History Main / COOLCAR

* The cars in the ''VideoGame/GranTurismo'' series range from [[JokeCharacter Joke Cars]] (the ''one HP'' 1895 Benz Motorwagen!), to mundane sedans, to nice muscle cars, to great supercars, to ''awesome'' JGTC touring cars, to ''frikkin awesome'' Le Mans prototypes, to a ''MIND-BOGGINGLY AWESOME'' Formula 1 racer.
** And then there's the Red Bull X2010. It was created because Kazunori Yamauchi (GT creator) wanted to know what the ultimate race-car would look like (no rules, no regulations). Powered by a turbo V6 generating 1,483 BHP, with 8Gs, or ''eight times the force of gravity'' possible in a corner thanks to a fan generating constant downforce, a maximum speed around ''450 km/h or 279 mph,'' and saddled with an obviously high 0-60 speed; this is the {{Cyborg}} of all cars. And that's not getting into "faster" versions (see X2011, X2014 Fan Car)...

** And then there's the Red Bull X2010. It was created because Kazunori Yamauchi (GT creator) wanted to know what the ultimate race-car would look like (no rules, no regulations). Powered by a gas turbine generating 1,483 BHP, with 8Gs, or ''eight times the force of gravity'' being exerted at full throttle, a maximum speed around ''450 km/h or 279 mph,'' and saddled with an obviously high 0-60 speed; this is the {{Cyborg}} of all cars. And that's not getting into the SuperPrototype you can turn it into...
** ''Gran Turismo 6'' brought us [[http://www.gran-turismo.com/us/vgt/ Vision Gran Turismo,]] a series of concept cars made by manufacturers of the likes of Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, and Renault-Alpine, and each and every one of them are as awesome as they come. From more "normal" concept cars such as the BMW VGT, the Mini Clubman VGT and the Infiniti VGT, to more over-the-top monstrosities like the ''laser-powered'' Chaparral [=2X=] and the ''2000 bhp'' SRT Tomahawk, this line-up has it all.

** ''Film/DieAnotherDay'' marks the return of Bond's ass in the seat of an Aston... but gives his enemy a Jaguar XKR equal in gadgets to 007 himself. The resulting duel is considered one of the high points of the film.

* Music/ZZTop's Eliminator hot rod.

* ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'': Stan’s red and white classic car, which he’s had since his teenage years and is still in great shape.

* Mel's classic Mercedes in ''Series/{{Tracker}}'', before she sold it to help Jess out.

** The 1966 Batmobile is still cool.
** The Creator/TimBurton Batman films introduced an armored version, but kept the jet exhaust from the TV series. In ''Film/BatmanReturns'', we learn that it can also become a narrower, more streamlined version called the Batmissile in order to fit through more narrow spaces like alleyways.

** Say what you want about the movie, but the Batmobile in ''Film/BatmanVSupermanDawnOfJustice'' is a sleek monster, forgoing the usual black for a gray coloring and a little more heavier to deal with Batman's more darker mindset in the film. When it reappeared in ''Film/{{Justice|League 2017}} [[Film/ZackSnydersJusticeLeague League]]'', it was outfitted with heavier firepower to deal with Steppenwolf and his Parademons.
** The Batmobile in ''Film/TheBatman2022'' is far less spectacular than previous iterations. It's effectively just a heavily armored muscle car with a rear-mounted jet engine - aside from the tires and the engine, the vehicle looks like it was built piecemeal from whatever Bruce could find, and even the center console looks like it was made from assorted aftermarket components. That said, underestimating the machine would be a ''very stupid'' thing to do.
*** While the car may not ''look'' impressive, the way it ''sounds'' more than makes up for it.

As any car could be considered this in reality, Administrivia/NoRealLifeExamplesPlease

* ''VideoGame/FZero'' has a lot of futuristic hi-tech vehicles used in the grand prix. They are all capable of traveling at incredible speeds and hovering slightly above the ground. In the manual to the original ''F-Zero'', it states that the machines uses magnetic repulsion to hover above the track, not unlike modern day Maglev trains. In later games the machines instead used G-Diffusors, sophisticaed anti-gravity devices.

* Rally Vincent's 1967 Shelby /[=GT500=]KR/ from ''Manga/GunsmithCats''. The licence plate number has a ''[[Film/TheBluesBrothers Blues Brothers]]'' ShoutOut: the car number is BRD 529.

* ''Film/DumbAndDumber'' has the Shaggin Wagon, a car that looks like a dog. It's even necessary to raise the leg in order to fuel! Even though they lose it halfway through the movie, the AnimatedAdaptation has them with it again (where it's nicknamed Otto) and the sequel's poster features the car, implying they'll get it back.

* At the end of ''WesternAnimation/{{Zootopia}}'', Judy Hopps and [[spoiler:Nick Wilde]] get issued an interceptor vehicle to track down a street racer in their first assignment together. It's a long distance from [[TheAllegedCar her meter maid cart]].

* The [[ApocalypseCult Genestealer Cult]] army from the 1st Edition of ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'' included a gothic-styled limousine for the Cult leaders to ride in incognito. Although the Coven Limo hasn’t been a part of the game since then, many veteran Genestealer Cult players still hope for its return.

## The HG Series (known as [[SpellMyNameWithAnS Steel/Stil]],) a family of electric-powered super-racers that leans like motorcycles into curves.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheBadGuys2022'', Mr. Wolf's getaway car is a jet black muscle car that resembles a mix between a Chevy Camaro and a Dodge Challenger. And being a BadassDriver, Mr. Wolf shows just what it's capable of. [[spoiler:Its replacement in the mid-credits scene, a convertible version with yellow Crimson Paw stripes, also counts.]]

** The colloquial Cool Car from ''[[VideoGame/NeedForSpeedMostWanted Most Wanted]]'' and ''Carbon'' is a blue-and-silver FIA [=GT2=]-spec BMW M3 GTR (E46). In ''Most Wanted'', half the reason for the story is to get the car (the other half is revenge) but it's unmodifiable. In ''Carbon'', it's your starting car, but shortly gets trashed. However, completing an arbitrary set of objectives allows you to buy the street version of the M3 GTR, and then modify it to your liking. It also makes a reappearance as DLC in the later ''Most Wanted'' (and in the ''Need for Speed'' 2015 reboot) in a pack full of other famed ''NFS'' cover cars, one of which included...
** The Lamborghini Diablo SV, which was first iconic car for the ''Need for Speed'' series after its appearance in 1998's ''III: Hot Pursuit''. Being the fastest real life car in the game that was also available from the get-go when players first played it certainly helped. It received a good amount of attention in later ''Need for Speed'' games, appearing as DLC in 2010's ''Hot Pursuit'', 2011's ''The Run'', and 2012's ''[[VideoGame/NeedForSpeedMostWanted2012 Most Wanted]]'', and later reappearing in the base games of the 2015 reboot, 2017's ''[[VideoGame/NeedForSpeedPayback Payback]]'', and 2019's ''[[VideoGame/NeedForSpeedHeat Heat]]'', satisfying classic fans' nostalgic needs.[[note]]Although the 2015 reboot and ''Payback'' dropped the iconic SV logo side vinyls, forcing fans to recreate them in the vinyl editors; ''Heat'' thankfully brought them back.[[/note]]
** The most extreme cars of the world also deserve mention: the [=McLaren=] F1 (first appeared in ''Need for Speed II'', reappears in various later entries in both original and F1 LM models), the Bugatti Veyron (frequently appears in the series since ''[=ProStreet=]'' as a DLC car, with Super Sport variant being featured as DLC in ''Hot Pursuit'' [2010]), the Hennessey Venom GT (its Spyder variant is a DLC in ''Most Wanted'' [2012]), the Koenigsegg One:1 (downloadable for free in ''Rivals''), and the Koenigsegg Regera (available in ''Payback'', ''Heat'', and ''Unbound'').

* ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'': This trope was spoofed and subverted in ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #126, in which a car company gave Spidey the Spider-Mobile for publicity reasons. It was a dune-buggy that could race up walls and came complete with web-cannons. Since Spidey can webswing and crawl up walls on his own, he saw no reason to take it except for the paycheck the company gave him for their product placement. The vehicle was destroyed in the same story. It's been built, rebuilt, and in ''ComicBook/SpiderManDeadpool'' got a new paint job courtesy of ComicBook/{{Deadpool}} to make it the "Dead-Buggy". During [[ComicBook/TheAmazingSpiderManDanSlott Dan Slott's run]], Peter got himself another Spider-Mobile, this one a little more sleeker and with more toys. He lost this along with the rest of Parker Industries during ''ComicBook/SecretEmpire''.

* This trope was spoofed and subverted in a 70's ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'' issue in which a car company gave Spidey the Spider-Mobile for publicity reasons. It was a dune-buggy that could race up walls and came complete with web-cannons. Since Spidey can webswing and crawl up walls on his own, he saw no reason to take it except for the paycheck the company gave him for their product placement. The vehicle was destroyed in the same story. It's been built, rebuilt, and in ''ComicBook/SpiderManDeadpool'' got a new paint job courtesy of ComicBook/{{Deadpool}} to make it the "Dead-Buggy". During [[ComicBook/TheAmazingSpiderManDanSlott Dan Slott's run]], Peter got himself another Spider-Mobile, this one a little more sleeker and with more toys. He lost this along with the rest of Parker Industries during ''ComicBook/SecretEmpire''.

* According to Xzibit, his first album introduced him on the scene, his second album established his place, and his third album paid for his car.

** Tim Drake's [[ComicBook/RobinSeries Robin]] had the Redbird. An armored sports car designed to shift some panels and blend in with civilian cars at the push of a button that was equipped with some of the same gadgets as the Batmobile.

** ''Series/KamenRiderDrive'' drops the franchise's traditional bike in favor a full-on car motif: as a result, his personal ride, the Tridoron, is far more feature-packed than any other Rider vehicle. Not only is it the source of his superpowers, but it can transform into three different types of car, assist with his FinishingMove, channel his various superpowers while he's driving it, combine with a pair of auxiliary machines to become a jet, or combine with ''him'' to form his SuperMode. Crossover movies make the Tridoron even cooler: if ''Series/KamenRiderGaim'' is riding shotgun, it can turn into a ''Film/BackToTheFuture''-inspired spaceship, and if ''Series/ShurikenSentaiNinninger'' are around, it can combine with their HumongousMecha.

** Jacket drives a stylish [[Film/BackToTheFuture DeLorean]]. [[spoiler: It gets defaced by vandals about halfway through the game, but that doesn't stop him from still driving it around.]]

* The main cast of ''WesternAnimation/{{Kaeloo}}'' own several of these. The most awesome one is probably the time travel car from Episode 75, a parody of the [=DeLorean=] from ''Film/BackToTheFuture''.

* Steve Urkel's BMW Isetta, from ''Series/FamilyMatters'', ''isn't'' cool. In fact, it's so [[TheAllegedCar terrible and antiquated]] that it may punch through the bottom, wrap around to the top and become cool. Or maybe not. ''He'' thinks it's cool, anyway, but he's an ExtravertedNerd.

* On ''Series/BurnNotice'' Michael Westen's black '73 Dodge Charger is a pretty, pretty thing. Even though [[TheAllegedCar it didn't run]] when he first got it. It's too bad he had to blow it up, but it came back in early season 5 with Fiona behind the wheel, serving as Michael's getaway vehicle. Seeing the charger run again really melts car-loving tropers hearts, and the fact that Michael refers to it as his friend.

** Ironically, a car built as solidly as the one described in the short story would be a greater, not a lesser, hazard to its driver since a vehicle with a fully stiffened body will collapse around the largest void space - that being the passenger cabin. Oops. Crumple zones exist for a reason.
*** Doesn't help the case any when this troper's seen full-body steel cars BOUNCE instead of denting...