1986 Lincoln Town Car Limousine in “Die Hard” (1988)

We know, we know: the debate on whether or not Die Hard is actually a Christmas movie still lives on to this day, but since the film ends with “Let it Snow,” we’re counting it for this round. A wide variety of vehicles appear in this movie, from Chevrolet Impala and Ford Crown Victoria police cars, to a 1973 Chevy Van, an ‘88 BMW 735i, and a Chrysler Fifth Avenue. The fan favorite movie car in Diehard is arguably Argyle’s 1986 Lincoln Town Car stretch limousine. It is described on the Die Hard Fandom page as; “A variant of the Lincoln Town Car, the first generation stretched limousine has a long body, four-wheel drive, two dual headlights, and three glass windows on both sides. It is also equipped with a CD player, CB radio, full bar, a telephone (as shown when Argyle speaks to McClane), VHS player, and a television.”

Family Truckster in “Christmas Vacation” (1989)

Not to be confused with the heavily modified 1979 Ford LTD Country Squire from National Lampoon’s Vacation, the 1988 Ford Taurus wagon that the Griswolds took on their Christmas adventures also deserves a mention on this memorable holiday movie car list. The Taurus takes the center stage when it comes to forced family fun. The Griswold family hits the road to take on the age-old tradition of cutting a Christmas tree, but along the way, Clark gets absorbed in a bit of road rage and launches the car into holiday movie history.

Checker Cab “Scrooged” (1988)

A holiday movies list wouldn’t be complete without a take on the Charles Dickens’s classic tale. Scrooged, released on November 23, 1988, grossed over $100 million worldwide. The Ebenezer Scrooge character is portrayed by actor Bill Murray as Frank Cross, who receives a visit from three ghosts. One of those ghosts, the Ghost of Christmas Past played by David Johansen, drives a 1970s-era Checker Marathon Taxi to take Frank back to his childhood.

1937 Oldsmobile Six in “A Christmas Story” (1983)

In 2012, A Christmas Story was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry. The U.S. Library of Congress declared the classic movie to be “culturally, historically and aesthetically significant.” We feel the same about the vintage Oldsmobile Six featured in the film, which was set in the 1940s with the plot centered around a 9-year-old boy named Ralphie’s quest for a Red Ryder BB gun. “It’ll shoot your eye out, kid!”

The art deco-style Olds featured a turret top, a large grille with horizontal bars, and behind that, a 230 cubic-inch, 95-horsepower inline-six. One of the more memorable lines from Ralphie’s father, old man Parker, in relation to the Olds was, “That hot damn Olds has froze up again! That son of a (expletive) would freeze up in the middle of summer on the equator!” When Ralphie, raised around colorful language, helps his dad fix a flat on the car, he accidentally spills the lug nuts everywhere and blurts out a select word that earns him a mouthful of soap.

1919 Dodge Phaeton, “It’s a Wonderful Life” (1946)

It’s a Wonderful Life is arguably the most cherished of all holiday films. If cars could get acting credits, the Dodge Phaeton is certainly worthy. It maintains a presence throughout the movie, being driven by George Bailey (Jimmy Stewart) from 1919 to 1946. George, a man down on his luck, has somewhat of a mental breakdown on Christmas Eve and drives off in the Dodge to bar where he has a few drinks, gets punched for rude behavior, then drives off, running the beloved family Phaeton into a tree. At the time, he wishes he was never born, but as the movie reaches a heartfelt ending, George realizes he does want to live again and heads out to find his old Dodge.