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Anthony Madaffari21 Apr 2020
NEWS

Top 10 greatest automotive icons of TV and film according to fans

Jeremy Clarkson has defeated Hollywood legend Steve McQueen to be crowned screen’s greatest automotive icon.

A survey commissioned in the UK by Hyundai asked 2000 car lovers the hard hitting questions about the best car films and the best automotive screen icons of all time.

The best cars of TV and film are always the subject of hotly contested debate and thanks to the internet and streaming services there is no shortage of content to keep us occupied.

While Steve McQueen is known as The King of Cool thanks to his effortless style and tough guy persona, that seemed to be no match for Jeremy Clarkson’s dedication to stone-wash denim and the grumpy man persona in this survey.

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Clarkson has been involved in some of the most impressive TV moments over the past 25 years, which include driving to the North Pole, riding motorcycles from Ho Chi Minh to Ha Long Bay in Vietnam and creating an aqua car which he drove across the English Channel. Clarkson's onscreen sidekicks, Richard Hammond and James May also make the list.

Steve McQueen, whose films such as Bullitt, The Great Escape and Le Mans featured some of film’s most iconic car and motorbike scenes still strike a chord with the audience all these years later.

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Fast and the Furious leading man Vin Diesel beat 007’s Sean Connery, with the tough guys making up the top five. Sean Connery was one of three James Bond actors to make the list of automotive screen icons, with Daniel Craig at number eight and the late Sir Roger Moore in at number nine.

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When it comes to top car films, the most popular was The Italian Job, followed by Bullitt and the Fast and the Furious franchise. According to the survey results, the Michael Caine classic has been the most watched car film with survey participants since self-isolation came into effect.

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On the small screen, Top Gear was voted the best car based show with Knight Rider and The Dukes of Hazzard in second and third place.

While when it came to the cars that stared, James Bond's Aston Martin DB5 was named the greatest movie car ahead of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and the DeLorean from Back to the Future.

Here is the Top 10 Greatest Automotive icons of TV and Film

  1. Jeremy Clarkson
  2. Steve McQueen
  3. Richard Hammond
  4. Vin Diesel
  5. Sir Sean Connery CBE
  6. James May
  7. Paul Walker
  8. Daniel Craig
  9. Sir Roger Moore KBE
  10. Jason Statham

Don't agree with the top 10? Let us know in the comments below who you think should have made the list.

Related: Five famous films featuring Ferraris
Related: Top 10 improbable getaway cars in movies
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