Here’s what it would cost famous movie cars to gas up in BC right now

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So. How about those gas prices?

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Fueling up right now is enough to make any driver cry so we thought for a change, we’d take a look at some famous fictional film cars and chuckle at what they’d cost to gas up if they were fueling up in BC today.

Some are real cars, some are cartoons inspired by real cars, some are robot cars that, in the year of 2022, still don’t exist yet. (Darn.)

Regardless, the point stands: Gas is expensive, whether you’re an everyday British Columbian or a superhero driving to a crime scene.

Gas price data courtesy of gas buddy.

Is there a famous fictional car you’d like to see on this list? Email us at [email protected].

The Fast and the Furious (2001): Dom Toretto’s 1970 Dodge Charger R/T

When it comes to movies about cars, where else would we start? The Fast and the Furious has been going strong for more than 20 years, with the first installation starring the late Paul Walker alongside Vin Diesel released in 2001 when modifications and spoilers were all the rage on slick vehicles.

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While Diesel’s family man character Dom Toretto is first introduced in the Fast and the Furious films as being associated with a Mazda RX-7, his signature car throughout the rest of the franchise is a 1970 Dodge Charger R/T.

Car: 1970 Dodge Charger R/T
Fuel capacity: 71 liters
Station: Shell (4177 Kingsway, Burnaby)
Price: 220.9 cents per liter, premium (March 4, 12:30 pm)

Assuming Toretto only puts premium in his car — which at the time of writing was reported to be 220.9 cents per liter — it would cost him $159.05 to fill his tank in Burnaby, a nice place to raise a family and we all know Toretto is all about family.

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The Love Bug (1968): Jim Douglas and a 1963 Volkswagen Beetle named Herbie

The Love Bug is a tale of friendship and redemption involving a down-and-out race car driver named Jim Douglas and an anthropomorphic 1963 matchmaking Volkswagen Beetle named Herbie.

When Disney first set out to make the film, the script did not specify the titular vehicle to be a Volkswagen. Producers reportedly considered Toyotas, Volvos and several other vehicles including a pearl white Volkswagen Beetle. Frequently circulated pop culture lore notes that the latter eventually was chosen as its peculiar shape prompted crew to reach and touch the car, almost as if it was a pet.

Car: 1963 Volkswagen Beetle
Fuel capacity: 40.9 liters
Station: Safeway (4655 Lakelse Ave., Terrace)
Price: 176.9 cents per liter, midgrade (March 4, 12:51 pm)

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It’s not so out of the question that Douglas might live up in Terrace if he were to live in BC The local Terrace Speedway usually hosts an end-of-season demolition derby, which is how Douglas spends his time at the start of the film. Volkswagens also don’t necessarily need premium fuel so if Herbie were filled up with midgrade in Terrace, it would cost $72.35 to fill his love tank.

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Cars (2006): Lightning McQueen

Hey, even cartoon cars are based on real cars.

Lightning McQueen, voiced by Owen Wilson, is the start of Pixar’s popular Cars franchise which premiered in 2006. While McQueen is not based on any specific vehicle, animators designed the character using a mix of inspiration from the Chevrolet Corvette C6 and C1, according to Endurance Insurance.

Car: 2006 Chevrolet Corvette
Fuel capacity: 68.1 liters
Station: Chevron (26390 Fraser Hwy., Aldergrove)
Price: 210.9 cents per liter, premium (March 4, 1:02 pm)

Corvettes need premium fuel and Lightning McQueen demands only the best. If McQueen were taking a nice drive out to the valley for a day and stopped to fill up in Aldergrove, it might cost about $143.62 to fill up.

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Batman Forever (1995): Batmobile

Production designer Barbara Ling was the mind behind the Batmobile that featured in the 1995 entry into the Batman cinematic canon. The vehicle she designed for Val Kilmer’s Batman was powered by a 94-liter gas tank and used a modified Chevy 350 ZZ3 high-performance engine, according to Endurance Insurance.

Car: Batmobile (1995), loosely based on a Chevy 350 ZZ3 engine
Fuel capacity: 94 liters
Station: Squamish Valley Gas bar (9001 Valley Dr., Squamish)
Price: 177.9 cents per liter, regular (March 4, 1:14 pm)

Squamish, with its cliffs and winding roads, seems like a place where one might hide a Batcave. And if you’re planning to drive your car into a fiery action scene, what’s the point in filling up with premium? We think Batman would fuel up with regular and at that price, it would cost $167.23 to get the Batmobile flying.

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Knight Rider (1982): Michael Knight and KITT

In the 1980s series Knight Rider, David Hasselhoff stars as Michael Knight, a crime fighter alongside KITT, an artificially intelligent and self-aware vehicle. KITT stands for Knight Industries Two Thousand.

KITT is technically just an advanced, artificially intelligent computer system installed into the body of a vehicle so really, it could’ve been any vehicle that accompanied Hasselhoff’s character on his justice crusade. In the case of the 1982 series, KITT was installed in the body of a 1982 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am.

Car: KITT (1982) / 1982 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am
Fuel capacity: 60.5 liters
Station: Mobil (350 SE Marine Dr., Vancouver)
Price: 207.9 cents per liter, midgrade (March 4, 1:30 pm)

Knight Rider’s a city dweller. So we think KITT would fuel up in Vancouver before heading downtown to fight crime and give the VPD a hand. If fueling up at the Marine Drive Mobil, it would cost Knight $125.78 to gas up.

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