The Batmobile was last seen in Batman and Robin in 1997

It beat James Bond's Aston Martin in a poll of screen cars to coincide with the release of Starsky and Hutch.

The Batmobile's first appearance was in the Batman comic in 1941, making its cinema debut in the 1966 Batman film starring Adam West, and also in 1989's movie starring Michael Keaton.

The survey, carried out by UCI Cinemas, also featured the Minis from The Italian Job in third place.

The VW Beetle named Herbie came fourth in the vote, having starred in a number of Disney films including The Love Bug and Herbie Goes Bananas as a car with its own mind.

Action

The DeLorean car driven by Michael J Fox in the Back to the Future trilogy, famous for its doors that open upwards, came fifth in the vote.

The Ford Mustang driven by Steve McQueen in the 1968 film Bullitt, the car from Grease and the flying vehicle in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang were also included in the top 10.

"Cars in movies have always helped provide the action in chase scenes and getaways, but the best big screen cars are the ones that go beyond simply being a prop and have an identity of their own," said a UCI spokesman.