Is Herbie the most expensive movie car to insure?
<p>Which car would cost more to insure – Scooby-Doo and the gang's colourful Econoline or the lovable Herbie? We find out.</p><p>Car insurance is a cost we all have to factor into the budget but have you ever wondered how much it would cost to cover the Scooby Gang's 1963 Econoline or James Bond’s Lotus Esprit in the 1977 classic <em>The Spy Who Loved Me</em>? Apia’s David Skapinker says the team of car experts at <a href="http://www.apia.com.au/" target="_blank">Apia</a> considered this question and came up with a list of film’s most iconic cars from least to most expensive to insure, as a way to highlight how it prices insurance.</p><p>“The new Batmobile was released recently and it got us thinking about other iconic film cars,” Mr Skapinker says. “We have some major revheads in our office and they obviously work in insurance, so we had a bit of a debate about what it would cost to insure some of the most iconic cars.</p><p>“We have a team at <a href="http://www.apia.com.au/" target="_blank">Apia</a> whose job it is to keep up-to-date with the latest car technologies and trends, and they help us price insurance off the back of that. These guys came up with a list of film’s most iconic cars, from the cheapest to insure to the most expensive.” Read on, the results may surprise you.</p><p><strong>10. <em>Knight Rider</em>’s 1982 KITT</strong></p><p><em>Knight Rider</em> was a US television show that aired from 1982 to 1986 and starred David Hasselhoff as Michael Knight, a modern crime fighter assisted by an artificially intelligent and nearly indestructible car. The KITT (Knight Industries Two Thousand) was the name for the artificially intelligent computer module in the body of a highly advanced robotic automobile – the original KITT as a 1982 Pontiac Trans Am and the second KITT (in the remake) as a 2008-09 Ford Shelby GT500KR. “If Michael Knight is not around and the car senses danger, it will just remove itself from the situation. We reckon that would be a pretty cheap car to insure.”</p><p><strong>9. Herbie – the iconic 1963 Volkswagen Beetle</strong></p><p>Everyone loves and remembers the iconic red, white and blue racing stripes of Herbie from the 1968 film <em>The Love Bug</em>. With a mind of its own and the capability to drive itself, this infamous car starred in a string of films and multiple variations were made of it. “Considering the artificial intelligence in that car, or autonomous features, the risk of actually having an accident are pretty low. We also thought that if Herbie had an upgrade, the new Volkswagen Up also has autonomous stopping built into it - a form of crash avoidance technology.”</p><p><strong>8. Mad Max’s 1974 Ford Falcon XB Interceptor</strong></p><p>Mel Gibson, his black leather jacket, the dusty Australian outback and his customisable Ford Falcon XB sedan with weapons featured in one of the country’s most iconic flicks. <em>Mad Max</em> is the 1979 classic film about a police officer who realises that his life is in danger when he is targeted for the murder of the leader of a motorcycle gang in futuristic Australia. “There’s probably not going to be a huge amount of traffic on the roads where Max is driving around. He also had two pretty good security devices – the angry Blue Heeler and a lot of explosives under the back of his car. We think the risk of theft is actually pretty low, but blowing up his car to avoid theft could void his policy due to it being a deliberate act.”</p><p><strong>7. The A-Team’s 1983 GMC Van</strong></p><p>Who remembers B.A. Baracus and the gang in US show<em> The A-Team</em>? This action TV show ran from 1983 to 1987 and featured a fictional group of ex-US Army Special Forces personnel who work as soldiers of fortune while on the run from the army after being branded as war criminals for a “crime they didn’t commit”. Part of the colourful group of characters in the show was the soldiers’ main mode of transportation – the 1983 black and metallic grey GMC Vandura van. “We figured that while B.A. Baracus has a pretty risky job, the van actually spends quite a lot of time locked up in warehouses while the team is out on missions. We’re not sure if people are aware but <a href="http://www.apia.com.au/" target="_blank">Apia</a> actually has good products for people who don’t use their car very often so this is where this would come into play. Plus, Mr T (the actor who plays B.A. Baracus) is over 50 these days, so he would be eligible for <a href="http://www.apia.com.au/" target="_blank">Apia</a> insurance.”</p><p><strong>6. James Bond and the 1976 Lotus Esprit</strong></p><p>Who could forget the sleek 1976 Lotus Esprit which converted into a submarine from 1977’s <em>The Spy Who Loved Me</em>? Recognised as one of the best all-time movie cars, it was sold at auction in September 2013 for $AUD1.1 million. “The thinking here was even though the modifications on this car are a bit pricey, it’s a perfect car to own if you live near a river or floodplain.”</p><p><strong>5. The orange Lamborghini Miura in <em>The Italian Job</em></strong></p><p>It may have only had a brief moment in the spotlight in the 1969 British film but many people remember the flashy orange Lamborghini Miura. The model gained worldwide adulation from car enthusiasts after its appearance in the film starring Michael Caine. “Not the cheapest car in the lot to repair, particularly with parts which may be hard to come by, but since the owner has restaurateur listed as his profession, and not mafioso, he wouldn’t get a loading based on his occupation. Some insurers, not <a href="http://www.apia.com.au/" target="_blank">Apia</a>, actually base insurance on what kind of work you do.”</p><p><img width="498" height="280" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/1405/scooby-doo-econoline-1_498x280.jpg" alt="Scooby Doo Econoline -1" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"></p><p><strong>4. Scooby-Doo and the 1963 Econoline</strong></p><p>“Scooby-Doo, where are you?” It wasn’t just this iconic line from the cartoon TV show people remember, but Scooby-Doo and the gang’s colourful custom 1963 Econoline van, The Mystery Machine. The van featured in every single episode of the show, with the original run airing from 1969. “This is one of my favourites. The reason we thought insurance would be a bit pricey for this vehicle was lots of young drivers and no added security features, and the gang tend to leave the car parked in all sorts of risky places, like outside abandoned warehouses and amusement parks. The risk of theft or malicious damage are pretty high.”</p><p><strong>3. <em>Back to the Future</em>’s 1982 DeLorean DMC-12</strong></p><p>The hijinks of Marty McFly and Doc Brown in Back to the Future created one of the most successful film franchises in history. Alongside Michael J Fox as McFly and Christopher Lloyd as the crazy-haired scientist was the futuristic looking, stainless steel DeLorean DMC-12. “This is the famous car with the winged doors that go out to the side. It has a pretty risky fuel source – nuclear reactor/time machine in the back of the car. But even with the plutonium fuel source, liability cover would be standard as an insurer would not provide cover for nuclear contamination.”</p><p><img width="498" height="280" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/1407/batmobile-1_498x280.jpg" alt="Batmobile -1" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"></p><p><strong>2. Batman and his Batmobile</strong></p><p>Where would Batman be without this Batmobile? As technology has evolved over the years, so has the Batmobile. This high-tech vehicle has been in every <em>Batman</em> film, show and comic with typical features including armor plates, self-sealing tyres, on-board weapons and weapons-detection systems, and a retractable roof. “The reason we think insurance could be pricey on the Batmobile is because it’s built from pretty exotic materials. I actually read somewhere that it was a custom Lamborghini tank, so that tells you a little about the parts. We think the price of the policy would not be much of an issue for Bruce Wayne (aka Batman) as he could probably afford to take a bit of the risk on himself and not give it to an insurer.”</p><p><img width="497" height="280" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/1410/most-iconic-cars2-2_497x280.jpg" alt="Most Iconic Cars 2-2" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"></p><p><strong>1. <em>The Dukes of Hazzard</em>’s 1969 Dodge Charger</strong></p><p>Inspired by the 1975 film <em>Moonrunners</em>, the US TV series <em>The Dukes of Hazzard</em> followed the adventures of “The Duke Boys”, cousins Bo and Luke Duke, their beautiful cousin Daisy and wise old Uncle Jesse. Starring alongside the Duke family was General Lee, the 1969 Dodge Charger complete with its signature horn and doors welded shut. “It’s not going to be the fanciest car but we thought the number one expensive car to insure would be The Dukes of Hazzard’s General Lee. We figure Bo Duke probably has a whole lot of traffic infringements and that’s probably going to push the premiums up pretty high, as well as the risky driving he does off big ramps over gulleys and valleys.”</p>
