Evolutionary: Barbie’s cars through the decades

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In the just-released Barbie movie, the titular character suffers some angst about her suddenly flat feet, no longer perfect for stiletto heels. But if she was moulded from plastic as a model for fashion accessories, there was always more to Barbie’s character. Never mind the high heels—Barbie was a hot shoe.

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The pink 1950s Corvette of the trailer we expect, but Barbie’s wheeled world was far bigger than that. An iconic RV, a rugged Jeep, even a cute little EV in modern times. But also a drop-top Porsche 911, a real-life 530-hp pink Maserati, and a full-sized white convertible with wings for doors, based on a Fiat. Oh, and Magnum P.I.‘s Ferrari (sort of).

And, of course, a 1970s Corvette. If you grew up with or around Barbie in the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s, there was always a ‘Vette in her garage. Let’s face it, Barbie likes a bit of fun behind the wheel, and she knows the Corvette can’t be beat for bang-for-buck.

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However, turn the clock back to the beginning, and Barbie wasn’t always a Corvette driver. That came later, in her free-wheeling blonde days. And her cars weren’t always pink. Here’s a look back at Barbie’s history of cool cars.

The Euro-snob

The bowtie and small-block V8 fans in the crowd aren’t going to like this, but Barbie has long been a fan of small European sports cars. Barbara Millicent Roberts (“Millicent”? Yes, really) debuted in 1959, and by the 1960s had a complete fictional backstory as a teenager living in Wisconsin. One of her signature looks — which features in a trailer for the Barbie movie — was a zebra-striped swimsuit, but a lot of the early clothes were the type of elegant things First Lady Jackie Kennedy might wear.

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As such, it should be little surprise that Barbie’s first ride was a British sports car: an Austin-Healey 3000 Mk II. Launched in 1962 along with Barbie’s first playhouse, this little convertible was marketed as “Barbie’s own sports car.” The best part? It was Canadian. The scale-sized Austin-Healey was built for Mattel by the Irwin Corporation, Canada’s oldest toymaker. Various colours were available, with the rarer shades popular among toy collectors today.

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After this came more exotic fare: a Mercedes-Benz 190SL, a Ferrari 328 GTS, and a Porsche 911 cabriolet. The Ferrari especially is worth a closer look, as it was a surprisingly realistic model, without the usual Barbie star-decals and so on. First available in red and later white, the Ferrari was Barbie in her 1980s TV-detective phase.

Maserati recently doubled-down on Barbie’s penchant for European marques. Two pink Barbie-themed versions of the Grecale crossover were built, more as proof that Maserati offers a huge level of customization, but also just because it’s fun.

The outdoors enthusiast

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To step back a bit, Barbie spent the 1970s diving into custom-van culture with her friends. Owning a dream home is nice, but better yet is getting out on the road and setting up a campsite wherever you wish. The boxy Country Camper had its own countrified theme song, and came with one of those three-wheeled off-road motorcycles that caused many a severe injury at the time. Good thing Barbie doesn’t have bones.

More impressive was the Star Traveler released in 1976. This six-wheeled RV measured three feet long and had room inside for a kitchen, shower, bed, and a number of accessories. Barbie was emphatically not into roughing it.

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The Star Traveler was based on the front-wheel-drive GMC motorhome, a beloved classic RV from the 1970s. One was used in the 1981 comedy Stripes, and was reportedly bought after filming by actor John Candy for touring around.

And of course Barbie was also an off-roading enthusiast. She got her first Jeep Wrangler in the 1980s, but where she really continues to imprint on growing minds is with her crossover with the Power Wheels brand. Crawling around the backyard in a bright pink electric Jeep probably launched more current Wrangler fans than any G.I. Joe vehicle did.

The prototype test pilot

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Not to alarm anyone, but Barbie also seems to have dabbled in a little automotive espionage. Witness her 2002 Volkswagen Microbus, an updated model meant to replace the classic VW bus she owned in the 1980s. Tell me that’s not a dead ringer for the current I.D. Buzz, two decades before it launched.

Perhaps in that case, VW’s designers grew up with their own Barbie collection, and were inspired. However, there’s an even weirder coincidence with Barbie’s Mustang.

In 2003, Barbie got herself a cherry-red Ford Mustang GT (you could, of course, also get it in pink). Thing is, the car looked nothing like the fourth-generation Mustang currently selling down the road at the local Ford dealership. In fact, it was a nearly-perfect match for the retro-styled fifth-generation Mustang, which didn’t launch until two years later.

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NASCAR Barbie

Barbie has had a lot of jobs: veterinarian, astronaut, travel agent, UN Ambassador (yes, really). Apparently, she also dabbles in stock-car racing, as evidenced by 1998’s NASCAR Barbie, complete with firesuit and racing helmet. Seven years later, Danica Patrick made rookie of the year at the Indy 500.

The Barbie Corvettes

While she was occasionally up for a spin in an action figure’s 300ZX Twin Turbo, Barbie picked up her first Corvette in 1976, and afterward never was without one in the garage. The Star ‘Vette was essentially a 1970s Stingray convertible, purple and complete with staggered white-lettered wide tires. Barbie clearly had some of the Hot Wheels crew tune up her ride, and she was out at the Friday night drag strip, taking bets and winning races.

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Perhaps more iconic is the 1980s C4 Barbie Corvette, unabashedly bright pink and with T-tops. Many a Transformer or G.I. Joe went for a ride in this thing, possibly while poor Ken looked on sadly from his spot in the toy bin.

A pink Corvette is Barbie, which is why the movie couldn’t have her in anything else. But in a nice blend of old and new, the car chosen for the film is a slightly scaled-down 1956 Corvette fitted with an EV powertrain. The original 1950s Corvette was America’s take on the British sports car, so it’s part original Barbie and part modern icon.

And you can drive one, too. Barbie’s Corvette is available for download in the Forza racing series, or as a plastic model. Doubtless the latter will make their way into playrooms all across the world, festooned with extra stickers, perhaps fitted with Lego weapons, crashing down stairs and into chair legs, racing across hardwood floors, giving some youngster their first taste for speed. Because Barbie became a fashion icon — but she was a gearhead all along.