We all get that sinking feeling when the flashing red and blue lights come on behind us in traffic. Oh no, we must have been speeding. Hopefully, the police officer will just let us off with a warning. Celebrities get those jitters, too, especially Ed Sheeran. The young music icon has been routinely topping iTunes charts since his first arrival in the U.S. back in 2010. However, fame wouldn’t help him out of a speeding ticket in his Aston Martin.

Sheeran had been driving his Aston Martin DB9 when he, like the rest of us, saw those flashing lights in his rearview and got anxious. It’s certainly not every day you get pulled over in a $200,000 luxury sports car, either. While the traffic stop itself had been routine and unremarkable, what happened afterward is what made fans realize just how terrified he must have been.

An Aston Martin car so fast, Ed Sheeran had to give it away

It was 2017 when it all went down. Ed Sheeran, who was at the time 25, found himself pulled over by Suffolk police. His speeding caused the traffic stop, and The Sun reports Sheeran had been driving 70 mph in a 60 mph limited zone. The result of his ticket included a fine and points assigned to his driver’s license.

It wasn’t the traffic stop itself that necessarily concerned Sheeran. He jokingly admitted in an interview that he had been more concerned that his father would “go mental” on him for driving so fast in his Aston Martin DB9. However, his dad didn’t overreact and told him lots of people make the mistake of going too fast on this local road. To his credit, the speed limit had recently been reduced in that area, unbeknownst to Sheeran.

While entirely benign as an experience overall, the traffic stop still made Ed Sheeran uncomfortable. However, it was less about the speeding ticket than the speed potential in such a fancy, performance car. In fact, he was so uneasy about driving the Aston Martin DB9 that he gave it away to his manager’s wife. He talks more about his experience in this Breakfast Club interview on YouTube.

The Aston Martin DB9 is pretty special

Ed Sheeran’s traffic stop might be a familiar experience for almost everyone. It’s not hard to overlook your speed and find yourself providing your license and registration to your friendly neighborhood police officer. However, driving an Aston Martin DB9 when you’re getting pulled over is certainly not your run-of-the-mill traffic ticket.

The Aston Martin DB9, as Aston Martin puts it, is a breakthrough design and a flagship model for the luxury and performance automaker. Furthermore, these cars come with a monster V12 engine, capable of 509 horsepower. It’s a rare gem that will set you back more than $200,000 to purchase, which is why celebrities tend to be the only ones enjoying them. Unfortunately, Ed Sheeran didn’t find much joy in owning his for the short time he did. 

Ed Sheeran’s experience with driving is pretty limited as it is

You might presume that with an Aston Martin DB9 to give away, he must be an automotive enthusiast. Ed Sheeran appreciates cars and doesn’t shy away from buying them, despite not getting his driver’s license until he was 24. In fact, he bought his first car as a music star before he could even legally drive it, as our sister site Showbiz Cheat Sheet reported. However, that was a Mini, which is much less intimidating to drive than, say, an Aston Martin.

Ed Sheeran might still get a speeding ticket, like the rest of us. However, he won’t be getting one from behind the wheel of that super fast Aston Martin anymore.