Five cartoon cars that we think should be made for real

The Mystery Machine from Scooby Doo is pretty funky, but we think the five cartoon cars below are cooler.

Modern cars have an ever-increasing catalogue of high-tech features, but they still haven't reached the pinnacle of cartoon technology. Here are five animated cars that we think should be made for real.

Mach Five

Packed with (at the time) revolutionary technology, all controlled via buttons on its steering wheel, Speed Racer's car also looked really cool.

Mach Five has a 3700kW engine. Oh, and steering wheel-mounted buttons.

On-board jacks (that could also launch the car into the air when moving), night vision, submarine mode, a robotic homing bird, a bullet and crash-proof deflector and freakin' rotary saws that pop out off the front were all controlled via the steering wheel buttons. To think, all we get on our steering wheels are cruise control and stereo adjustment. Why we want it to be real: rotary saws. And 3700kW.

READ MORE: Snail gets supercharged V8 Camaro ride

The Homer: a separate dome and muzzles for the kids.

The Homer

A monstrosity costing NZ$118,500, the car that Homer Simpson designed and sent his half-brother Herb Powell's car company into bankruptcy with is actually bursting with great features. If two bubble domes (the one in the back comes with restraints and muzzles for the kids), an engine that sounds like the world is coming to an end, three horns (because you can never find one when you're mad) that all play La Cucaracha, shag carpeting and tail fins aren't enough, The Homer also was the first car to feature the massive cupholders that have become standard on American cars these days.

Why we want it to be real: it's powerful like a gorilla, yet soft and yielding like a nerf ball.

MASK Thunderhawk is a flying red Camaro with lasers. Enough said.

MASK hunderhawk

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One of the many 80s cartoons created shamelessly to sell toys to kids, MASK was one of the best. Along with the brilliant Rhino truck, Matt Tracker's Thunderhawk flying car was probably the most awesome thing a 10-year-old boy's brain could handle without exploding in 1985. It was a red Chevrolet Camaro that could transform into a jet (well, open its gullwing doors really). It packed door/wing-mounted lasers and was the coolest weapon in the Mobile Armoured Strike Kommand's fight against the Viscous Evil Network Of Mayhem (VENOM, so really stretching that acronym there).

Why we want it to be real: it's a red Camaro that can fly and has lasers. That's enough.

Mean Machine never actually won a Wacky Race.

The Mean Machine

While easily the fastest car in the Hanna-Barbera cartoon Wacky Races, Dick Dastardly's Mean Machine never actually won a race during the series. That doesn't make it any less cool, however, because it's purple and powered by a rocket. Add in the obligatory hidden weapons and traps, plus the ability to fly, and the Mean Machine is something that we desperately want in our garage. Especially if it comes with a wheezy, snickering dog like Muttley in the passenger's seat.

Why we want it to be real: where else will our anthropomorphic snickering dog sit?

Dodge Challenger Special Agent Edition boasts a (non-alcoholic) minibar.

Archer's Dodge Challenger

While super-spy/self-centred alcoholic Sterling Archer has driven several cars during the run of his show, none have been cooler than the 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T 440 Special Agent Edition that he uses in the third season.

Taking a leaf straight out of James Bond's car manual, the Challenger was kitted out with anti-pursuit counter measures (tyre spikes and an oil slick), an ejector seat, twin grille-mounted 30-cal machine guns, bulletproof bodywork and tyres, a fully-stocked minibar in the glove box (which, to Archer's disgust is stocked with non-alcoholic beverages only) and a red button that could kill everybody. All of which Archer misuses on a regular basis.

Why we want it to be real: It's the world's most kick-ass spy car!

* Tell us below what your favourite cartoon cars are.

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