Chris Evans is a top-notch presenter, businessman, and radio and TV-program producer. His early jobs were various and menial; he appeared on TV shows, acted as a disc jockey at local pubs and of course, did the menial work of sorting out newspapers at the crack of the dawn. His radio gig was even more bizarre; he’d go up to listeners' houses in a radio car (mirror.co.uk).
After that, he went to present for the renowned Radio 1, which didn’t last too long. But then he went on to become part of The Big Breakfast, which he thoroughly enjoyed and was a hit. It was after this that he went to form his production called Ginger Productions. The format of one of its major programs, Don’t Forget Your Toothbrush, was very well-received, which led other production companies to ask for permission to copy the format.
He continued doing TV shows and radio programs and also developed his taste for vintage cars, Ferraris in particular. Perhaps his background as a presenter and a penchant for cars led the BBC to approach him to become a co-presenter on Top Gear. He was judicious about politics and didn’t want to get into any sort of a sticky situation, so he even got the blessings of the previous presenters before officially accepting the role.
All that didn’t help him though. The ratings of the show were declining, and Evans called it quits a year later, stating it just wasn’t working out.
So, let’s check out how big of a petrol-head Chris Evans is.
9
MERCEDES-BENZ 190SL ROADSTER
Here’s an S-Class material from MB in Evans’ collection. This is a 190SL, these were produced from 1955 to 1963 and were the progenitor of the SL-Class deal. If you look at the grille, you’ll note that MB had the recipe for good grille found today as far back as 1955. Back then, the powerplant was a four-cylinder beast, and made roughly 105 HP. Jalopnik actually test drove one of these and found the acceleration to be usable, but of course not adrenaline-inducing. The interior of the car also seems reasonably good. You’ll see Evans driving this in London intermittently.
8
FIAT 500
As good as Ferraris are, you still need a daily driver. Now, no matter how rich you are, how many shows you do, how many jets you own, it’s not always feasible to make Ferrari and vintage Jaguars your daily driver; you need a beater. It’s not money at his level, as much as practicality. You can’t go much distance without having to worry about bumps and ground clearance. In some supercars, if not most, you can’t even put your coffee or water bottle anywhere. There are no cup holders. Plus, he lives in London. So that’s why you often see him with the Fiat 500.
7
RR PHANTOM
This is one of those cars that don’t yell, but rather exude luxury through and through. “Yelling” would be more of an uncouth term for a Phantom. Seriously, this is as luxurious as you can get in the car world. The beauty of these Phantoms is… Everything. It has all the luxury design and features you can think of. The rear seats will have their own controls and refinements. While you’ll likely be chauffeured, there is a head-up display and laser headlight should you decide to take it for a ride. As long as you can afford it, this is one of those cars that you can’t go wrong with.
6
FERRARI CALIFORNIA
The California is a nice grand-touring sports car from Ferrari. The exterior looks nice, although maybe a little bland for a Ferrari. Most of the time, the hood is longer in a Ferrari, but here either the hood is not as long as usual, or the smaller headlamps create that distortion. The side profile of this car is just fabulous though. That curve and the window’s shape are nothing short of awesome. This car in particular was known for all the personal customizations available to Ferrari customers. Who knows what he had customized.
5
FERRARI 328 GTS
These cars were produced from 1985-1989. While a lot of cars from this timeframe look a little out of the world, this one here doesn’t look bad at all. The side profile looks well-crafted and the rear styling looks kind of epic. And then there are the now-fashionable pop-up headlamps. How cool is that, eh?
The V8 engine gives a whopping 270 horses at 7,000 RPM, meaning 0-60 is achieved in just 5.5 seconds, which is totally dramatic for a car from the late ‘80s.
This car is apparently one of the least costly Ferraris to own second-hand, according to Forbes.
4
TRIUMPH SPITFIRE MKIII
This is one lovely British two-seater sports car. The name sounds glorious and terrifying. (The Spitfire was the name of a fighter jet too.) While people seem to be reminiscing the older Ferraris—no less Evans—here’s an odd beauty that he appreciates that not a lot of other people do.
And he really likes the Triumph Spitfire MK III. Like, enough to buy two of them.
Or enough to consider getting a third one (buzzdrives.com). The exterior looks somewhat contemporary, but the beauty lies in the simple yet sufficient interior. Its mechanical aspects are really admirable and drama-free (Jalopnik).
3
FORD MUSTANG CONVERTIBLE
Not a lot of celebrities have a thing for the Mustang. Really, there might be one or two who might have a penchant for modern Mustangs, but it’s hard to find a star who likes Mustangs, let alone the very early Mustangs. Chris' car looks like it’s from the early years of the first-gen. The Mustang was a no-nonsense, pure power, avant-garde car that changed the car world. It created a new world of cars, a world which became populated by similar-minded cars. Here you can see Evans getting into his convertible. It’s no Ferrari, but it’s still the old, American-build Ford.
2
MB 280SL
Here’s another SL-Class car in his collection. It’s a beautiful car that had a production run from 1963-1971. His car had been owned by Hans Rausing of Tetra Pak, and the car is just drop-dead gorgeous.
There might be some concerns about how these old cars are handling the aging process. Car and Driver did a review of this car and wrote how MB isn’t exactly skilled in making sure their cars age well.
There’s always issues with the mechanical and electrical aspects. But that’s not the case with every MB unit produced, particularly if the car in reference has been in tip-top condition, which is likely the case for Evans’ MB 280SL.
1
PORSCHE 944 CONVERTIBLE
The Porsche 944 Convertible is an odd but memorable car. The exterior looks grounded and that’s what gives the car a firm balance. You can continue going in an “S-shape” forever without getting the sensation that your vestibular system in the middle ear isn’t functioning properly. The car looks like it was made by chopping off the roof of the final non-turbo iteration of the 944, yet the exterior styling of this car looks top-notch. Indeed, it’s one of the few cars that can pull off the convertible look without looking monstrous. The interior of this lineup was good too.