The 50 Greatest Cartoon Vehicles of All Time

As seen in: Gumby (1955–1989)

Gumby could slip and slide on his own, but his ability to glide had nothing on the car homie copped to race in. Burning rubber, hitting corners, you know how it goes.

As seen in: Family Guy (2001-2010)

Joe's wheelchair has allowed him to chase down criminals as well as do everything his Quahog friends are able to do: go to the strip club, go to the bar, and even dance and sing in a live musical show.

As seen in: Care Bears (1985)

Later remakes gave Care-a-Lot's inhabitants access to helicopters and jets, and other kind of high-tech transporation. But in the original, the only ride available to Tenderheart Bear, Grumpy Bear, Good Luck Bear, and the rest of 'em was a Cloud Car that ran on love. Or something. We're not sure. All we know is that it never required gas and came whenever it was summoned. GM, get on it.

As seen in: G-Force: Guardians of Space (1986)

This show wasn't very popular, so you probably know nothing about the ship the five teenager heroes used to traverse the stars and fight evil. But it was called the Phoenix and was sick. And huge. It was able to carry and deploy four small ships that would then be operated by the G-Force members. No need to call backup.

As seen in: Aqua Teen Hunger Force (2000–present)

Take a drive through any part of New Jersey and you'll find a bunch of haphazardly modified cars that look a lot like Carl's Ford Probe. Parked next door to Meatwad, Shake, and Frylock's crib, the "2 Wycked", as Carl calls it, is the douchebagiest ride in cartoon history. It's speckled with gaudy decals, rocks a rear-wing and hood-scoop for effect, and rides around on 13" gold hubcaps. No wonder if gets destroyed in almost every episode. It's awesomely horrible.

As seen in: Despicable Me (2010)

If you're on an endless quest to take over and destroy the world, it only makes sense that your car would assist you on that mission. Gru, the humpbacked star of <em>Despicable Me</em>, had the perfect whip to match his profession: a humongous, steel-clad, rocket-powered car that smashed and, or, eviscerated everything in its path. Al Gore would not approve.

As seen in: Biker Mice From Mars (1993–1996)

Nevermind the questionable premise of an alien race of motorsport-loving mice from Mars who come to earth after their race is wiped out by resource-stealing space thugs. Just understand how cool it was to see Throttle, Modo, and Vinnie riding around Chi-Town on bad-ass motorcycles on Saturday mornings.

As seen in: Fairly Odd Parents (2001–2010)

The result of a wish gone horribly wrong, Timmy's super bike was, to us, just a misunderstood monster. All it wanted to do was be the coolest bike in the eyes of its owners. What we couldn't understand was, why was the bike rocket-powered if Timmy still had to pedal it? Then again, asking why a bike with a talking human torso for handlebars has conflicting power sources is a bit ridiculous.

As seen in: The Real Ghostbusters (1986-1991)

You know the Ecto-1 from the 1984 film that this cartoon was based on. It's exactly the same: a Cadillac hearse converted into a police car for dead criminals who've come back to life. It's one of the coolest movie cars ever created, but in cartoon form it's able to do way crazier stunts like the above video demonstrates.

As seen in: The Tick: The Animated Series (1994-1996)

We always loved the Tick because he was a regular-ass dude who wanted to fight crime. Nothing exemplified that more than the episode where he and his sidekick Arthur borrowed Arthur's sister's car to shoot a documentary about the day in the life of a super hero. The was no real Tickmobile, just this regular car with a compass on the dash and wet wipes in the back seat. Honk if you like justice!

As seen in: Cars (2006)

Modeled after a NASCAR race car with hints of Dodge Viper and Chevrolet Corvette tossed in and named after the ultimate on-screen speedster, Steve McQueen, the star of Cars was as flashy as he was fast.

As seen in: Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors (1985)

Yeah, this show was only made to push Mattel's line of associated toys, but we didn't care. The entire cartoon was basically one long battle between two warring groups who fought with their dope rides, war-prepped machines. What more could you ask for?

As seen in: Captain America comics

What else would Steve Rogers ride? A Honda? Nah, America's foremost captain rode around on a Harley-Davidson specialized by S.H.I.E.L.D. that, in some iterations, even had a spot for his big-ass shield.

As seen in: Wacky Races (1968-1970)

They may have seemed like fun and marginally safe, but the Wacky Races were no joke. If someone bought the rights and made a live-action movie, we think it'd look something like Death Race. Racers had to fight off competitors while doing battle with the various terrain. If we had to pick one ride to try our luck with, it'd be Pat Pending's (get it?) whip. Able to ride on land, fly through the sky, and float on water, it was the perfect multi-purpose vehicle. No Mazda.

As seen in: Beetlejuice (1989–1991)

These days, automakers are working to make cars smarter than they ever were before. Back in '89 Beetlejuice had the same idea when he put together his drop-top dragster. Nicknamed Doomie, BJ gave the Dragster of Doom a brain. This idea tended to backfire on him, though, as Doomie would repeatedly disobey Beetlejuice, chase dogs, and chase female cars.

As seen in: Spongebob Squarepants (1999-present)

The ride of choice for Bikini Bottom's resident super heroes is so stealth, they can't even find it. In the few times we've caught a glimpse of Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy's Invisible Boatmobile we found out it looked like an old drop-top Caddy. We like our heroes to drive in style.

As seen in: Darkwing Duck (1991–1992)

Darkwing Duck was a very practical and frugal super hero. Instead of buying a larger car, he chose to cop a motorcycle with a seat in the back for his daughter, Gosalyn, and a sidecar for his sidekick, Launchpad McQuack. Hey, not every super hero can be a trust fund baby.

As seen in: TV Funhouse (2000-2001)

First, pause. Second, we give props to the Duo for having the, er, balls to rock out with such a suspect ride.

As seen in: Avatar: The Last Air Bender (2005-2008)

The only vehicle on this list without a motor, wheels, or wings, Ang's Flying Bison could fly or swim at breakneck speeds, and get your back when a fight broke out. Forget a dog, Appa is man's best friend.

As seen in: Speed Buggy (1970-1975)

Most of you may only know Speed Buggy from Adult Swim's Hanna-Berbera redux, Harvey Birdman Attorney at Law, but the peppy little fiberglass beach cruiser had its own show back in the day. A mash-up of Scooby Doo and Herbie the Love Bug, Speed Buggy was an intelligent little car that helped his crew solve crimes. Old school meets new school. That's what we call an OG.

As seen in: Bobby's World (1990–1998)

Before Howie Mandell completely succumbed to his OCD and went bald, dude made a dope cartoon staring a precocious little kid that went everywhere on his big wheel. It proved that when you're a kid, all you needed is a snack, your bike, and your stuffed animal. Word.

As seen in: Wacky Races (1968-1970)

Pat Pending's Convert-A-Car may be the most practical and ingenious car in the whole Wacky Race line-up, but the most gangster by far was Dick Dastardly's Evil Machine. Decked in all-black with tools made to inhibit other racers rather than make itself faster, the Evil Machine was the car everyone loved to hate. And the one we just loved.

As seen in: The Rugrats Movie (1998)

Oh how we wish we had a Reptar Wagon when we were younger. Stu Pickle's rugged ride was like a Power Wheels, but iller. Able to traverse forest land and wade through rapid tides, it made all our childhood ride-along toys seem like, well, child's play.

As seen in: Cars (2006)

Slow, rusted to a brown-ish, orange color and missing a hood, Mater was the complete opposite of Lightening McQueen. But we still rocked with him. He almost made us want to go out and cop a '50s GM truck and rat it out. We won't hold the fact that he was voiced by Larry the Cable Guy against him.

As seen in: M.A.S.K. (1985-1986)

Sigh, another cartoon used to pedal plastic automotive toys? Yep. Sadly, the '80s were full of them. M.A.S.K., Mobile Armored Strike Kommand, was one of the better ones. Well, not really, but the cars were cool. Especially the Back To the Future-looking coupe that could open its gull-wing doors, hit the thrusters, and take flight.

As seen in: ThunderCats (1985-1990)

Shaped like a cat about to pounce, and able to withstand the oncoming fire of almost any kind, the Thundertank helped the ThunderCats be even more badass. Yeah, we sometimes look back and shake out heads because the cartoon wasn't as good as we once thought it to be, but one thing can not be abated: the Thundertank still ain't nothing to fuck with.

As seen in: Futurama (1999–present)

If indeed the future has UPS and Fed-Ex delivering packages around around the cosmos, they could only hope for a ship as cool as Planet Express'.

As seen in: Darkwing Duck (1991–1992)

Darkwing Duck was basically a fowl version of Batman. So it only made sense that his vehicles of choice, like Batman's, resembled the animal his alter-ego was based on. For his supersonic jet plane, the Thunderquack, it looked just like a big duck head. We're not scientists, but we don't think the design was the most aerodynamic. Still dope, though.

As seen in: The Adventures of Jonny Quest (1964-1967)

Able to hit supersonic speeds and transport the entire Quest gang, the Quest Jet was one hell of a family car.

As seen in: Chip 'N Dale Rescue Rangers (1989)

For their company vehicle, the pint-sized gumshoes, Chip and Dale, had a blimp/plane built to get them from their tree-office to the scene of the crime. Kept afloat by a balloon and secured by four suction cups it was way better than rolling around in a hamster wheel.

As seen in: The Magic School Bus (1994-1997)

Imagine how much more attention you would have payed in school if your classroom was a bus that could magically transport you and your class to or inside of whatever you were learning about. We would have been on the honor roll every semester. Instead, we magically drifted away with the help of a little herbal remedies. Hey, whatever's clever, right?

As see in: Batman: The Animated Series (1992–1995)

What started as a simple red convertible has morphed into one of the most iconic fictional cars in history. Bruce Wayne's ride of choice has gone through many iterations since it first appeared in 1939, but our favorite is still the one that appeared in Batman: The Animated Series. Long, low-slung, and aerodynamic, the Batmobile was rocket-powered, rocked a couple machine guns to defend itself, a grappling hook, and crazy armor. The Tumbler is dope in its utilitarian workhorse cape, but we'd rather push the animated version on the regular.

As seen in: The Transformers (1984-1988)

Sadly, our image of Optimus Prime has been forever tarnished by Michael Bay. Yet and still, we like to remember the leader of the Autobots as one of the reasons—albeit a small one—we fell in love with cars in the first place. Every gearhead that grew up in the '80s had at least four or five Transformers toys. Looking back, it makes us want to shed a tear, and then dry that tear using the warmth from burning down Michael Bay's crib.

As seen in: The Flintstones (1960-1966)

Powered by nothing by Fred's feet, the Flintstones car was practical yet sophisticated. Think about it: in a world where dinosaurs still walked amongst humans, the Flintstones had a nice sedan with room for the whole fam. The car also inspired many a feet joke in the years to come. If only cavemen were really this cool.

As seen in: Wonder Woman (1975-1979)

It's an invisible jet. AN INVISIBLE JET. Not only is it the ultimate war machine, it's the coolest cartoon plane ever created.

As seen in: The Boondocks (2005-2010)

In a ploy to get more bitches, Granddad calls on the aid of the world's foremost expert on pimping people's rides: Xzibit. At Riley's recommendation, Granddad tells MTV that he's blind and that he needs to have his car and house upgraded. What he gets is a demolished house, but a car with a new paint job, new rims, a new engine, a new sound system, and new interior. Too bad MTV found out he was bluffing and billed him for the entire project. We hear it's hard for a pimp, but extra hard to get that dough.

As seen in: Inspector Gadget (1983-1986)

Able to transform from a car into a minivan, Inspector Gadget's ride was as versatile as he was. It's a shame he couldn't make it turn into a super car. That would have made it #1.

As seen in: Speed Racer (1967-1968)

Four jacks to boost the car into the air, belt tires for extra grip, cutter blades, an underwater oxygen supply—the Mach Five was the ultimate race car. Fast as hell, and dangerous as fuck, it made us idolize and hate Speed for having such an ideal ride.