11 CELEBRITIES YOU DIDN'T REALISE WERE INTO CARS

1) PRINCE

Fun fact: "Little Red Corvette" was dreamt up in a 1964 Mercury Montclair Marauder, not an Edsel as many think.

Prince (R.I.P) didn't leave a will so an inventory of his assets had to be admitted to court for probate. It revealed a very handsome collection of a fair few choice cars, including a 1993 Ford Thunderbird, a 1985 Cadillac Limo and a 1984 BMW 633CS, along with the "Purple Rain" and "Graffiti Bridge" motorcycles.

2) ROWAN ATKINSON

He began in mid-engined Renault 5 in the Manufacturer’s Turbo Cup racing series in the 80s. In 2014, the Blackadder star was involved in a serious head-on collision while in a Ford Falcon sprint car. Luckily, he only suffered minor injuries while the car itself was totalled. He's also managed to crash his McLaren F1 race car.

3) RALPH LAUREN

Which car in Ralph Lauren's collection ISN'T noteworthy? According to his lawyers, the fashion designer only visits the collection for about 30 hours of the year. The collection includes about 60 rare roadsters including a 1929 Bentley Blower in an unassuming office building. We've heard rumours that Ralph Lauren accepts requests for invitations from employees - but pictures are forbidden.

4) CAITLYN JENNER

Jenner was a successful race car driver in the IMSA Camel GT series in the 80s. The Olympian took her first victory in 1986 in the 12 hours of Sebring in the IMSA GTO class, finishing 4th with her co-driver Scott Pruitt. But Jenner remains modest. She commented, "I was a lot more badass runner than I was a driver."

5) GENE HACKMAN

Gene Hackman did a lot of the stunt driving for The French Connection himself. He's the only person to hold two Oscars and raced in 24 Hours of Daytona. Comedy, acting, racing... is there anything Hackman can't do?

7) DEADMAU5

It's never too late to find a new passion. Deadmau5, AKA Joel Zimmerman, got his driving license at the age of 32. In true electro-style he made friends with the car community through twitter, becoming mates with NASCAR and F1 drivers. He made headlines with his humour when he gave his Ferrari 458 a Nyan cat wrap and nicknamed it the 'Purrari' for the Gumball Rally. He was sent a cease and desist letter by Ferrari. He then tried to sell it on Craigslist. Dude.

9) FRANKIE MUNIZ

Frankie Muniz disappeared from our screens and reappeared on the track. Frankie is a compact 5’5″, and is able to slide into cockpits of race cars with ease. He's competed in formula racing and enjoyed a Top 10 finish in the 2009 Formula Atlantic Championship. Muniz did come back to acting to bring Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No! to our screens. He's also got a passion for motorcycles. Sadly, after a few health issues, Muniz's racing career isn't as high profile as it might have otherwise been. He's currently managing the York-based band Astro Lasso. That's York, Pennsylvania, not York UK.

10) JOE BIDEN

Noe that he isn't in office any more, Joe can return to doing burnouts in his 1967 Corvette. In 2016 he had only found time to take his pride and joy out three times during his two terms. That's because heads of state aren't really allowed to drive while holding office and then for six months after they leave. Nightmare.

11) PATRICK DEMPSEY

You can dismiss him all you like for his good-looks but Dempsey is a hugely talented racing driver. He's raced for Porsche, for chrissake. He goes in for prestigious endurance races like 24 hours of Le Mans, Daytona 24 and Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta. That's one way to make people see you as more than just a haircut.

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