April 4 represents Robert Downey Jr’s 55th birthday. On the basis that anything ending in a five or a zero is a significant milestone, you might be wondering what you can get him. Well, I know none of us are exactly flush at the moment, but if you could see your way to getting him a luxury car, that would probably go down well.
He loves them. Really loves them. His garage could easily be mistaken for a 20-mile tailback on the Pacific Coast Highway. If, that is, everyone on the Pacific Coast Highway drove incredibly lovely cars.
Downey, the second-biggest-grossing box office star of all time, is best known for playing Tony Stark, AKA Iron Man, who just happens to be an astonishingly rich man with an eye for cars. He’s played the role in ten different movies, which may explain why life and art have begun to blend together seamlessly. Here is a look at just a few of the motors that Downey owns and the rest of us can only, ahem, marvel at.
2009 Audi R8
To be honest, we could have filled this list with R8s. One appears in every Iron Man movie and Downey advertises Audis in the US and, as far as we can work out, he seems to be paid in Audi R8s. This 2009 model, though, was a gift from the makers of the first Iron Man. Some actors get to keep a hat or a pair of gloves. Others, a luxury car. Director Jon Favreau recalled his stunt drivers trying to flip the R8 for a spectacular final scene in the film. “They failed. The car clung to the road too well.”
Custom 70 Boss 302 Mustang
Made for SEMA 2017 (the world’s biggest automotive speciality equipment show) by Wisconsin-based custom carbuilder SpeedKore, this model won Best In Show for restored muscle cars. Beige and black, with a carbon-fibre front end, HRG wheels and a gorgeous basket-weave interior featuring flat-screen technology, this car is the American Dream personified.
Ferrari California T
Most people, when asked to picture a Ferrari, will come up with a red one. That’s fine, but once you’ve seen Downey’s blue California T, you realise what a thing of beauty it is. A two-door 2+2 hard-top convertible, it is powered by a 3.8l V8 twin turbocharged engine, with 553bhp. Downey has even commented in the past, “In real life, any Ferrari is more exciting than Tony Stark’s Audi R8.” Bet that was fun to explain to the people at Audi.
Bentley Continental GT
Everyone likes the odd professional perk. In my old job, I reckon I maybe took home as many as ten biros over a 15-year period. In a similar vein, Downey was given a matte-green Bentley Continental GT as part of his payment for Iron Man 3. Its 4-litre twin-turbo V8 helps it to a top speed of 192 mph and it does 0-60 in under five seconds. But can it fit in your jacket pocket and write things down? Nah? Thought not.
1967 Corvette Stingray Convertible
Unlike a lot of stars who have vast fleets of cars slowly going to seed in dusty garages, Downey really does seem to enjoy driving as many of his motors as possible and the ’67 Stingray seems to be one of his favourites. Famous for its revolutionary fibreglass body, the Stingray’s design was influenced by the Jaguar E-Type (which Enzo Ferrari had called the most beautiful car ever made). Less obviously, another inspiration was a Mako shark that designer Bill Mitchell caught while out deep-sea fishing.
Fisker Karma
In some ways, the Fisker Karma was way ahead of its time. One of the first production luxury plug-in hybrid electric cars in the world when it came out back in 2011, it took a worthy idea (eco-conscious cars) and made it sexy. But all the sleek curves and good intentions in the world can’t help you if your only battery supplier goes out of business and that’s exactly what happened to Fisker after only around 2,400 models were built. As such, Downey owns something of a collector’s item.
Audi E-Tron GT Concept
Downey’s electric enthusiasm wasn’t dimmed by the Fisker Karma, which is just as well, as he’d have missed out on something rather special. Because what’s cooler than owning a really fast, really beautiful e-car? Owning one that’s not even out yet, that’s what! The four-door sports saloon can receive up to 80 per cent charge in 20 minutes and can do 0-62 in 3.5 seconds. When released later this year or early next, a model will cost around £100,000, but Downey’s concept model may be worth as much as £4.5 million.
Nissan GT-R
Compared to some cars on this list, the GT-R is a bargain, coming in at a mere £80,000. “Marvellous, I’ll take ten,” you probably aren’t shouting. But for £80,000 you get a car that regularly outperforms Ferraris, Porsches and Lamborghinis and does 0-60 in under 3.5 seconds. The car boasts a number of honours, including a record you might not want to replicate: in 2014 a man called Mike Newman broke the record for the fastest speed by a car being driven blindfolded in one. Not, presumably, Robert Downey Jr’s.
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