Many serial killers become famous (infamous?) for the sheer horror of their crimes or because of the number of people they've killed. Sometimes, when a killer attains worldwide notoriety, so too does the car they might have used in the crime. Usually a crappy old beater, but sometimes a luxury vehicle, these serial killer cars often become crime scenes themselves, and serve as mobile murder enablers where psychos like Ted Bundy, the "Green River Killer", or John Wayne Gacy find and lure victims.
What kinds of cars did serial killers drive? In a few cases, the car itself is the weapon, driven by a lunatic on a mission to kill. Since these cars are so often used as evidence, they often survive trials and become tourist attractions (because profiting off of brutal murders is totally Pm89t566C, right?). You might even be able to find a serial killer death car at a museum near you. Just don't look in the trunk.
Note that many of these cars are actually vans, which we all know are the worst of all. Basically, if you see an old, beat-up van (the white ones have always been the creepiest) idling in the middle of nowhere, it might be best to just move on. So teach yourself the types of rides to avoid by familiarizing yourself with the serial killer vehicles in this list.
http://www.ranker.com/list/serial-killer-cars/mike-rothschild,
Volkswagen Beetle
Ted Bundy famously committed many of his murders in a beige 1975 VW Beetle. He would often attempt to lure women back to it with a variety of lies, and perpetrated several murders in it. On August 15, 1975, Bundy was being pulled over and made a run for it. When he was finally caught, and the car searched, police found a crowbar, a box of large green plastic garbage bags, an ice pick, a flashlight, gloves, torn strips of sheeting, a knit ski mask, a pair of handcuffs, and a mask made from panty hose.
Bundy was arrested, released on his own recognizance and promptly cleaned and sold the car. The next day, he was arrested again.
1993 Ford Bronco
June 1994 saw the world transfixed by a car as never before. It was the white 1993 Ford Bronco truck that O.J. Simpson was riding shotgun in when it led a low-speed chase down the LA freeway system, in the aftermath of Simpson’s wife Nicole and waiter Ron Goldman allegedly being murdered by the former football star.
While Simpson was renting a Ford Bronco at the time, it’s not the same one as Simpson crony Al Cowlings drove as the world watched and wondered what the hell was going on. Cowlings sold the car to a group of California businessmen, who put it in storage for a number of years and leased it out for gatherings and openings. After a stint on display at the Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas, it’s back in storage.
1977 Oldsmobile Delta 88 Royale
33-time murderer John Wayne Gacy drove a black 1979 Oldsmobile Delta 88, luring boys into it, then knocking them out with chloroform, driving them back to his Chicago area house and doing horrible things to them. It was the black Olds that eventually gave Gacy away, as a man that Gacy had attempted to kidnap followed it back to the killer clown’s house where he was arrested. While Gacy was soon released, and went back to killing, the man who followed his car eventually testified at his trial.
Manson Family's 1959 Ford Falcon
Manson Family member Linda Kasabian drove a yellow 1959 Ford Falcon during the family’s murders of Sharon Tate and Leno and Rosemary LaBianca. The car was originally owned by Barker Ranch hand Johnny Swartz, and was impounded in August 1969, shortly after the murders.
Priscilla Ford's 1974 Lincoln Continental
Priscilla Ford had a blood alcohol level of .162 when she drove her 1974 blue Lincoln Continental down the streets of Reno on Thanksgiving Day, 1980. She plowed through pedestrians, going over 40 down five blocks of packed streets before finally stopping at a nearby red light. When it was over, she’d killed six people and injured two dozen. She was found guilty in a long trial, sentenced to death and died in prison in 2005.
Ed Gein's 1949 Ford Sedan
Psychotic serial killer and body snatcher Ed Gein drove a 1949 Ford sedan, using it to drive his victims to various horrible places around Wisconsin. After Gein’s arrest, sideshow operator Bunny Gibbons bought the car at a public auction for $760, and charged 25 cents to see and have pictures taken with “Ed Gein’s Ghoul Car.”
Eventually, local authorities shut the exhibit down, and the car is lost to history.
Ted Bundy's Stolen Volkswagon Beetle
Bundy might have made one VW Beetle famous, but he actually has a connection to a second one. On February 15th, 1978, Bundy was driving a stolen orange VW Beetle in Pensacola when he was pulled over for driving erratically. Among the loot that was found in the second Beetle were three sets of IDs belonging to female FSU students he had assaulted, nearly two dozen stolen credit cards, and a stolen TV.
Bonnie and Clyde's 1934 Ford V-8 B-400
The 1934 Ford V-8 B-400 convertible sedan that notorious bank robbers Bonnie and Clyde were shot dead in is one of America’s original “death cars.” The duo had terrorized the central US, pulling off heists and killing at least nine police officers, but were finally stopped when Louisiana police put 130 bullets into their car. The death car itself became a popular roadside attraction, then was bought by several different casinos around the country, and is now on display in Whiskey Pete's in Primm, Nevada.
Dahmer's (Alleged) "Blue Van"
At one point, serial killer and cannibal Jeffrey Dahmer was linked to the murder of 7-year-old Adam Walsh in Hollywood, Florida. Witnesses claim they saw a man with a “protruding chin” throw a struggling young boy into a blue van and drive away. At the time, Dahmer was working for a floral delivery company that drove blue vans – but the link between Dahmer and the kidnapping was never proven, and Dahmer never claimed to have been connected to Adam Walsh’s death.
Charles Manson's 1935 Dodge Power Wagon
Serial killer Charles Manson acquired two old 1935 Dodge Power Wagons to use as off-road vehicles at the Manson Family’s Barker Ranch. Manson family member Charles "Tex" Watson took one in 1969 when Barker Ranch was raided, but it broke down, and Watson hitchhiked out of the area, eventually making it to Texas.
The Power Wagon remains sitting in the desert, with a few pentagrams drawn into the roof to mark its former owner.