TOP Gear presenter Freddie Flintoff has revealed his stunning car collection, including a £180,000 Lambo and a slick black Porsche.
The cricket legend gave a run down on all his motoring purchases, from the car he paid off weekly to a brace of high-performance supercars.
Freddie Flintoff has revealed his car collectionBBC Studios/Lee Brimble
Rover 216 Coupe
AlamyThe 216 Coupe was the cricket ace’s first car aged 17 (stock image)[/caption]
Freddie got his first car when he was still a teen but, luckily for him, didn’t have to pay for it all up front.
He told topgear.com: “I didn’t have to buy my first car, because Lancashire County Cricket Club had a deal with Lookers Rover and you paid one per cent of the car’s value per month on a rent, so it was like £150 per month, and another £33 for insurance.
“But they wouldn’t give you a 220 Turbo. So I had 216 Coupe, in blue.
“At 17 years old. I was the nuts. I didn’t drink, so I used to take my mates home and I’d get stopped by the police in Preston every night without fail. Because in Preston, that car, a 1.6 Rover, was the equivalent of driving a McLaren in Chelsea.”
Rover Cabrio
AlamyHe wasn’t a fan of the colour of his Rover Cabrio (stock image)[/caption]
After the 216 Coupe, Freddie pretty swiftly swapped for a Cabrio model.
However, there was just one problem with it.
He exaplained: “They’d sent the wrong car – it was purple instead of blue, so I had that for about three months.”
Fortunately, though, the Lancashire and England ace got a pay rise soon after and swapped in again for a plusher model.
Rover 620ti
AlamyThe 620ti completed a trilogy of Rovers (stock image)[/caption]
After the nightmare of the purple Cabrio, the star all-rounder was pleased to move on to one of Rover’s more up-market models.
He plumped for the 620ti after a pay rise but it was not meant to be.
Freddie recalled: “Someone went in the back of it when I was on my way to a team game in Cheadle.
“So I couldn’t play that day because of whiplash, but I got a grand for whiplash and taped the boot up.”
Porsche Boxster
AlamyFreddie bought a Porsche Boxster because he was ‘bored’ on a tour of Pakistan (stock image)[/caption]
The Boxster was the first car the TV presenter bought, apparently because he was “a bit bored” on a tour of Pakistan.
According to Freddie it was a “lovely car”, but again fell victim to a crash.
He said: “I was driving it one day on a back lane and a Metro came the other way. I stopped, but the Metro couldn’t. He hit me.
“Back then, the Metro had metal bumpers. Nothing, no damage. The whole front end of my Boxster fell off.”
BMW M5 E39
AlamyHe then bought a BMW that used to be owned by golfer Lee Westwood (stock image)[/caption]
After the sad demise of the Boxster, the sporting icon settled down with a V8 manual Beemer with quite the backstory, at least for a golf lover like Freddie.
He explained that the car used to belong to Lee Westwood and then was bought by Darren Clarke, who was managed by the same company as the cricket star and sold it on to him.
Freddie said: “[Lee] bought it for 70-odd grand. Darren Clarke… bought it off him for something like £45,000.
“And I offered him £23k. It had 6,000 miles on, and was three years old. It was a car and a half.”
Overfinch Range Rover
HandoutHe called the Overfinch the worst car he’s ever had (stock image)[/caption]
Unfortunately, not all of Freddie’s car purchases have led to such happy memories.
He called the Overfinch Range Rover the “worst car I’ve ever owned” because bits kept falling off it.
Freddie fumed: “I drove over a pothole and two tyres went down. And when I drove through a big puddle – couldn’t help myself – the undertray fell off.
“It went to the garage, I picked it up three days later and, with no word of a lie, drove home though the same puddle – only doing 30mph – and the bottom fell off again.”
Between all that and some electrical issues, he decided: “I never want to see this car again.”
VW Touareg
AlamyThe TV host admitted to missing the VW (stock image)[/caption]
Like all good romance stories, Freddie’s relationship with cars has its own tale of lost love.
He admitted that he “didn’t realise how good” his V10 VW was until it was gone.
New models sell for about £53,000, though, so perhaps you can put a price on love.
Ford F-150 Harley Davidson
AlamySadly, he crashed his muscular Ford 4×4 (stock image)[/caption]
After the tragic case of the VW, Freddie picked up this muscular 4×4 decked out with a limited edition paint job in collaboration with the famous US motorcycle manufacturer Harley Davidson.
Yet again, though, the car was around for a good time not a long time as another crash sent it packing.
Freddie said: “I crashed it going to my mate’s house. I wasn’t going that fast, but I went around a bend in a lane and the back end came out, I tried correcting it and it went the other way.
“It went through a fence and a bush and as I had the window open, that all came in the car.”
Porsche 997 Turbo
AlamyThe 997 Turbo is Freddie’s ‘daily drive’ (stock image)[/caption]
Described by Freddie as his “daily drive”, the 997 is the cornerstone of his current collection.
He apparently bought it “on a whim”, which seems to be a theme with his Porsches, but “genuinely loves” it.
Mercedes GLS350d
Alamy
This car is “for the family”, according to Freddie.
The Merc is a seven-seater and has all mod-cons so is probably better suited for the school run than the low-slung two-seater Porsche.
Lamborghini Murciélago
AlamyThe Lambo is the jewel in the crown of Freddie’s collection (stock image)[/caption]
From the family car to the jewel in the crown, the Lambo is the most eye-catching of Freddie’s cars, especially at £180,000.
He admitted that he feels like a “k*******” driving it but it’s all made up for by it’s stunning good looks.
He said: “It’s got carbon bucket seats that you can’t put back; after anything more than half an hour I’m sore; and I can’t use the indicator going left because my knee’s in the way.
“But I go in the garage and just look at it.
“I’m not a big fan of the Aventador and the newer ones, but I just think the Murciélago is beautiful.”