Most movies for gearheads consist of high-speed chases or a focus on the world of racing cars. However, there are quite a few movies like The Car and Christine that highlight just how dangerous a car could be if it had a mind of its own. It turns out that creepy haunted cars don’t just exist in movies.

There’s still no report of any car killing its driver on its own accord, but a few of them are considered “cursed” because they’ve been through many accidents. A few of them were even reported to be operating without anyone in the driver’s seat. Here are some of the most famous haunted cars.

Cape Town’s “jumping” car

A family in Cape Town, South Africa, was woken up one night by a loud crash. The culprit was a Renault Megane, a popular small car in the United Kingdom. Apparently, the car revved itself to life and began to jump backwards across the family’s yard. The car manufacturers were skeptical of this, but the story was later confirmed by even more witnesses outside of the family.

The official cause of the car’s behavior was due to a rusty starter cable, but some still believe that a spirit was trying to operate the vehicle. There was no evidence that someone had tried to tamper with the Megane, since the windows were intact and the doors were locked.

Franz Ferdinand’s limo

The archduke of Austria was assassinated in the late June of 1914, along with his wife, in his 1910 Graf and Stift limousine. Unlike the cars used by national leaders today, the car didn’t have the added security of bullet plates in the front seats or armor on the doors. Additionally, the two were totally exposed since they were driving with the top folded down.

Their deaths started a chain reaction that would lead to the declaration of World War 1, an event that would cost 40 million military officers and civilians their lives.

The car itself had its own fair share of casualties. Multiple drivers and pedestrians were killed in accidents involving the limo, though the car itself remained mostly unscathed.

20 years after the death of its original owner, it was eventually placed in the War History Museum of Vienna. After cycling through many new owners, with 13 of them being killed behind the wheel of the limo, it became known as the “Death Car”. 

The ghost driver of Surrey, England

This incident is by far the creepiest haunted car story since it’s mostly unexplained. On a cold winter night in Britain, police were alerted to a crash on the highway. The car had run off the road and into the river below.

When police arrived at the scene, they could not find the vehicle that had supposedly crashed. Despite this, they continued to search the area. They found one wrecked car, a Vauxhall Astra, that had obviously been at the scene for some time. The engine was cold and the car itself was covered in old shrubs and dirt. A few feet away from the car itself, the police found the remains of Christopher Chandler.

The 21-year-old male had disappeared five months earlier after drinking with some friends. The car was registered in his name. This means there was no mistaking that the crash involving him did not occur on that night. However, there were still multiple eyewitness reports of glowing headlights that appeared on the highway before crashing into the ravine.

Perhaps Chandler’s ghost was still stuck on that stretch of highway, driving his final route before his death.