Inside Robert Downey Jr’s US$10 million car collection: the actor turns vintage Chevrolets into EVs and owns a blue Ferrari and rare Avengers Audi – but what car did he gift Marvel co-star Chris Evans?
“When I was wrapping up my Marvel contract I thought, what am I gonna do with the rest of my life, I really need a big challenge and a big project,” he told The Washington Post last year.
Turns out the self-professed “gear head” – he said as much on TV show Downey’s Dream Cars – has one of the most environmentally friendly car collections we’ve ever seen. From vintage rides and luxury vehicles to zippy sports cars, he’s even pimped some of America’s oldest classic cars to be fully electric.
Last summer, Downey announced the RDJ Dream Cars Sweepstakes, in which he’s giving away all six cars he modified to be more eco-friendly on his show – and there’s still a chance to win one of the actor’s rides, as the sweepstakes end this July.
Here’s a look inside Robert Downey Jr’s epic car collection, estimated by online car magazine Rerev to be worth over US$10 million.
1. Audi E-tron GT
Downey pulled up to the Avengers: Endgame premiere in this concept car that also featured in the film. And since it was made as a prototype, it remains one of the rarest vehicles in his collection. According to YouTube channel LuxeWish, this all-electric luxury car can charge 80 per cent of its battery in just 20 minutes.
2. California T Ferrari
3. A 1965 Chevrolet Corvette
The car is currently up for grabs for a lucky winner through Downey’s RDJ Dream Cars Sweepstakes.
4. Bentley Continental GT
According to GQ, Downey was given a matt green Bentley Continental GT as part of his payment for Iron Man 3. The car can hit 0-60mph in under five seconds.
5. Custom 1970 Ford Mustang Boss 302
A classic muscle car – in other words, an American-made two-door with a powerful engine – this mustard-yellow Mustang was adapted especially for Downey by carbuilders SpeedKore. Per Motortrend, they added carbon-fibre panels and upgraded the engine, making it one of the fastest in his entire collection.
6. 1972 Chevrolet K10 Pick-up
Another of the cars Downey modified for his HBO show, he described the original as a “gas-drinking, carbon-belching dragon of a vehicle”, and was delighted when his crew “turned it into a stealth weapon capable of superhero feats of strength”. Now almost unrecognisable as a 50-year-old car, a touch screen was also added to the interior.
Downey recently gave this car away as part of his RDJ Dream Cars Sweepstakes. Now, who could its new owner possibly be …
7. Acura NSX
Downey got to take home this one-of-a-kind concept sports car, which was custom made for the very first Avengers film. Estimated by Rerev to be worth over US$9 million at this point, the car even has diamond quartz brake calipers.
8. 1967 Camero RS Speedkore
“This [has] an LS3, a Chevy motor, a Whipple supercharger … that’s about 750 horsepower,” Leno said after looking under the bonnet.
“Might as well be Spanish to me,” Evans joked.
Perhaps Downey should have kept that one for himself after all …
- Iron Man star Robert Downey Jr is as obsessed with cars as saving the planet – he even modified 6 classic rides to be more eco-friendly, and is now giving them away in his RDJ’s Dream Cars Sweepstakes
- The Oppenheimer actor also owns a matt green Bentley Continental GT, a rare Ford Mustang Boss 302, and his custom-made Avengers Acura NSX even has diamond quartz brake calipers