6 Christmas movie cars to hit the road with holiday cheer

The long wait is over and Christmas is finally here. Did Kris Kringle deliver that Ferrari you’ve been longing for? No? Then you could probably use a collector car pick-me-up right about now. The quickest fix might be to watch a holiday movie that features a cool automobile or two.

We already shined the spotlight on an iconic movie car last week: the 1919 Dodge Brothers touring car that Jimmy Stewart drove in It’s A Wonderful Life. But there are so many more great Christmas movies to warm our hearts and rev our engines. Below are some of our favorites.

If we missed one that you love, please share it in the comment section below.

Christmas Vacation (1989)

It isn’t quite as hideous as the Wagon Queen Family Truckster in National Lampoon’s Vacation, but Clark Griswold’s Christmas transportation is equally questionable and nearly as ugly: a 1988 Ford Taurus wagon.

The car’s most memorable scene is near the beginning of the movie when the family is on its way to cut a Christmas tree. When Clark gets competitive and starts a race with a pair of pickup-driving rednecks, he finds himself trapped under a log-hauler before finally freeing the car from the mess—only to go off road and airborne before skidding to a stop in the Christmas tree lot. (Christmas movie trivia: Tim Allen also rocked a Taurus in The Santa Clause.)

And then there’s Cousin Eddie’s 1972 Condor II RV. We never actually see it move—frankly, we’re not sure it can—but what a scene stealer. Especially when Eddie decides it’s time to do a little “maintenance” and grabs the attention of the nosy neighbors and Clark, who explains to Ellen what he’s looking at: “Oh, the silent majesty of a winter’s morn, the clean, cool chill of the holiday air, and an a**hole in his bathrobe emptying a chemical toilet into my sewer.”

A Christmas Story (1983)

The beloved Christmas classic may be about a 9-year-old boy’s quest for a Red Ryder BB gun, but the family car—Old Man Parker’s 1937 Oldsmobile Six—played a central role in the story. It also had everything to do with Ralphie’s mouth-watering encounter with Lifebuoy soap after he spilled the lug nuts while helping his father change a tire and blurted out “the ‘F-dash-dash-dash’ word!”

Equally as fun was the Old Man’s contemptuous relationship with the Oldsmobile. “That (blank) Olds has froze up again! That son of a (blank) would freeze up in the middle of summer on the equator!”

Scrooged (1988)

Thirty years ago, David Johansen of the New York Dolls (aka Buster Poindexter) scared the hell out of Bill Murray by taking him on a wild ride in a 1970s Checker taxi cab. If you’ve taken a cab in New York, you know that Johansen’s risky driving (as the Ghost of Christmas Past) isn’t far from reality.

Die Hard (1988)

Yes, Die Hard is a Christmas movie. And it ends on a happy note. It just takes a little time (and some blood and guts) to get there. Among the heroes is Argyle, the chauffeur at the wheel of a black 1988 Lincoln limousine, who gives John McClane (Bruce Willis) a lift from LAX to the ill-fated Nakatomi Plaza.

White Christmas (1954)

We have two faves in this Christmas classic: A 1950 Plymouth Special DeLuxe wagon and retired General Waverly’s military Jeep. The Wagon serves the duty of transporting guests to the Columbia Inn, which seems like the big wagons calling. Are we the only ones who love those sweet holiday rides? We couldn’t find movie clips of them. Guess you’ll have to watch the entire film then (you’re welcome).