We all remember our first ride, even if the bumper was falling off or the car battery kept dying—the connection we have with our first taste of freedom is incredibly thrilling. While we may have felt a special bond with our first vehicle, it didn’t stop us from wanting something shinier and faster. These are eight modes of transportation from our favorite films and literature that we’ve always wanted. We’re crossing our fingers that Mom gives us the keys.
1. Laputa the Flying Island from Gulliver’s Travels, by Jonathan Swift
Have you ever wanted all the comforts of home, but no hotel could really cut it? Look no further than the flying island of Laputa from Jonathan Swift’s classic Gulliver’s Travels. This is where the novel’s protagonist, Robinson Crusoe, finds himself in the first chapter as he is washed up on the island’s shore.
The people of the island, or the Laputans, have mastered the ability of magnetic levitation, using the huge deposit of adamantine at the base of the island to float wherever they please. Although it’d be pretty difficult to try to find parking, Laputa would let us go anywhere in the world with all the comforts of home.
2. Spinner 2019 from Blade Runner
Flying cars have always been a trope of science fiction—whether there are simply swarms of them in the background making that sci-fi scene look even more futuristic, or the protagonist is using his nitrous-injected car with wings to hunt down the bad guy.
The Spinner 2019 from the cult-classic Blade Runner manages to drive our desire to go out and buy a flying a hunk of metal and hang out with Harrison Ford’s character, ducking and diving through the skies of future LA. The vehicle would certainly help avoid traffic and encourage all of us to pick up our pilot’s license.
3. An Ent from The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, by J.R.R. Tolkien
In his legendary series, Tolkien invents a race of creatures that are talking, animated trees. In the second installment of the trilogy, protagonists Merry and Pippin travel through Middle Earth on the back of Treebeard, the oldest of all the Ents.
Arriving to parties being carried by a moving tree would definitely be cool, and throughout The Two Towers Tolkien shows that Treebeard is quite the talker—constantly sharing his thoughts on the current state of Middle Earth, as well as stories gathered over centuries. We think Freeboard would be the perfect travel buddy.
4. The Time Machine from The Time Machine, by H.G. Wells
H.G. Wells’ The Time Machine was published in 1895, and was one of the first depictions of a machine that allows travel forward or backward through time. Given the opportunity to never be late for a meeting again, we feel that anyone would take the time machine for a ride.
In his novel, H.G. Wells explores the dangers of losing ambition and drive as a society due to no longer being challenged. Wells sends his protagonist 800,000 years into the future to discover a race of people completely idle and uncaring. Maybe we wouldn’t want to go thatfar ahead, but visiting the past would still be fun. Woodstock in ‘69? Sign us up.
5. The Millennium Falcon from the Star Wars Series
As long as you don’t mind Chewie making a lot of noise in the cockpit, the Millennium Falcon is the perfect spaceship for any adventurous commuter. This is one of the most iconic modes of transportation in science fiction, and, let’s gets real, culture as a whole.
It’s also a ship with a lot of “character” (Star Wars: The Force Awakens‘ Rey even calls it “a garbage ship”)—battle scars from TIE fighter fire and asteroid belts make this into space transportation we need. Plus, it’s the ship that made the Kessel Run in less than twelve parsecs. Can your car do that?
6. The Heart of Gold from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams
Any vehicle with a device on it called the “infinite improbability drive” is, at the very least, a bit risky. But with enough fine-tuning, this ship from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the GalaxySeries would make an incredible vessel.
With the ability to be in every conceivable point of every conceivable universe, the infinite improbability drive is a little overwhelming at first, but we promise if you’re ever lucky enough to have this fictional vehicle in your driveway that your adventures will be well worth it.
7. The Celestial Omnibus from The Celestial Omnibus, by E.M. Forster
If you’re curious about the afterlife and you aren’t concerned with visiting the same place for a while, then The Celestial Omnibus is your ticket. From E.M. Forster’s series of short stories, The Celestial Omnibus is a mode of transportation that’ll take you all the way to heaven and back to the alley from whence you came.
Included with every round-trip to heaven is a light show made up of crashes of lightning and explosions of thunder. Now, we realize that only being able to travel between an alley and heaven isn’t convenient for the everyday person, but it’s HEAVEN … where else do you really need to be?
8. The DeLorean from the Back to the Future Series
Rounding out the list is one of the most recognizable vehicles in film, the DeLorean, which Marty Mcfly and Dr. Emmett Brown use to escape a vicious drive-by shooting from a group of men trying to take back their plutonium. They both end up going into the past to meet Marty’s mother and father when they were in high school, and Marty has to pull a lot of strings and throw a few punches to get the future back on track.
Our list has its fair share of time machines, but what separates the DeLorean from other time machines is its stylish look–with suicide doors and a slick chrome finish, driving a DeLorean would make us cool in any decade.
