From James Bond's Aston Martin to Inspector Morse's Jag, fictional spies and detectives have always had the coolest cars. Now, with hit Scandi noir TV series The Bridge featuring a beautiful Porsche 911S, it's the perfect opportunity to look back at the classic cars that have graced our screens
Starsky and Hutch – 1975 Ford Gran Torino: The TV series ran from 1975 to 1979, and the 'striped tomato' was as much a part of the show as Starsky's cardigan. In the spring of 1976, such was the popularity of the car that Ford built 1,300 branded Starsky and Hutch Gran TorinosPhotograph: ABCBullitt – 1968 Ford Mustang 390 GT 2+2 Fastback: Steve McQueen, who played San Francisco police lieutenant Frank Bullitt in the 1968 movie, was an accomplished driver, and drove in the closeup scenes of the famous car chase, shown herePhotograph: Photos 12/AlamyKnight Rider – K.I.T.T: David Hasselhoff played ex-cop-turned-crime-fighter Michael Knight in the hit TV show that ran from 1982 to 1986. K.I.T.T was a heavily modified Pontiac Firebird Trans Am with added artificial intelligencePhotograph: NBC/NBC via Getty ImagesInspector Morse – 1960 Mark II Jaguar: In the TV cop show The Sweeney it was the villains that drove the Mark IIs chased by John Thaw's Regan. Thaw moved up to one himself as Inspector Morse in the show that ran from 1987 to 2000. The car was a perfect fit for the real-ale-drinking, opera-loving, cantankerous Oxford copperPhotograph: Rex FeaturesHong Kong Phooey – Phooeymobile: The 1974 Hanna-Barbera TV show featured mild mannered janitor Penry eavesdropping at the police station where he works, transforming in a filing cabinet into the kung fu-powered hero and tackling crime with his sidekick Spot in his Pagodamorph carPhotograph: AllstarMad Max 1 & 2 – Ford XB Falcon Coupe: Australian main force patrol officer Max Rockatansky, played by Mel Gibson, chases down deranged bikers in his Pursuit Special. In Mad Max 2 it was called 'the last of the V8 Interceptors'Photograph: Sportsphoto/AllstarBergerac – 1947 Triumph Roadster: In the BBC show, DS Jim Bergerac, played by John Nettles, cruised around the island of Jersey for a decade from 1981, trying to navigate winding streets and keep under the 40mph speed limit in his noisy maverick indicatorPhotograph: Rex FeaturesMiami Vice – 1972 Ferrari Daytona Spyder 365 GTS/4: Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas played Crockett and Tubbs in the show that ran from 1984 to 1989. They loved speedboats and cars. As well as the Spyder, they favoured a Ferrari Testarossa and a Cadillac Coupe de Ville convertiblePhotograph: AlamyGoldfinger – Aston Martin DB5: Not the clearest shot of the DB5, but you know it anyway. Sean Connery, as James Bond, unleashed the tyre slashers and ejector seat in the 1964 moviePhotograph: Everett /Rex FeaturesNash Bridges – 1971 Plymouth Baracuda: Don Johnson continued his muscle car love affair when he played the eponymous San Francisco police inspector, in the TV show that ran from 1996 to 2001Photograph: CBS Photo Archive/Getty ImagesColumbo – 1959 Peugeot 403 convertible: A Columbo fan site states: 'Columbo's car, somewhat like his dog, is both a co-star and a sort of alter ego: battered and unbeautiful, eccentric and woeful looking, but still a classic. The car is also one of Columbo's many devices of deception: murderers take one look at the car, and assume that only a fool would own such a relic. As always, they are wrong'Photograph: NBC/NBC via Getty ImagesThe Saint – 1962 Volvo P1800: Roger Moore played Simon Templar, detective/secret agent/thief, in the ITV show from 1962 to 1969. This picture is taken on set at Elstree studios. The Morris Oxford looks good tooPhotograph: AlamyScooby-Doo – Mystery Machine: Q. What's wrong with this photo? A. No lighthouse keeper and/or school caretaker. Whatever. You can always rely on the Mystery Machine to deliver those pesky, meddling, teenage crimefighters to the spookiest of destinationsPhotograph: Sportsphoto Ltd./AllstarThe Rockford Files – 1974 Pontiac Firebird Esprit: James Garner starred as private investigator Jim Rockford in the TV show that ran from 1974 to 1980. It is alleged that he made the reverse spin famous Photograph: NBC/Getty ImagesThe Spy Who Loved Me – Lotus Esprit S1 turbo: Roger Moore played James Bond in the 1977 film, and drove a Lotus that transformed into a submarine and fired surface-to-air missiles Photograph: Photos 12/AlamyPhotograph: Photos 12 / Alamy/AlamyMagnum, P.I. – Ferrarri 308GTS: Tom Selleck played the role for almost the whole of the 1980s. Outlandish moustache? Check. Hairy chest? Check. Loud Hawaiian shirt? Check. Ferrari? Check. Good to goPhotograph: Silver Screen Collection/Getty ImagesThe Bridge – 977 US-spec Porsche 911S:: Sofia Helin, who plays Swedish homicide detective Saga Noren in the hit Scandi noir TV drama, said: 'It’s horrible, I hate that car … I don’t hate it. I love-hate it. The thing is, it’s so hard to drive. The gears are very sensitive'Photograph: PR
