When it comes to the biggest names in motoring, they don’t come more iconic than Ford. One of the great success stories of the US automotive industry, Ford cars have remained popular with US motorists for decades – and the company’s newer luxury models are even appealing to Hollywood celebrities!
Ford has come a long way from the days of Henry Ford’s apocryphal line that customers could have a new Ford Model T “in any color, so long as it’s black.” Ford didn’t just revolutionize the car industry; he also created the automated production line, which has gone on to benefit every manufacturing industry in the world.
Part of the company’s charm with customers is that they are a company out of the US, who started building cars in Detroit, but who now have factories and vast production plants all over the world. If you are buying a Ford car because you want to buy a US-made ride, it might be worth looking a little closer at where the parts in your vehicle came from…
Perhaps that is why some celebrities have turned their backs on Ford, to drive vehicles made by competitors from the USA, Europe, and the Far East. However, there are just as many famous faces who love their Fords, and who would never dream of making the switch to one of Ford’s rivals in the auto industry.
24 Turned Their Back: Selena Gomez
Selena Gomez is another actress and singer who got her big break when she was still a teenager, but unlike Shia LaBeouf, the High School Musical star has managed to keep both feet on the ground!
When she turned 16 and got her license, Gomez already had several successes under her belt; yet rather than splashing out on an ostentatious set of wheels, she bought herself a mild-mannered Ford Escape, an SUV that is more likely to be seen parked outside schools than cruising the streets of Hollywood. As she has got older, however, Selena’s taste in cars has also matured, and she now drives a more stylish luxury BMW X5.
23 Turned Their Back: Eminem
Rapper Eminem decided to treat himself to a new car when he got his first royalty check for his first album, buying a brand new 1999 Mustang Convertible in bright red – though the star had the vehicle repainted purple for its appearance in the D12 video for the single Purple Hills.
Eminem soon decided that it was time to upgrade his wheels, and sold the car to a local dealership in Michigan. The dealership promptly sold the car on eBay, where it raised thousands of dollars for charity, ending up in the possession of a very rich and very spoiled 12-year-old girl, who was a huge fan of the rap star.
22 Turned Their Back: Bruce Willis
Hollywood legend Bruce Willis also has something of a legendary car collection and is a big fan of vintage vehicles. Several years ago, he bought a 1968 Shelby Mustang GT500 which was in need of some tender loving care to get it back to its best. Willis guided and supervised the restoration himself, including a new racing green paint job to match the Shelby Mustang from the classic movie Bullitt.
However, the beautifully restored car didn’t stay in Willis’ garage for long, as he decided in 2008 that he was going to sell the Mustang at auction, where it fetched an impressive $161,000.
21 Turned Their Back: John Cena
Wrestler John Cena was involved in a court battle with Ford in 2018 over the sale of his limited edition Ford GT. The company only made 500 models of the 2017 Ford GT, and wanted to ensure that no-one who was lucky enough to get their hands on this sporty supercar could capitalize financially on the vehicle by selling it on within two years of buying the new vehicle.
John Cena sold his after just two months and was immediately taken to court by the US auto giant, though Cena claimed that the contract he signed with his local Ford dealer in Florida had no such clause.
20 Turned Their Back: Shia LaBeouf
Actor Shia LaBeouf is probably better known these days for his quirky antics than his movies, but he has scored some significant box office success in his time, including Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and the relaunched Transformers films.
LaBeouf bought himself a Ford F-150 pickup truck in 2007, one of the most popular models with celebrity Ford fans. Unfortunately for the Holes actor, his pickup was destined for a short life, as he ended up wrecking the vehicle in a crash the following year when he collided with another car in Los Angeles at 3 am.
19 Turned Their Back: David Beckham
In 2002, footballer David Beckham bought himself a special edition Ford F-150 pickup truck, made in conjunction with classic motorcycle manufacturer Harley Davidson. As well as featuring the iconic Harley Davidson logo alongside the Ford badges, the interior of the vehicle was modified with luxurious real leather seats.
Bought in the States, Beckham eventually took the left-hand drive vehicle to the UK but decided to sell it in 2016, putting it up for auction along with his original registration documents and an autograph on the hood of the truck. David and his Spice Girl wife Victoria now prefer to drive luxury Range Rover models.
18 Turned Their Back: Eric Bana
Hollywood star Eric Bana was a fan of classic cars long before he had the cash to afford them! As a teenager in Melbourne, Australia, he bought a 1973 Ford Falcon Coupe, which he drove for years, even entering the Targa Rally in 1996 behind the wheel of the vintage car which he nicknamed “The Beast”.
Unfortunately, while the Falcon was in great condition when the race came around, Bana’s skills as a racer were not so sharp, and he ended up crashing out and damaging his precious car. While the Falcon has since been restored, Bana now prefers to keep his pride and joy safely locked away in the garage.
17 Turned Their Back: John Mayer
When singer John Mayer decided he was going to buy a Ford, he certainly didn’t do things by halves. He bought himself a stylish and sporty Ford GT Heritage and gave it an eye-catching blue and orange custom paint job. Mayer was snapped a few times by the paparazzi driving his garish car around Hollywood before he decided that he was bored of his Ford GT Heritage, and decided to sell it on eBay in 2012.
Given that there were only 343 Ford GT Heritage models ever built, it was hardly surprising that Mayer’s car sold for an impressive $265,000.
16 Turned Their Back: Sylvester Stallone
Rocky star Sylvester Stallone used to own two stunning custom Ford vehicles, a modified 2006 Ford Mustang Convertible and a vintage 1955 Ford F-100 pickup truck, but he sold both of them in an auction in 2011, and is now more likely to be seen behind the wheel of his million-dollar Bugatti Veyron, Ferrari supercar or Mercedes-Benz G Wagen SUV.
Stallone’s modified Mustang, with a tuned-up engine and stylish body kit, sold for $77,000, while the 1955 pickup, which had featured in his movie The Expendables and which had been restored by the iconic West Coast Customs shop which featured on Pimp My Ride, sold for over $132,000.
15 Turned Their Back: Brad Pitt
Hollywood star Brad Pitt is a regular in the Los Angeles gossip columns thanks to his colorful love life. He broke up with first wife Jennifer Aniston to marry Angelina Jolie, and the two of them brought up several kids together. While Pitt and Jolie were still a couple, they drove a practical Ford Explorer XLT, an SUV which is ideal for celebrities with big families!
Now that he is a single man once again, with the couple having announced their separation in 2016, Pitt has ditched the practical vehicles in favor of his Audi Q7 or his customized chopper motorcycle.
14 Turned Their Back: Sean Penn
Controversial actor Sean Penn may still own his customized classic Ford Mustang, but he rarely drives it these days, preferring instead to rely on more environmentally friendly vehicles which get better fuel efficiency than a muscle car. Which is a real shame, as Penn’s gorgeous Mustang, with a striking black paint job, is a gorgeous piece of machinery.
However, the Hollywood star now prefers to drive vehicles that aren’t such gas guzzlers. In fact, Penn’s car of choice is a very normal and inexpensive Nissan Titan pickup truck, one of the most affordable cars on this list.
13 Turned Their Back: Kelly Clarkson
Pop Idol winner and chart-topping singer Kelly Clarkson owned two Ford Mustang cars, and one of the vehicles even had a starring role in the video she made to go along with her single Go. In the video, Clarkson was pictured behind the wheel of her own red and white striped Mustang.
The Since U Been Gone singer also owned a Ford Mustang which had a customized hot pink paint job, but she eventually sold that car. Hopefully, she'll re-enter the Ford family at some point.
12 Stayed True - John Goodman
While these celebrities may have decided that Ford vehicles are no longer their cup of tea, there are still dozens of famous faces that remain loyal to the classic all-US car manufacturer.
Comedian and actor John Goodman, who starred in the sitcom Roseanne as well as movies like The Big Lebowski and King Ralph, has happily driven the same Ford vehicle for the last twenty or so years – a 2000 Ford F-150. A big pickup for a big guy and he seems happy to stick to the 2000 model rather than upgrading to one of the newer, more luxurious pickup trucks.
11 Stayed True - Tom Cruise
Tom Cruise is one of Hollywood’s biggest gearheads, with an impressive collection of cars which includes a Bugatti Veyron, a vintage Chevy Corvette, and a Confederate Hellcat customized motorcycle. Cruise also owns two rare Ford Mustang Saleens, one in orange and one in silver. Saleen is a specialist car parts manufacturer, which also makes modified variations of the Ford Mustang, as well as its own flagship vehicle, the Saleen S7.
Cruise is obviously a big fan of the unusual Saleen take on the Ford Mustang if he has two of the exact same muscle cars in his otherwise varied collection.
10 Stayed True - Dave Grohl
Former Nirvana drummer and Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl decided in 2011 that he wanted a van to add to his collection of vehicles. While most people think of Volkswagen Campers when they think of vans, Grohl instead opted for a 1965 Ford Falcon which was found for him by the team at King T’s Customs, one of the top repair shops for modifications in Los Angeles.
The van underwent a radical transformation, with the addition of extra windows and a stunning cherry red paint job. It seems fate that Grohl ended up with a Ford Falcon van, as the first vehicle he bought as a young musician was a 1963 Ford Falcon car.
9 Stayed True - Lily Allen
British singer Lily Allen is not just famous for her light and breezy pop tunes, but also for her down-to-earth attitude to life – and something of a wild side when she attended celebrity parties in her teens and twenties.
However, the Smile singer is now a mother of two daughters, Marnie and Ethel, and has settled down to a much more grown-up lifestyle. That includes her choice of car, a cheap and cheerful Ford Focus, in bright green; one celebrity car that even their fans could afford to buy. The Focus is one of Ford’s best selling cars in Europe, and it seems that Lily Allen has also been taken in by its charms.
8 Stayed True - Scott Caan
When your father is legendary actor James Caan, who was nominated for an Oscar for his role in The Godfather, then it is pretty brave to make the move into acting yourself! Caan’s only son with his second wife, Sheila Ryan, currently has a starring role in the remake of Hawaii 5-0, for which he himself has picked up a Golden Globe nomination.
Scott obviously has an appreciation for vehicles which come from his father’s generation, however, as he is regularly spotted driving around Los Angeles in his vintage Ford pickup truck, which he had restored to mint condition.
7 Stayed True - Jeremy Piven
Caan also appeared in the successful HBO TV series Entourage alongside Jeremy Piven, another celebrity who remains devoted to his Ford vehicle. Piven, who played the role of fast-living party boy Ari Gold on the show, has tastes which are a little more down to earth when it comes to his own cars, preferring Fords to the Italian supercars his character drives on Entourage.
Piven not only owns a Ford Mustang muscle car, but he also drives around Los Angeles in an original first generation 1977 Ford Bronco truck, which the actor has had restored and modified to look its best.
6 Stayed True - Patrick Dempsey
A generation of women know Patrick Dempsey as Dr “McDreamy” Shepherd from Grey’s Anatomy, but he has also starred in films such as Sweet Home Alabama and Bridget Jones’ Baby, as well as enjoying something of a successful career in motor racing.
He has taken part in prestigious races such as the 24 Hours of Le Mans, one of the oldest motor races in the world, as well as several endurance races in the US, as well as setting up his own Dempsey has even set up his own team, Dempsey Racing. The actor often races his specially-built Ford Mustang FR500C, while he also owned a customized 1965 Ford Mustang Fastback.
5 Stayed True - Liam Hemsworth
Australian actor Liam Hemsworth, younger brother of Thor star Chris, is another Hollywood star who likes to go vintage when it comes to cars. When he was dating singer Miley Cyrus, Hemsworth Jr was always in the Los Angeles paparazzi’s sights, and his unmistakable bright blue 1969 Ford Mustang Mach 1 was regularly photographed parked outside the Hannah Montana star’s home.
He may not have enjoyed the same success as his older brother when it comes to Hollywood, but he did have a starring role in The Hunger Games trilogy and finally married his long-term girlfriend Miley Cyrus in 2018.