4 Cool Movie Cars Ryan Gosling Has Had the Pleasure of Driving
Like many celebrities, actor Ryan Gosling enjoys spending his hard-earned cash curating an impressive car collection. Gosling’s cars include a Range Rover Vouge, Ford Mustang, BMW Z8, and Porsche 911 Carrera S Coupe. The Barbie star has a penchant for performance and has driven his share of movie cars. Here are some of the finest rides Ryan Gosling has piloted on screen.
1. 1973 Chevy Malibu in ‘Drive’ (2011)
Gosling starred in the 2011 movie Drive, about a struggling stunt driver working as a mechanic by day and a getaway driver for criminals by night. His character drives several cars throughout the movie, but none is as memorable as the primer-gray 1973 Chevy Malibu.
The Blade Runner 2049 actor handpicked the classic muscle car from a local junkyard for the film. According to Street Muscle Magazine, “Gosling tore the Malibu completely down to the frame and rebuilt the entire car himself, save for the transmission, which was handled by professional mechanics.”
He added aftermarket gauges to the dash and cool mag wheels, which helped him develop a “personal connection” with the car. That connection allowed him to push it to the limits during his many driving scenes through the streets of Los Angeles.
2. 1982 Buick Riviera convertible in ‘La La Land’ (2016)
In 2016’s La La Land, Gosling drove through the streets of LA again, this time as an aspiring actor behind the wheel of a restored 1982 Buick Riviera convertible. The classic car was in production for only four years.
The 1982 model began as a coupe assembled at GM’s Linden, New Jersey plant. It then got sent to American Sunroof Corporation (ASC) in Lansing, Michigan, where Buick removed the top to make it a convertible.
Though the car looked cool, it was painfully slow. Its V6 engine, paired with a four-barrel carburetor, churned out only 125 hp and 205 lb-ft of torque. The convertible, which became a “summer car of choice for GM executives,” Hemmings said, had an initial price of $24,064, the equivalent of $76,229 today.
In the Oscar-winning film, co-star Emma Stone’s character drives a fuel-efficient Toyota Prius, a model Gosling owned in real life.
3. 930-generation Porsche 911 Turbo in a TAG Heuer short film/ad (2023)
TAG Heuer recently commemorated the 60th anniversary of its Carrera Chronograph Swiss luxury watch with the short film/commercial The Chase for Carrera, starring Gosling.
When the Notebook actor, playing himself, refuses to return the high-precision watch to the prop master, he ignites a chase sequence through the backlot of a soundstage. The car in question is a Rubystar Red 930-generation Porsche 911 Turbo Carrera. It packs a 3.8-liter twin-turbo boxer-six engine harnessing 640 hp and 590 lb-ft of torque.
Like the watch, the high-performance, rear-engine sports car got its name from the Carrera Panamericana. This brutal race through Mexico was “the most dangerous … of any kind in the world,” CarBuzz reported.
4. GMC Hummer EV truck in ‘Barbie’ (2023)
In the box-office sensation Barbie, Gosling plays the iconic role of Ken, who asserts his manliness while cruising the streets of Barbie Land in a GMC Hummer EV. Unlike Barbie’s classic pink Corvette convertible, the gray electric truck with colorful lightning bolts strikes an imposing figure.
With an MSRP of $110,000, the behemoth weighs 9,000 pounds due to its massive 205-kWh battery. The Verge says the 1,000-hp EV can zoom from 0 to 60 mph in three seconds. But while driving the truck is “super fun,” stopping it is “terrifying” due to the excessive weight.
General Motors partnered with Barbie, earning the auto giant about $8 million in product placement for 10 minutes of screen time featuring several of its vehicles, including Ken’s Hummer EV.
