The lucrative business of organized crime affords Soprano and his families several luxury vehicles, which have become almost as recognizable as the actors who drive them. Not surprisingly, the old-school gangsters drive stereotypical mafia staff cars, such as the 1996 Cadillac DeVille once driven by Sal “Big Pussy” Bonpensiero. Check out the accompanying slideshow to see pictures of the Top 10 vehicles.

In compiling our list of the luxury cars featured over the years on The Sopranos — having already watched almost every episode since the series debuted — we looked at the Sopranos episode guide available at HBO.com and took screenshots of the necessary cars. Spokespeople for the automakers listed confirmed each vehicle’s year, make and model.  In the case that manufacturers were unable to identify the vehicle model year but were able to identify the vehicle generation (the possible model year that applies to the vehicle), we applied the statistics for the most recent model year.

1996 Cadillac DeVille

From there we took into account two factors: the original MSRP of the vehicle and the person’s importance to Tony Soprano and his crew. For the vehicle MSRPs we used our site, ForbesAutos.com, and partner site Cars.com. Richie Aprile’s Ford Explorer from years past didn’t make the list because the car didn’t fit the bill MSRP-wise. Allegra Sacrimoni, daughter of Johnny Sacrimoni, was given a Rolls-Royce for her wedding day, but the car didn’t make the list because the new bride is a minor character on the show. Characters that Soprano has killed appear lower on the list than those who enjoy a close personal relationship with the head of the DiMeo crime family.

We also asked a few longtime fans of the show and HBO’s Sopranos discussion board regulars — Christine Dolan, Nino Caruso and Kyle Mays — to offer their input on the characters and their cars. The three fans have been posting on the Sopranos discussion board since July 2001, September 2001 and March 2006, respectively.

Published on 5/22/06