Move over, Delorean. Only one car was futuristic enough to have traveled the streets of Back to the Future, Gattaca, and Battlestar Galactica, and that car was the Citroën DS, circa 1955.
First manufactured in France in 1955, Citroën continued to make the DS though the mid-70s. Those 20 years were plenty for film-makers, who started painting up the historic cars and dropping them on to every futuristic street they could come up with.
Among the earliest instances was Back to the Future II, which sharp-eyed commenter 4k45h3d0 spotted in a series of behind-the scenes Back to the Future stills, cleverly disguised as a taxi:
The yellow cab on third pic is a make up'd 1955 french car, la Citroën DS. Was quite a revolution in its time. Discovered it right now.
But the Citroën DS's trip into 2015 was just the beginning of its time travels. Commenter Richard Bartrop traced the car's path even further along the timeline, all the way from Battlestar Galactica to Gattaca:
You'll also see DS's in Gattaca and Battlestar Galactica as well. They built them into the 70's, and the front looks like it's one of the later models. Still, it says something about the design that something conceived nearly 60 years ago continues to be used in film as a "car of the future.'
Any other on-screen sightings you've come across? Tell us now, in the comments.
Image top: Ralf Roletschek Image bottom: Outatime
Is this 1950s-era car the most futuristic vehicle ever?