When Michael Crichton wrote Jurassic Park, he probably had no idea that it would eventually spawn several movies, TV shows, and lists that include the coolest Jurassic Park cars you can actually buy. In fact, Crichton wasn't thinking about cool at all. He went for longevity and practicality because he chose the Toyota Land Cruiser as the star car of the novel.
The Land Cruiser is a sublime off-roader, and the kill count would likely have been lower had the movie stuck with the source material. But it's not exactly cool, and money talks in Hollywoodland.
Most of us associated Jurassic Park with Jeep and Ford, but, as you shall shortly see, Mercedes-Benz is the dominant brand in the franchise.
We'll start with the most basic facts first and work our way up from there.
How Many Jurassic Park Films Are There?
This seems like a clear-cut answer, but it may surprise you to learn that there's a controversial debate about whether there are six or seven. The films you know and love, in order, are the original Jurassic Park, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Jurassic Park III, Jurassic World, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, and Jurassic World: Dominion. In 2019, Universal Pictures released Battle at Big Rock, which is an eight-minute short film following the events of Fallen Kingdom. It's part of the franchise, no matter what length, so the correct answer is seven.
The films were all filmed on the Hawaiian Islands of Kauai, Maui, and Oahu, apart from some obvious sequences in the city.
It's much easier to look at the iconic Jurassic Park vehicles in sequence if only to see how the franchise and the product placement deals evolved. Luckily, the most iconic Jurassic Park movie car features in the first Jurassic Park film.
1. Jeep Wrangler YJ
The Wrangler YJ was made from 1986 to 1995, and it's the most hated out of the five generations. Why? Because it had square headlamps.
Luckily, it's one of the most iconic Jurassic Park vehicles, which makes it a bit more valuable after all these years. It costs slightly more than the average used Wrangler, with 1992 examples selling for roughly $15,000. Only one engine was available, which was the 4.0-liter straight-six. Producing only 180 horsepower, it's at least reliable.
This one is the cheapest and easiest to recreate out of all the iconic Jurassic Park vehicles. All you need is the car and a wrapper willing to do the livery, which is easily accessible online.
2. Ford Explorer XLT
The Ford Explorer is officially the first Jurassic Park car. Though often forgotten, there's a selection of Ford Explorers the park uses as transportation from the airfield to the park. They're also used as tour vehicles for the general public, while the Jeep Wrangler is used whenever somebody wants to go off the set path.
Thanks to movie magic, these Explorers are also self-driving. And we're not talking about the Level 3 self-driving found in the later Mercedes-Benz movie cars, but the most basic self-driving system ever. These explorers are nothing more than slot cars packed with emergency items should something go wrong. That's how our heroes get hold of night vision goggles, for example.
We're sure Ford signed a lucrative product placement agreement for the first film, but unfortunately, the Wrangler was the hero. Ford managed to replace the Toyota Land Cruisers originally intended, however.
3. Mercedes-Benz ML
Moving away from the original movie to the first of many Mercedes-Benz vehicles. Once again, the Toyota Land Cruisers were dropped in favor of the all-new (at the time) Mercedes-Benz ML.
The Lost World is a bit different from other Jurassic Park movies because there isn't an element of tourism involved. There was no need for a semi-capable tour vehicle like the Explorer, and the Jeep Wrangler didn't return because Mercedes-Benz paid more money to get their new luxury off-road vehicles in front of the fans.
A Mercedes-Benz G-Class would have been better and arguably become one of the iconic vehicles, but this move came along just as luxury off-road SUVs became a thing.
The ML handled things nicely on the island, and the market responded well to the SUV. Unfortunately, it was poorly made and became one of the least favorite SUV models in what is now a long line of larger luxury models.
4. Hummer H1
The baddies arrive on the island to tranquilize and steal dinosaurs in various off-road trucks, but the hunter drives around in a Hummer H1. All Roland Tembo wants in return for his services is to hunt a T-Rex.
There is another H1 in the movie, and it's named the Snagger. The Ingen team uses it to capture smaller dinosaurs.
The Hummer H1 was pretty cheap when the film was made, even though only 11,800 civilian units were produced. Nowadays, it's considered a classic and sells for a sizeable amount.
Perhaps it has something to do with the Hummer EV, which is a 9,000-pound monster that might even be more annoying to environmentalists than the original.
5. Pontiac Custom S
The Pontiac Custom S is unique because it's the only car on this list that's not an off-roader. At the end of Lost World, a T-Rex is set loose in San Francisco. It's barreling through the city and the suburbs looking for its baby.
Ian Malcolm and Dr. Sarah Harding have the baby, and they use a 1969 Pontiac Custom S to lure it back to the boat.
It's an extremely cool scene and an epic throwback to the first movie, where a T-Rex chases a Wrangler through the jungle.
6. Mercedes-AMG G63 6x6
Jurassic Park III had no notable cars, so we'll move directly to the sequels, which kicked off in 2015. Mercedes-Benz immediately jumped on board as the vehicle sponsor and provided the production with several new GLE and GLE Coupes.
The movie also used the various Mercs to illustrate status. Unit Commander Katashi Hamadas couldn't be seen plebbing around in a GLE, so they gave him a Mercedes-AMG G63 6x6. It's a massive upgrade from the Ford Explorer company car used in the first movies.
7. Kawasaki Teryx4 LE
The Jurassic World series was a bit more pragmatic regarding working cars. Instead of using large civilian vehicles, workers had to settle for the Kawasaki Teryx4 LE, which is only 125.4 inches long. It does have a valuable 1,300-lb towing capacity for towing batteries, food, small dinosaurs, or whatever needs doing on a fictional island infested with creatures.
8. Rolls-Royce Phantom
The Rolls-Royce Phantom makes a small but significant appearance in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. It's a subtle hint that the people living in Lockwood Manor are incredibly wealthy, as if the big house wasn't enough of a clue.
The black exterior makes it appear more sinister and gives us a clue what Sir Benjamin Lockwood's intentions really are. Because Rolls-Royce doesn't sell an even more sinister Black Badge Phantom, the regular one would suffice, with a 6.75-liter V12 producing 563 horsepower and 664 lb-ft of torque.
9. Mercedes-Benz Unimog U5000
If you're going to tackle an island infested with dangerous animals and no roads, look no further than the Mercedes-Benz Unimog. It's available in several configurations, but we prefer the U5000. The U4000 and U1300 also make an appearance.
It's a pity the Unimog was only used as a background vehicle, but we suppose it can't reach the high speeds required for a good car chase. It's good at recovering lesser off-roaders, however.
The U5000 only has 215 horsepower, but the turbocharged four-cylinder was built for torque. That's why it boasts nearly 600 lb-ft of torque, which is enough to idle up almost anything out of a treacherous situation off-road.
BONUS: Jurassic Park Toy Cars
If all of the above are still beyond your reach financially, the leading Jurassic Park cars are available as toys, which is the easiest and cheapest way to get hold of one. You can buy an RC version of the Jeep above and pretend your garden is the jungle of Isla Sorna.
Getting hold of toy cars from the later movies is much easier. Jurassic Park even signed a deal with Lego so that you can build trucks, dinosaurs, SUVs, and your own little Chris Pratt and Jeff Goldblum.
