Cars from “Road Trip’’ movies

Road trips are a staple of the summer. With this summer winding down, we thought it would be fun to take a look at some of our favorite “road trip’’ movies and the cars that helped make them so memorable.

Movie: National Lampoon’s Vacation (1983)

Fewer films have made the station wagon more memorable than “National Lampoon’s Vacation.’’ The car that the Griswold family takes on their ill-fated trip to Walley World was built specifically for the 1983 comedy, but was modeled heavily on the Ford LTD Country Squire station wagon.

Movie: Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987)

Okay, so it’s not set during the summer. Instead, this classic road trip/buddy movie with Steve Martin and John Candy follows a businessman (Martin) who finds himself reluctantly partnered with a disastrous oaf as he tries to get home in time for Thanksgiving. As can be expected, disaster ensues, notably for the pair’s rented convertible, a 1986 Chrysler LeBaron Town and Country (not pictured).

Movie: Coupe de Ville (1990)

This film stars Daniel Stern, Patrick Dempsey, and Arye Gross as brothers who reunite after five years to drive a brand new 1954 Cadillac from Detroit to Miami for their mother’s birthday.

Movie: Thelma & Louise (1991)

After killing a would-be rapist, a housewife and a waitress find themselves running from the law in a 1966 Ford Thunderbird convertible in this classic female buddy flick.

Movie: Tommy Boy (1995)

After he inherits his father’s auto parts factory, the bumbling Tommy Callahan (Chris Farley) must travel cross-country with the uptight Richard Hayden (David Spade) in Hayden’s 1967 Plymouth Belvedere GTX (not pictured) to keep the business afloat. One of the key lessons from the movie: Very few cars are deer-proof!

Movie: Sideways (2004)

Before one of them gets married, two friends (Paul Giamatti and Thomas Haden Church) drive a 1987 Saab 900 to California’s wine country for some wine tasting and a mid-life crises.

Movie: Little Miss Sunshine (2006)

A Volkswagon Type 2 Microbus the vehicle of choice for an oddball family heading from Arizona to California to enter their daughter in a beauty pageant.

Movie: The Hangover (2009)

The Wolf Pack’s vehicle of choice when heading to Sin City for a bachelor party gone wrong was a 1965 Mercedes 220SE convertible.

Movie: Due Date (2010)

A father-to-be (Robert Downey, Jr.) finds himself forced to take a cross-country trip with aspiring actor (Zach Galifianakis) to arrive in time for his son’s birth. A Subaru Impreza is used for part of the odd couple’s disastrous trip.