James Martin might be famous for being the chef on This Morning, (and formerly Satruday Kitchen for 10 years) but that isn’t all he does! When Martin isn’t cooking up a storm with Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield, he’s a proud father to two dogs. Oh, and he’s got an absolutely fantastic car collection.
Martin has gone on record to say that he’d rather have cars than children, and every specimen in his garage proves that he’s got a lot of love, time and money to lavish on these vehicles. So what’s he using to pull up to the ITV studios?
Audi RS eTron GT
If there’s one thing I’ve learnt, it’s that everyone from footballers to TV stars love an Audi. They’re not the only ones zooming down to the dealership, though: James Martin is also a fan. The chef and presenter has an electric Audi with a name that sounds like a transformer. It’s a really impressive car, too. The coupe has more than 600 horsepower and can drive 283 miles on a single charge. It can also do 0-62 mph in 3.3 seconds, and costs £110,000. Got to love the ITV salary!
Bentley Continental
Driving a classic car, listening to iconic music… what’s not to like? James acquired his Bentley Continental second hand, after it was made in the 1980s. The vehicle had 40,000 miles on the clock, and still has a lot of love to give. One thing it won’t be giving up is the Shirley Bassey cassette, which was apparently in the tape player when Martin bought the car and has remained there ever since.
Ferrari 275 GTB
This Ferrari is a lot, even for a Ferrari. Like the Bentley Continental, it’s vintage, but the Ferrari is even older and was originally born in the 1960s - before Martin! It’s a 12-cylinder grand tourer and pretty rare. Variations based on the model and year can be worth £4 million, but Martin’s is the, ah, budget option and only worth £1.5 million.
John Deere Gator
From unbelievably fancy and expensive to cheap, cheerful and practical. Oh, and presumably named after an alligator. The John Deere Gator is a tough old farm vehicle with an all wheel drive. It can be moved like a tipper truck and has a heavy duty winch on the front. The beast is worth £15,000 to buy and will certainly get you over muddy puddles and not be deterred by snow. It’s less of a car and more like a golf buggy on steroids, and we love that.
Ferrari 288 GTO
For an avid car collector, Martin seems reluctant to favour one specific brand. The exception is Ferrari, because, well, it’s Ferrari. In a tour of his garage Martin kept this baby hidden, but mentioned its existence later on. Perhaps it’s so he can go incognito. Alternatively, it could be because Ferrari 288 GTOs are rare and worth more than £2 million. This has got to be Martin’s priciest car, right?
Ford GT40
Wrong! Probably. Whilst a £2 million vehicle might be more than the rest of us could ever dream of, it’s not the most valuable car in Martin’s garage. The Ford GT40 is an incredible road racer and actually beat Ferrari when the two raced at Le Mans. The edition Martin has was made later than the original, which means it’s not quite as valuable. Those were priced at an eye-watering £8 million.
Mercedes Benz SL
If you’re looking for a car with the charm and appeal (such as it was) of the 1970s, the Mercedes-Benz R127 SL is perfect. It certainly is angular and comes in so many different shades of beige, which is lovely if you like beige. Although some classic cars get more valuable with age, like wine and cheese, the Mercedes-Benz SL now goes for around £25,000. Still, nice if you like beige.
Mini Cooper S Rally Cars
When he’s not cooking in the studio or getting his pilot’s licence, Martin likes to race classic minis. Some might claim that this is the Shetland Pony Grand National of car racing: a lot of fun, but not likely to break any record. Martin certainly enjoys it enough to buy two Mini Cooper Rally Cars, both of which did compete a few years ago. Who doesn’t enjoy a pocket rocket from time to time?
Shelby Mustang 350
Back when we were writing about rappers, we spoke a lot about customisation and how to restore old cars. Martin isn’t getting his car lowered, but when he bought an American Shelby Mustang 350 fresh off the race track, he did have to show it a considerable amount of TLC. We hope that he was able to keep the 7.0 litre engine and just repair what was necessary. Because of the history, it’s hard to value this vehicle, but some Shelby Mustangs have sold for more than £100,000.
Subaru Impreza Rally Cars
We know that Martin loves a rally car and has tried his hand in two Mini Coopers, so it makes sense he’ll look at other brands, too. The Subaru Impreza vehicles are slightly bigger, and the two owned by Martin were raced by Colin McRae and Petter Solberg. Both are worth hundreds of thousands of pounds, but it might be more fun to invite three friends over and race the Subaru Imprezas against the Mini Coopers.
Takeaways
And that is it for today's blog post. We hope that you have enjoyed reading it as much as we enjoyed writing it. At Carmoola, we can help you find the best car finance deal to suit your needs. Why not visit the 'How it Works' section and see how we can help you? If you are looking to finance your very own vehicle, check out the simple steps below;
- Go to the Carmoola App
- Enter your details & verify your ID
- You will then get an illustration of what you could potentially borrow
- Then go ahead and apply!
And then if you are accepted, go on to find your dream car, and go ahead and simply pay with your virtual Carmoola card at the dealership (or online)! What’s not to like? 😀👍
