When the Car Is the Star

Movie and TV buffs love their stars, but sometimes they prefer their cars. Many die-hard fans collect the cars that they see on the big and small screens.

Brian Grams, VP of sales at the Volo Auto Museum in Volo, Illinois, tells TMZ a simple parts car from a movie set might bring in a scant $800, but if it was driven by one of the stars it could command a crazy amount of money.

TMZ got the lowdown on some of Grams' wild Hollywood rides

The Dukes of Hazzard' Movie
This 1969 Dodge Charger, "The General Lee," was stripped down with no engine or interior. It launched 150 feet into the air. The bent, twisted, and rusted remains went for $60,000! The buyer is a collector who remains anonymous.

'Herbie: Fully Loaded'
This 1961 VW Beetle, called the "Herbie Love Bug," was nicely restored and drivable. An ordinary similar-looking car would bring in around $8,000. But the 'Herbie' Beetle brought in a cool $75,000.

'Wayne's World'
The 1976 AMC Pacer, called the "Mirth Mobile," is in Grams words, "A truly uncool vehicle with little if any resale value except it happened to be the baby-blue, flamed, and licorice-dispensing Pacer made famous by slackers Wayne and Garth." After one famous rendition of the characters singing Queen's 'Bohemian Rhapsody,' the car sold for $16,000.

The Fast and the Furious'
The 1970 Dodge Charger called the "Fast and Furious Charger," was badly damaged in a stunt that involved smashing the car into a semi-truck and flipping it in mid-air, bringing it to rest upside down. The car wouldn't start after the stunt. But the fact that it was driven by Vin Diesel and included a blood-stained t-shirt from the scene lead to one of Diesel's fans dropping $35,000.

'The Cat in the Hat'
This super-luxurious omni-directional whatchamajigger called "S.L.O.W." was driven by Mike Myers in the film. The studio paid over $1 million to build the Dr. Seuss-inspired car, and it's one of Grams' most unique. Made from scratch, this one of a kind automotive masterpiece is currently up for sale. Grams says he's accepting offers!