine drove this “Golden Eagle” Jeep CJ.
Falcon Crest
The Wonder Years
Coy & Vance: Forbidden Love
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MyHotRodTV via Youtube
The Munster Koach
The Addams Family
Love, American Style
The Munsters
Fred Gwynne and Yvonne DeCarlo needed a family grocery-getter on The Munsters (1964-1966), so “Kustomizer” George Barris and company obliged with the frightfully memorable Munster Koach. Barris reportedly incorporated three Model Ts into the Ford-powered spookmobile.
Room 222
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Peter Morley via Youtube
Chevrolet Corvette
Route 66
Route 66 (1960-1964) helped to pioneer the genre of “a new town, a new adventure” on American TV, as well as the “odd couple road trip” trope. Well-off Tod Stiles and street tough Buz Murdock cruise America in a series of early-1960s Corvettes, finding drama and special guest stars at every turn.
The Twilight Zone
The Flying Nun
Bonanza
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Halscamp via Youtube
Willys U.S. Army Jeep
China Beach
Combat!
M*A*S*H
Two vehicles appear in most episodes of the TV series M*A*S*H (1972-1983): One is a Bell “chopper” bringing wounded soldiers to the Army hospital, but this is a quiz about cars, not helicopters. The other is an olive-drab jeep, the workhorse of the Army in Korea and other wars.
Tour of Duty
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Bigtruckseriesreview Motorsports via Youtube
1955 Lincoln Futura
The Green Hornet
Batman
Na na na na na na na na BAT-MANNN!!! In the campy Silver Age TV series Batman (1966-1968), this was the Batmobile. We would be proud to drive it down Main Street today.
The White Shadow
The Greatest American Hero
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Hagerty via Youtube
1966 Pontiac GTO convertible
Help!
The Monkees
There have been a number of Monkeemobiles over the years, but they’ve invariably combined a Pontiac GTO convertible with a distinctive, coach-like soft top. In the 1966-1968 TV series The Monkees, the original supercharged Monkeemobile gave way to more driver-friendly versions for the pop quartet.
A Hard Day's Night
Yellow Submarine
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CartoonsIntros via Youtube
Dune buggy, sentient
Captain Caveman
Speed Buggy
Hanna-Barbera made plenty of Saturday morning cartoon shows in the late 1960s and 1970s, and Speed Buggy was a 16-episode effort in 1973. The dune buggy “Speedy” had a trio of human passengers/friends, but his serious security vulnerabilities often led to him being p0wn3d by the bad guys.
Huckleberry Hound
Yogi Bear
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Car Chase Wonderland 2 via Youtube
1973 Plymouth Satellite
The Naked Gun
Airplane!
A Mighty Wind
Police Squad!
The 1982 TV show “Police Squad!” is one of the very few TV series that enjoyed more screen time in its movie spinoffs. Lt. Frank Drebin (Leslie Nielsen) managed to knock over trash cans with his pea-green 1973 Plymouth Satellite as often as possible.
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Car Chase Wonderland 2 via Youtube
1966 Chrysler Imperial Crown
Batman
The Saint
The Green Hornet
Radio and movie character The Green Hornet hit TV screens in 1966-1967, and his weaponized Black Beauty was this brand-new, crimefighting Chrysler. Yes, that was Bruce Lee as Kato, and yes, there was a two-part crossover episode with Adam West and Burt Ward from Batman.
I Spy
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Lou Costabile via Youtube
1965 Sunbeam Tiger
Get Smart
Would you believe…? Maxwell Smart, also known as Agent 86 of CONTROL, fought the nefarious forces of KAOS in the Mel Brooks/Buck Henry series Get Smart (1965-1970). He drove the comely Agent 99 (Barbara Feldon) around town in this smart Sunbeam Tiger, although it was replaced by a Karmann Ghia after the first couple seasons. As the accidentally lucky spy might say: “I asked you not to tell me that.”
Hart to Hart
My Two Dads
Saturday Night Live
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ScottieDTV via Youtube
1969 Dodge Charger
The Dukes of Hazzard
The “General Lee” was the signature ride of Bo and Luke Duke on The Dukes of Hazzard, (1979-1985). The jumpingest Charger in Hazzard County was a race car, so the titular “good ol’ boys” had to slip through the windows because the doors were welded shut.
Dallas
Falcon Crest
Dynasty
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Lou Costabile via Youtube
1957 Ford Thunderbird
$outh $ioux City
Kan$a$ City
Jer$ey Shore
Vega$
Private investigators always had distinctive cars in American TV shows, and Dan Tanna on Vega$ (1978-1981) was no exception. Robert Urich drove this gorgeous red 1957 Ford Thunderbird convertible in the desert’s own “Sin City.”
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CartoonsIntros via Youtube
Mach 5
Speed Buggy
Cool World
Watership Down
Speed Racer
Go, Speed Racer, go! Built by Pops Racer, the indomitable Mach 5 was up to the unique challenges of Japanese cartoon car racing. It had Auto Jacks to jump over opponents, a trunk big enough to smuggle a small child and a chimp, and whirling saw blades to dispatch small trees in the way. Oh, and it could turn into a submarine, too.
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trvsglr via Youtube
Coyote X
Josie & the Pussycats
Cagney & Lacey
Hardcastle & McCormick
Retired judge Milton C. Hardcastle and his vigilante weapon Mark McCormick needed a suitable ride to thwart the baddies. Presenting the inconspicuous, unassuming, sneak-up-on-the-bad-guys Coyote X. The original was a kit car incorporating a Porsche engine in a Volkswagen chassis.
Dharma & Greg
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aKolkaa via Youtube
1986 Fleetwood Bounder
Barney Miller
Iron Fist
Breaking Bad
What better place to cook crystal meth than in a classic RV out in the desert? Breaking Bad’s Walter White and his erstwhile partner Jesse Pinkman donned hazmat suits to make batches of “Heisenberg’s Blue Sky' in this Fleetwood Bounder.
Game of Thrones
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Jay Wolf via Youtube
1982 GMC Sierra
The Fall Guy
After he was The Six-Million Dollar Man, Lee Majors became Colt Seavers The Fall Guy (1981-1986). He was a Hollywood stuntman by day, and his expertise just happened to come in handy for his night job: bounty hunting. Quite often, this involved his sadly abused truck.
F/X
Night Court
The Adventures of Briscoe County, Jr.
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BlueLineClassics via Youtube
1951 Ford F1
Chico & the Man
BJ & the Bear
Police Woman
Sanford & Son
“I’m comin’, Elizabeth!” Fred Sanford may have bluffed about his heart attacks, but automotive-minded viewers didn’t have to simulate their palpitations at the sight of his 1951 Ford F1 truck in Sanford & Son (1972-1977). Lamont, his son and exasperated business partner, drove the iconic red pickup in the opening credits.
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singlecams via Youtube
Freightliner FL86
Transformers
The first TV series of The Transformers (1984–1987) featured a host of robots that could disguise themselves in the forms of cars and trucks. Fan favorites over time included Bumblebee, Kup and Arcee, but it's the O.G. of the Autobots — Optimus Prime — who tops the list. He could transform into a cab-over Freightliner semi truck, but he always had his robot form and a big blaster ready for action.
Taxi
Thundercats
Tarzan
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OldCarMemories.com via Youtube
Pontiac Firebird Esprit
The Rockford Files
James Garner played Jim Rockford, an ex-con turned dirt-cheap private detective, on The Rockford Files (1974-1980). He drove this Pontiac Firebird to get around town, usually with stunt maneuvers and high-speed pursuits.
The Big Valley
Maverick
Too Close for Comfort
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anjelojetta via Youtube
Kenworth K-100 Aerodyne
B.J. and the Bear
This 1979-1981 show had it all: a hot semi truck, a hunky lead actor (Greg Evigan) and a chimp. The show's title even followed the “nickname-and-the-nickname” convention, which was practically a requirement in the 1970s.
Smokey & the Bandit
Delta House
3-2-1 Contact
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Ideal Classic Cars via Youtube
1921 Oldsmobile Model 43-A
The Dick Van Dyke Show
The Beverly Hillbillies
Another creation by the legendary George Barris and crew. The family jalopy carted around the Beverly Hillbillies (1962-1971) as the nouveau-riche fish out of water.
The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour
Gidget
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Jay Leno's Garage via Youtube
1962 Volvo P1800
Real Genius
Tombstone
The Saint
Before he was one of the many James Bonds, Roger Moore was The Saint (1962-1969). The modern-day paladin helped to right wrongs and fleece upper-crust thieves, all the while driving a sharp Volvo.
Top Gun
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CartoonsIntros via Youtube
1973 Dodge Open Road
Land of the Lost
The Hudson Brothers Razzle Dazzle Show
Shazam!
Shazam! This distinctive RV graced the 1974-1976 live-action Saturday morning kids’ show, the kind where everyone always wore the same outfit week after week. Billy Batson drove around with his proto-Obi-Wan figure named Mentor, saying the magic word that would transform him into the superhero Captain Marvel (the DC Comics one).
Hot Hero Sandwich
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BEAST GARAGE via Youtube
1989 BMW 525i
Seinfeld
This poor, unassuming BMW became irrevocably known as “The Smelly Car” in a 1993 episode of Seinfeld (1989-1998). After being parked by a valet, the Bavarian status symbol takes on an offensive odor that affects the social lives of everyone even remotely connected to it. In the end, even when practically handed the keys, a random car thief gets grossed out by the stench of the 5-Series he’s attempting to steal.
Friends
Will & Grace
Romper Room
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MyHotRodTV via Youtube
1964 Drag-U-La
Monster High
The Munsters
The Munster Koach was a hit, so the production team once again tapped George Barris’s “Kustomization” shop to create Grandpa Munster’s Drag-U-La (get it?). That’s an actual fiberglass coffin forming the car body, and those are organ pipes on either side instead of the typical drag exhaust tips.
Felicity
The Addams Family
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randomchannel137 via Youtube
Ford F350 stair car
M*A*S*H
WKRP in Cincinnati
The West Wing
Arrested Development
One of Arrested Development’s best running gags is the Bluth Company stair car, left behind after the family’s legal woes oblige them to sell off the company plane. Jason Bateman’s protagonist Michael often has to drive the stair car around town, plagued by “hop-ons” (people catching a free ride on the back).
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TheSmokingTire via Youtube
Ferrari 308 GTS/GTSi
Magnum, P.I.
Tom Selleck became a household name as Magnum, P.I. in the 1980-1988 TV series. The Hawaii-based private investigator rocked a Ferrari 308 GTS or GTSi as the series progressed.
Murder, She Wrote
One Day at a Time
Matlock
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ComicBookCast2 via Youtube
Ford Econoline
Jessica Jones
The Defenders
The Punisher
Netflix’s acclaimed series The Punisher (2017) grounds the Marvel Comics character in realism, and that goes double for vigilante Frank Castle’s Battle Van. In the comics, it was a succession of high-tech, armored battle wagons, replete with machine guns and even a grenade launcher. In the Netflix series, a spinoff of Daredevil Season 2, the van was … pretty much a van.
Luke Cage
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Kim Baker via Youtube
Lotus 7 Series II
The Prisoner
This Lotus 7 kit car appears in the opening credits of the U.K. series The Prisoner (1967-1968). As the titular character Number Six (Patrick McGoohan) tells its apparent new owner in one episode, “I know every nut and bolt and cog. I built it with my own hands.” If only it had a rear bumper sticker saying “Be seeing you.”
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
The Carol Burnett Show
The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour
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Doug DeMuro via Youtube
BMW Isetta
Diff'rent Strokes
The Dukes of Hazzard
Full House
Family Matters
It’s the Urkel Car! This oddball, postwar European vehicle is as iconoclastic and unique as Steve Urkel himself. It appeared in several episodes of the TV series Family Matters (1989-1998).
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wranglersnmt via Youtube
1979 Dodge Power Wagon
Simon & Simon
Mount a wrecker bumper on the front of a Dodge Power Wagon, and you have the beginnings of greatness. Gerald “Major Dad” McRaney and Jameson Parker portrayed battling brothers in the hit series Simon & Simon (1981-1989).
B.J. and the Bear
Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry
Hardcastle & McCormick
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Consumer Reports via Youtube
Mercedes-Benz ML350
30 Rock
The Office
Parks & Recreation
She’s got a serious case of the Benz. Donna Meagle, played by standup comedian Retta, adores her Mercedes-Benz M-Class SUV, and (over-)reacts when it’s damaged or in danger of becoming so.
Mr Bean
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Mostly Simpsons via Youtube
Canyonero
Family Guy
Futurama
The Simpsons
The Simpsons’ perennial sad sack Krusty the Clown occasionally came into a bit of luck, like surviving yet another heart attack or coming into possession of a sweet ride like the gargantuan Canyonero. Its interior was roomy enough to impress young Bart Simpson, and it even had a Western theme song: “Can you name the truck with four-wheel drive, smells like a steak and seats 35? Canyoneroooooo.”
Robot Chicken
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Lou Costabile via Youtube / Crockett Car Crash History And Fast & Furious Saga via Youtube / randomchannel137 via Youtube /OldCarMemories.com via Youtube