The cars are the real stars in the Fast and Furious movie franchise. Or at least they were before the film shifted its focus from fast cars burning rubber in furious street chases to science fiction. It is fair to say that the writers of this film are now focused more on the human stars than the cars. And with legends like John Cena and Dwayne Johnson on screen, the actors have become the stars of the Fast and Furious.
Updated June 2022: The Fast and Furious has come a long way. And while the film portrays its cast, led by Dom Torreto, played by Vin Diesel, as speed beasts, the actors have real lives that include the cars they love. Updated June 2022, we've updated this article to show you what the Fast and Furious lead actors drive when they're off the screen.
The million-dollar question here is, are these guys speed demons in real life? After all, they've been exposed to roaring engines and wild chases for 21 years. And with the franchise containing some of the hottest movie car chase scenes of all time, there must be some real-life gearheads among the cast. Let's find out what they drive in real life.
14 Sung Kang - Datsun 240Z
The 240Z is one of the best Nissan performance cars to buy used. They are excellent project cars that be transformed into performance beasts to challenge modern sports cars. Before Sung Kang showed off his restored and modified Ford Maverick, he had also spent a lot of time restoring a Japanese classic, the Datsun 240Z. He transformed an old and out-of-shape model into an entirely new creation, which he called the Fugu Z.
He added a widebody kit, transformed the interior to make it perfect for racing, and, of course, tuned the engine to racing spec. Kang entered his Datsun 240Z into the Gran Turismo awards at the SEMA auto show, a competition for aftermarket cars, and won the top prize.
13 Jordana Brewster - Range Rover Sport
One of the regulars in the Fast and Furious movie series, Jordana Brewster, played Mia Toretto, Dom's sister in the first film in 2001. That was before reprising her role in the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh installments to become Brian O'Conner's girlfriend.
Brewster, like Michelle Rodriguez, didn't have her license when she was cast as Mia and had to pass her driving test before she could start filming some of the driving scenes. In the real world, Brewster now drives a stylish Range Rover Sport, one of the best luxury SUVs on the market. It's an ideal vehicle for a busy mom with two kids.
12 Dwayne Johnson - Ford F-150
Former wrestler Dwayne Johnson, known as The Rock in his WWE days, has enough money from his Hollywood career, including his appearances in the Fast and Furious franchise, to buy any supercar he wanted. Unfortunately, he is far too tall and big to fit in many of the most stylish sports cars on the market.
Instead, he has opted for a much more practical vehicle, a customized Ford F-150 full-size pickup. Johnson has even appeared in adverts for the Ford truck, and he believes the message he is delivering, at least if the number of photos he posts of his beloved F-150 are anything to go by.
11 Jason Statham - Ferrari F12 Berlinetta
British action hero Jason Statham doesn't just love British cars like the Aston Martin DBS. He also has a continental side—especially in cars—and a stylish Ferrari F12 Berlinetta is one of the highlights of his auto collection. This happens to be one of the most powerful cars the company has ever produced, and that's saying something for a manufacturer like Ferrari.
The car's V12 engine can produce 730 horsepower and accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 3.1 seconds. Statham would have had to part with a significant amount of his Fast and Furious earnings to take this car home. The man has a presentable car collection, including an Audi S8.
10 Tyrese Gibson - Voltron Motors Rebel Jeep
Sung Kang may spend his time creating aftermarket legends like the Fugu Z, and Dwayne Johnson may deliver heartfelt adverts about his love of driving an F-150 pickup truck, but only one Fast and Furious star actually has a vital role to play in a real-life motor manufacturing company.
Tyrese Gibson has invested a significant amount of his earnings from his music and acting career in a company called Voltron Motors, which creates extreme aftermarket versions of off-roaders, particularly the iconic Jeep Wrangler. As an investor, Gibson obviously also drives one of his company's eye-catching creations, the Voltron Motors Rebel Jeep.
9 Ludacris - 1993 Acura Legend
Fast and Furious star Ludacris has a car collection to be envious of. His Chrysler ME Four-Twelve concept car, Ferrari F430, and Ferrari 258 are all stellar sports cars, but as far as the rapper-turned-actor is concerned, the highlight of his collection is a 1993 Acura Legend.
This was the vehicle he drove when he was plain old Chris Bridges, and he still says it is his dream car. Acura was so impressed by his devotion to their brand that in 2015 they offered to restore the car—which had 280,000 miles on the clock—to its former glory with an internal and external makeover.
8 Vin Diesel - GMC Yukon
In the opening film of the franchise, The Fast and the Furious, Dom Toretto, played by Vin Diesel, drove an iconic 1970 Dodge Charger muscle car, which had once belonged to his father. In real life, however, the actor is less of a muscle man and more of an SUV fan.
Among his collection of cars, Diesel drives a GMC Yukon, a full-size SUV which has also been sold as the rebadged Chevrolet Tahoe since 1995. This beast of an SUV wouldn't be much use in one of Dom Toretto's street races, but it seems to suit Vin Diesel perfectly well.
7 Charlize Theron - Lexus RX 450h
Oscar-winning actress Charlize Theron has been a late addition to the Fast and Furious film franchise. She made her first appearance in the eighth movie, The Fate of the Furious, as Cipher, a cyber-terrorist who blackmails Dom and his crew into stealing the components she needs for her nefarious plans.
Cut to the real world, and Charlize Theron is a mom of two with an environmental conscience, at least if her choice of wheels is anything to go by. The South African-American actress drives a Lexus RX Hybrid, the perfect combination of style, elegance, and a less polluting engine.
6 Elsa Pataky - Acura MDX
Charlize Theron is far from the only woman who has taken on a starring role in the Fast and Furious film series. Elsa Pataky, a Spanish model and actress has appeared in the three most recent movies as Elena Neves, a Brazilian police officer who became romantically involved with Dom Toretto.
Pataky's character isn't known for driving fast cars in the movies and in real life; the actress prefers practical vehicles, too, driving an Acura MDX, a luxury crossover SUV with three rows of seats and plenty of room for the actor's large family that.
5 Michelle Rodriguez - Toyota Prius
Michelle Rodriguez played Letty Ortiz in the first movie, when she was Dominic Toretto's love interest, returning in more recent films first as a criminal with amnesia, then as one of Dom's gang after she gets her memory back, and finally as his wife.
Letty is one of the first women in the franchise seen driving modified cars in races and in heists, but at the time she was cast, Rodriguez didn't even have a driver's license. In 2007, Rodrigues was sentenced to 180 days in jail for speeding and drink-driving. She now opts for a much more sensible and sedate vehicle, a Toyota Prius.
4 Kurt Russell - Audi A8
Kurt Russell has been in the acting business for decades, and he is essentially part of Hollywood royalty, married to Goldie Hawn and stepfather to her daughter, Kate Hudson. Russell made his first appearance in the Fast and Furious franchise in the seventh movie as Mr. Nobody, a government agent who works with the gang of fast-driving crooks to bring down the bad guys.
As an agent, Russell doesn't get to drive the exciting cars that his co-stars get their hands on, and in real life, his choice of vehicle is also a solid and steady set of wheels, the exotic Audi A8.
3 Gal Gadot - Mini Cooper
Before she starred as Wonder Woman, Israeli actress Gal Gadot was one of the stars of the Fast and Furious movies, playing Gisele Yashar, one of Dom Toretto's crew, in the fourth, fifth, and sixth installments of the franchise. Fast & Furious in 2009 was Gadot's first big film, and she even performed her own stunts in the movie.
Before moving to Holywood, Gal Gadot had served two years in the Israeli Defence Forces. Far from driving a military Jeep or even a Hummer in real life, however, Gadot's car of choice is the classic, iconic, and very petite Mini Cooper.
2 Eva Mendes - Toyota Prius
Actress Eva Mendes made just one appearance in the Fast and Furious franchise, playing US Customs Service agent Monica Fuentes in 2 Fast 2 Furious. Her character also appeared briefly in a flashback in Fast Five in 2011.
As a straight-laced agent, Mendes didn't get to drive any of the modified supercars that appeared in the film, and she has taken an equally sensible approach in real life. She chooses to drive an environmentally-friendly Toyota Prius hybrid. The Prius is a big seller among ordinary US drivers and seems to be an equally popular choice among Hollywood celebrities.
1 John Cena - 1970 Plymouth Superbird
WWE superstar and actor John Cena is one of the few celebrities with an enviable collection of cars. In his collection are the iconic Ford GT and a Ford Mustang Saleen Parnelli Jones Limited Edition. Apart from these icons, Cena also adores his classics, including a COPO Camaro and a HEMI Charger. Crowning his classic collection is this classic that got expelled from NASCAR for being too powerful to compete, the 1970 Plymouth Superbird.
The Superbird was the performance version of the Dodge Road Runner. It featured a long nose and a sky-high rear wing. Powering this classic was a 7.0-liter V8 engine with 425 horsepower and could reach top speeds of 150 mph.