Joanna Lumley's Passion for Classic Cars

If you enjoyed watching Absolutely Fabulous, The Wolf of Wall Street, Finding Alice, The Avengers or Sensitive Skin, chances are you've also been captivated by the expert acting performances of Joanna Lumley. 

Lumley is a British actress, voice-over artist, former model, author, television producer and activist. In her role in Absolutely Fabulous, she got to drive several classic cars which she absolutely loved. Her personal collection of cars is just as impressive. Let's take a look at some of her precious rides!

1949 Rolls Royce Wraith

The Silver Wraith was a relatively small car for Rolls-Royce but it was still a luxury limousine, which was bought and used by nobility and heads of state. A Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith was chosen to be the first Irish Presidential State Car, which was used from 1947 onward.

 Speaking with the Times, Joanna had this to say about the car, “She was a lovely old girl, built in 1949. I bought her for £550 long before the Avengers. I hadn’t any money but it was irresistible. I only had it for two years and it was hopeless, always breaking down. Things came off it but it was fantastic, just ravishing, to have that old girl. Whenever I stopped or it boiled over, always somebody came to help. People adored it.” 

We couldn't agree more!

Triumph Stag

The Triumph Stag is a great-looking, great-sounding car that can be picked up for reasonable prices and that most owners adore. Joanna Lumley was lucky enough to own one of these cars, which she bought back in the 1970s. 

The Stag was powered by a 3.0-litre V8 engine and Joanna's car had a manual transmission. Triumphs are said to be notoriously unreliable, but Joanna remained dangerously attracted to these exotic cars.

The Triumph Stag is considered unreliable mainly due to its underdeveloped 3.0L V8 engine, which suffered from overheating, poor cooling system design, and timing chain failures.

Quality control issues at British Leyland and complex maintenance needs further damaged its reputation. However, with modern upgrades and proper care, many Stags can now be made reliable and enjoyable to own.

Ferrari 328 GTS

Joanna Lumley's next car on our list is this red Ferrari, which she has previously referred to as her dream car. The red beast longed to bomb down the M2 from its home in Goodnestone, but after she moved away and claimed that there were spirits at her old house - fearing for safety's sake - the machine was denied what it desired most.

Again speaking with The Times Joanna said; “They built so many speed bumps that I literally couldn’t drive around where I live. They are monsters. A Ferrari isn’t really a car for London, you’ve got to take it out on the road, and in bright red, it was ridiculous.”

Such sentiments are understandable of course. A red Ferrari longs to be driven out in the open road!

Takeaway

Who knew that Joanna's car collection would be as world famous as her TV shows and films? Lumley's cars will have any petrol head begging to get their hands-on them, and we want to as well!

If you enjoyed this collection, be sure to check this one on the Scariest Looking Cars This Halloween. If you do enjoy checking out the cars driven by the stars, you might enjoy reading about the car collections of other stars of TV and screen, check out our articles on Idris Elba or cast of Happy Valley.

Thinking of upgrading your ride? Get flexible car finance with Carmoola. Apply through our app and experience a fast and easy car-buying experience!😃