Jason Statham is an English actor who has come a long way from his first movie, for which he was paid $7,000, to today where his net worth is estimated at $90 million. He is known for portraying tough characters in action-packed roles. Examples of his more prominent film appearances include the Fast and Furious movie franchise and the Transporter movies.
The British actor is a car enthusiast and has a fleet of exotic vehicles in real life. That passion often carries over to his roles that often require him to drive a wide variety of cars on sets and here, we showcase some of the really fascinating examples.
McLaren 720S – Fast and Furious Presents: Hobbs And Shaw
The latest installment of the Fast and Furious movie franchise stayed true to the theme that’s formed a core of all the previous movies – fast-paced, gritty, and action-packed. Jason Statham was at his best, with his trademark skills and moves.
We particularly loved the scene where he got behind the wheel of a slate grey McLaren 720S and pulled off some epic stunt drives that are best left on movie sets. Jason himself was so impressed by the car’s performance that he reportedly picked up a McLaren 720S Spider soon after the movie premiered.
Lamborghini Aventador – Fast And Furious 7
Here, Jason got to feel the raw savagery of almost 700 horsepower pounding away behind his head as he took control of a stealthy looking Black Aventador in the Fast and Furious 7 movie.
The Aventador is a flagship model from Lamborghini, a fire-breathing supercar that can accelerate from 0 to 60mph in less than 3 seconds and rocket on to a top speed of 217mph if the road is long enough. It is quite unfortunate that we did not see the Aventador enough as it was only shown in a few movie scenes.
Aston Martin DB9 – Fast And Furious 7
The refined Aston Martin DB9 is quite the departure from the Aventador’s savagery but that did not stop Jason’s character, Deckard Shaw, from taking the car for a spin in the movie.
The Aston Martin DB9 enjoyed a 12-year production run, from 2004 to 2016 and is still one of the most beautiful modern British cars ever made. The Grand Tourer is powered by a 5.9-litre V12 engine with enough power to propel the car to 60mph in 4.6 seconds and on to a top speed of 190mph.
1998 BMW 750iL – Transporter
The Transporter movie burst onto the scene in 2002 with an over-dose of adrenaline-pumping action. The car scenes quickly became one of the main talking points as movie-watchers were treated to several scenes where Jason Statham displayed masterful handling of a BMW 7-Series to escape his pursuers.
A total of 3 BMW cars were procured for the movie and by the end, 2 had been completely destroyed while the third one was severely damaged. Interestingly, the BMW cars were not all the same 7-series model and had their model badges removed for this reason during filming.
2005 Audi A8 – Transporter 2
Jason Statham had no qualms swapping the BMW 7-Series, used in the Transporter 1, for this German powerhouse. The 2005 Audi A8 is powered by a 6.0-litre W12 engine that cranks out 450hp, enough for the hair-raising stunts Jason pulled in the movie.
The Audi A8 came loaded with a wide array of security features that he unfortunately, did not get to use a great deal. His character narrowly escaped being turned to confetti when the car was blown to smithereens shortly after he made a delivery.
Lamborghini Murcielago Roadster – Transporter 2
The V12 supercar was driven by Frank, Jason’s character to chase down one the movie’s main antagonist who was trying to escape on a plane. It is unlikely that he would be able to repeat this feat in the real world, considering the speeds involved.
However, for the movie, the 572-hp roadster was just what he needed. Unfortunately, the car had a very brief run and ended up smashed against a road sign after Frank bailed out by latching onto the plane’s nose gear. At least, the car did fulfil its mission of getting Frank to the plane.
2008 Audi A8 – Transporter 3
There was no shortage of drama when Transporter 3 landed in 2008 and fans of the franchise were treated to more of the insane action present in the first 2 instalments of the movie. Jason stayed with his Audi choice but this time, he had replaced the 2005 model with a black 2008 vehicle.
As expected, the car was loaded with tech goodies and a suspension set-up unlike any road-going vehicle. The car was featured in an intense chase scene with a Mercedes E-Class. Then there was the icing on the cake towards the end of the movie when Jason launched the car from a bridge onto a speeding train.
2006 Ford Mustang GT – Death Race
For the movie Death Race, Jason played the role of a mysterious character named Frank who was locked behind bars. Frank had made his name by competing in a twisted racing contest put together by the prison administrators and streamed live to millions of people worldwide.
Jason’s ride of choice in the movie was a 2006 Ford Mustang GT souped up with a Roush Supercharged 5.4-litre Ford V8 engine. There were also other enhancements of a lethal nature; necessary requirements to survive the racing contest.
Mini Cooper – The Italian Job
The Italian Job is an American heist film that featured extensive footage of these British cars. Some people have even remarked that the entire movie was basically a full-length advertisement for the Mini Cooper.
Jason Statham performed most of the stunt driving himself and had to attend a stunt driving course and also take lessons from British Formula One Champion, Damon Hill. Jason, together with two partners, used the Cooper extensively in the movie, darting through tunnels, racing trains, and even bouncing along stairwells.
2004 Pontiac GTO – The Mechanic
The Pontiac GTO was one of the better cars made by Pontiac in its final years; unfortunately, it was too late to make much of a difference. The car packed a 3.5-liter LS1 V8 that generated 350hp and 365 pound-feet of torque.
It was a lot of power for the sturdy car and Jason was able to put it to good use in The Mechanic movie when he took on an entire convoy of SUVs during a chase scene and was still able to escape.