Famous classic car owners

[jimmyjam]

Sorry if this is a re-post.
We know the obvious classic car/ petrol head celebs Rowan Atkinson, Chris Evans, Nick Mason etc. but what of the more obscure ones? For example, I seem to remember seeing a 105 Alfa Spider which had been owned by Robbie Coltrane. I think Bill Bailey recently bought a DS to get him back from Europe during the Ash shenanigans.

[a8hex]

Brian Johnson' Bentley.
In the top gear awards it looked like he'd even taken it on holiday with him.

[a8hex]

I followed Jules Holland through the tunnel at Goodwood when he was driving his lightweight E.

Chris Rea is well know for his Ferrari passion.

There has got to be tons more.

[braddo]

Mark Knopfler(?) was racing a 50s Jag at the Revival last year, maybe a C type?

I was reading about one of the members of Cream who was a Jensen owner and did a couple of African rallies in a Rangie back in the 70s.

[AndrewW-G]

braddo said:

I was reading about one of the members of Cream who was a Jensen owner and did a couple of African rallies in a Rangie back in the 70s.

Ginger Baker his biography was called Hellraiser the autobiography of the worlds greatest drummer, when I've got a spare minute I'm going to have to write to him and ask why he wrote John Bohnams Biography . . . . . . . Ooooh we can add Bonham and Jimmy Page to the celebrity classics list, as well as the well documented cars the JB owned, Page had IIRC a Cord 812 and Peter Grant a nice collection of classics including some of the cars used in Zeppelins "The Song Remains The Same"

[dougc]

I think Jools Holland is a bit of a car nut and apparently buys old motors based on how they smell inside...

[jimmyjam]

dougc said:

I think Jools Holland is a bit of a car nut and apparently buys old motors based on how they smell inside...

Yes, I seem to remember a programme in the early 90's with him and Roland Rivron where they drove round in an old Rolls which he had chopped the roof down on.

[Trommel]

AndrewW-G said:

braddo said:

I was reading about one of the members of Cream who was a Jensen owner and did a couple of African rallies in a Rangie back in the 70s.

Ginger Baker

Jack Bruce had a Bristol 412 which he sold recently.

[a8hex]

Apparently Chris Evans has just splash 12million on another car.

[ritmo]

jimmyjam said:

..... I seem to remember seeing a 105 Alfa Spider which had been owned by Robbie Coltrane.......

me too, it was a Duetto for sale nr Cambridge - it looked a tight fit for him.
Neil Primrose (Travis)races some very nice old sportscars.
The TV chef whose name I can't remember who entered the mille miglia and made a tv program about which showed him to be an enthusiast/chump depending on your opinion.
Jay Leno is well known as a car nut.
Jay Kay also has several including a very smart 50's Maserati.
Ralph Lauren has a spectacular collection.
The late Alan Clark MP.

[Beardy10]

Eric Clapton is too....some of his old Ferrari's are currently up for sale.

The Chris Evans thing is bizarre, he's almost trying to attract attention. His day to day car is a Disco....not sure what that says about his love of cars? There are certainly much better 4x4's to drive than that.

[aeropilot]

Beardy10 said:

Eric Clapton is too....some of his old Ferrari's are currently up for sale.

Probably selling the Ferrari's to make way for yet more Roy Brizio built hot rods. Roy and his team seem to build about one or two per year for Clapton. I've been in Brizio's on two occasions during the past 4 years when they have been building a car for him.

This is the latest one they have just finished for him, a '49 Ford converted to RHD.








Jeff Beck has also had a few hot rods built by Brizio as well.

And Aston Martin/Jaguar designer Ian Callum owns this Jon Golding built '32 Ford Coupe

Edited by aeropilot on Friday 14th May 21:45

[AndrewW-G]

aeropilot said:

Beardy10 said:

Eric Clapton is too....some of his old Ferrari's are currently up for sale.

Probably selling the Ferrari's to make way for yet more Roy Brizio built hot rods. Roy and his team seem to build about one or two per year for Clapton. I've been in Brizio's on two occasions during the past 4 years when they have been building a car for him.

This is the latest one they have just finished for him, a '49 Ford converted to RHD.








Jeff Beck has also had a few hot rods built by Brizio as well.

Edited by aeropilot on Friday 14th May 21:42

he chops and changes his cars like most people change their underwear and whilst maybe not as open about it as Chris E, EC does share his cars with people . . . . . . . . . . 25ish years ago, he made a little boy very happy with a ride in his old 250 GT Lusso

[onemorelap]

braddo said:

Mark Knopfler(?) was racing a 50s Jag at the Revival last year, maybe a C type?

I was reading about one of the members of Cream who was a Jensen owner and did a couple of African rallies in a Rangie back in the 70s.

Remember watching Mark Knopfler racing a Lotus 23b in the early to mid 90's. He wasn't particularly quick but he didn't get in anyones way and appeared to have enjoyed himself so fair play.

Never really understood George Harrison's level of interest? Seem to recall he had a run at Donington in some of the collection's cars but i never really knew if he was into cars in a big way?

Jay Kay is an obvious one as well as Jay Leno but is Noel Edmonds a candidate for his interest in all things GT40?

[mark387mw]

jimmyjam said:

dougc said:

I think Jools Holland is a bit of a car nut and apparently buys old motors based on how they smell inside...

Yes, I seem to remember a programme in the early 90's with him and Roland Rivron where they drove round in an old Rolls which he had chopped the roof down on.

It was called Groovy Fella's and IIRC the Rolls Royce still had the welds visible for the roof chop. I've searched t'interweb and not been able to find pictures or clips of the car and show.

[AndrewW-G]

Harrison was a petrol head (as were all the Beattles bar the odd one who went to america)owning lots of interesting cars in period from wood and picket minis, through to the more exotic kit like a Facel Vega, he was also had a Mclaren F1 from new until he passed away

Not sure if we can add McCartney as all his cars have tended to be current, including the Espada he owned and used extensivley in the 70's

Edited by AndrewW-G on Friday 14th May 22:15

[dougc]

Edmonds ran a couple of Panoz GT1s at Le Mans in the mid-90s didn't he?

[wibble cb]

Chris Barrie (Red Dwarf,Brittas Empire), I suspect would be a classic enthusiast, having guest edited Practical Classics already.....

[lowdrag]

Jools Holland had an E-type lightweight lookalike but has had a Simon Dunford lowdrag coupé for several years now. Of all people, I still can't understand why a certain Michael Igor Palin was the first owner of my Lynx D-type. He doesn't seem the type to be involved in cars - or at least I've never heard so.

[AndrewW-G]

lowdrag said:

Jools Holland had an E-type lightweight lookalike but has had a Simon Dunford lowdrag coupé for several years now. Of all people, I still can't understand why a certain Michael Igor Palin was the first owner of my Lynx D-type. He doesn't seem the type to be involved in cars - or at least I've never heard so.

Igor? . . . . . . . . . the middle name of Michael Palin from Python is Edward . . . . . .or am I going to be the recipient of a wooosh parrot?