Tom Hiddleston ‘Wasn’t Into’ Luxury Cars Until He Got Paid to Drive One
Tom Hiddleston doesn’t spend much time in cars when he’s playing characters like Loki, even though he once escaped from the Avengers in a Hummer H3T. When the camera stops rolling, however, Hiddleston needs something to drive home in. Unlike some of his celebrity friends, he doesn’t seem to care much about cars, but there was one car in particular that won his heart.
It wasn’t exactly love at first sight, however. Hiddleston had no appreciation for luxury cars until he was paid by a well-known automaker to advertise for them. Here’s what Hiddleston is driving these days, and how his career has taken off since playing Loki.
Tom Hiddleston’s first car
For Hiddleston, owning a car has more to do with being able to explore new places. According to Bustle, he likes being able to jump in his car and go places he’s never seen. That’s why he used his first big paycheck to buy a Peugeot 106.
Hiddleston’s first major job was for HBO, and most of the money went to the Peugeot. It wasn’t a very fancy car, but it did exactly what he needed it to, and Hiddleston loved it. In an interview with ShortList Hiddleston said, “It was just enough to afford a Peugeot 106 1.1. I had it for 10 years, and I drove it around France and Spain.”
A Peugeot is nothing special to look at. It’s a small hatchback that comes in dull colors. It’s certainly not a car that one would expect to see a legendary actor like Tom Hiddleston driving around in, but in spite of lackluster looks, Hiddleston adored it.
Sadly, his Peugeot was stolen while he was doing a press event for The Night Manager. The car was wrecked by joyriders and later impounded. Hiddleston never said if there was anything that could be salvaged, but either way, he was without a car to drive.
How Hiddleston got into Jaguars
So how does a man who only wants a car for what it can do as opposed to its looks and capabilities fall in love with a Jaguar? As it turns out, Hiddleston began to advertise for Jaguar in 2015, meaning he had to act like he liked it. Then over time, he began to love them. No doubt spending time inside the cars, smelling that alluring leather, and driving them around was more than enough to change Hiddleston’s mind about expensive cars. As part of his deal for advertising them, Hiddleston was given a 2015 Jaguar F-TYPE to drive around. It was a huge step up from his Peugeot 106.
According to Edmunds, the 2015 F-TYPE came with a supercharged 3.0-liter V6 engine. It is able to produce 340 hp and 332 lb-ft of torque, as well as an eight-speed automatic transmission. It can easily go from zero to 60 in only 5.1 seconds, making it one of the fastest cars on the road at the time, and that was the base model. The Jaguar F-TYPE V8 S was able to do the same in only 3.8 seconds.
Hiddleston told ShortList, “I used to think I wasn’t into that sort of thing until [the Jaguar] was in my possession.” When the interviewer asked him if he likes his new F-TYPE, Hiddleston replied, “Goodness me, yes. It’s huge fun to drive.”
What’s next for Hiddleston
Since joining the MCU, Hiddleston’s career has skyrocketed. He first played Loki in 2011 and became an instant household name. Since then, he has reprised the role in several movies and is even starring in his own series on Disney+.
Hiddleston has also starred in King Kong: Skull Island and Crimson Peak. Since Marvel has kept him busy, Hiddleston hasn’t had time to play many other roles, but that may be about to change.
Rumor has it that Hiddleston may be ready to move on to something new, and leave the role of Loki to a younger actor. Whether this has any truth to it remains to be seen. Either way, Hiddleston has left his mark on the MCU, and will doubtless continue to do so no matter what part he chooses to play.
