Dax Shepard’s Love of Cars Started Way Back in High School
Dax Shepard is probably best-known nowadays for either being fellow celebrity actor Kristen Bell’s husband or as an actor in Netflix’s The Ranch. That doesn’t stop him from having an interesting life or hobbies, though.
For example, Shepard really loves cars, and for that reason, he will be hosting Motor Trend’s reboot of Top Gear America. Like many gearheads, Shepard’s love of cars started at a young age, and some might even say it was genetic. Here’s a look at Dax Shepard’s lifelong love for cars.
A peek into Dax Shepard’s childhood
According to Autoweek, Shepard was born in a suburban neighborhood in Detroit. Although his biological parents divorced when he was young, it didn’t take long before he became as immersed into the car world as any Detroiter would be.
His mom probably had the most influence on his love for cars, but many of the father figures that he had growing up were also in the car business, too.
For example, his biological dad was a car salesman and one of his step-fathers was an engineer for Chevy. His mom in particular, however, worked for GM for much of her life. Eventually, Autoweek said that she started a business called Shows & Shoots, which collaborated with GM to send GM cars to journalists for test drives.
Unsurprisingly, his first car, according to Motor Trend , was a 1976 Pontiac Catalina. Shepard said that he bought the car when he was 15-years old for $400. He liked the Catalina’s big V8 engine so naturally, his very next car was a true muscle car.
He said that he had the Catalina for about a year in high school before he got himself a 1984 Ford Mustang GT. Not only that, but Shepard said that he rebuilt the Mustang’s engine and then used it to drag race.
Dax Shepard’s lifelong love of cars
Despite being open to buying Fords as well as other automakers’ cars, Autoweek reported that, true to how he was raised, he’s a GM guy at heart. In fact, Shepard has the emblem from the Corvette tattooed on his back as a symbol of how much he loves the car.
But the Corvette may not be Shepard’s favorite car. Motor Trend said that the 1967 Lincoln Continental is his “pride and joy.” It’s not a regular 1967 Continental, either. Shepard modified the car heavily so that it would be modern enough for today’s roads. In fact, when Motor Trend asked him about his 1967 Continental, he said, “Look, it’s the love of my life, that car. I named my daughter after it.”
He’s not lying, either. His daughter was actually named Lincoln. His love for cars extends beyond American car brands, too. For example, he’s driven Hondas, Mercedes, as well as Lamborghinis. In fact, Motor Trend said that he actually raced for Lamborghini in the Super Trofeo series for a year.
What Dax Shepard and Kristen Bell are up to nowadays
While their acting careers have largely been put on hold during the Coronavirus pandemic, they’ve been keeping themselves busy. For example, they are landlords and one way that they’re helping their tenants out was by letting them skip rent. Not only is that a kind gesture, but it’s also a great way to truly help people during these times.
Plus, being a lifelong gearhead means that Shepard has a lot of things on his to-do list that he’s going to get the opportunity to do. For example, in a recent post on his social media, he showed off the classic Chevy Silverado 454 SS pickup truck that he was fixing up.
And of course, Shepard will be co-hosting the ‘Top Gear America’ reboot later this year for Motor Trend.
