Jamie Foxx is a man of many talents: actor, singer / songwriter, comedian, television presenter, record producer, entrepreneur … Few celebrities are as productive or versatile as the 53-year-old Texan, easily part of celebrity most underrated taste makers of culture.
It also has a similarly broad and distinctive taste in the automotive sector. His garage includes everything from exotic, low-lying sports cars like his Lamborghini Gallardo, McLaren 570S, Porsche Boxster and Bugatti Veyron to gigantic luxury land whales like his Rezvani Tank, Cadillac Escalade and Rolls-Royce Cullinan Black Badge – “England’s Most Unnecessary SUV” .
But his newest whip is his most versatile yet – and one that really breaks the mold of what to expect from celebrity cars. Foxx (real name Eric Marlon Bishop) took to Instagram late last week to showcase its new Vanderhall Carmel GT on the streets of California: a retro-looking three-wheeled roadster that is very idiosyncratic and proves that despite its incredible fame, Foxx always does yet ‘don’t take yourself too seriously.
Founded in 2010, Vanderhall Motor Works is an independent sports car manufacturer based in Provo, Utah that specializes in handcrafted three-wheeled automobiles. Think of it as the American counterpart to the famous British Morgan Three-Wheeler or as a retro version of a Polaris Slingshot.
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Launched in 2019, the Carmel is Vanderhall’s flagship model. Its most notable feature is the doors (something that other models miss) as well as a removable “capshade” roof. Foxx’s, a GT model in “Ida Rose” paintwork, also has leather seats, a wooden steering wheel and shift paddles for the six-speed automatic transmission.
Built on an aluminum monocoque chassis, the power is fed to the front wheels by a 1.5-liter turbo four from General Motors, which has an output of around 145 kW – a lot for such a small car. It’s a compelling formula that Foxx obviously appeals: this Carmel is actually the second Vanderhall in his garage, the star also owns a black Vanderhall Venice that’s a bit smaller compared to the Carmel.
A rendering of the 2021 Vanderhall Carmel GT in “Ida Rose”. Image: Vanderhall Motor Works
It takes a lot of eggs to buy such an idiosyncratic car … And even more to buy two of them. Hats off to Mr. Foxx, let’s say – we just wonder if he’ll inspire more celebrities to invest in tricycles …
Foxx will repeat his role as Electro for the upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe movie Spider-Man: No Way Home. He will also star in the upcoming sports comedy All-Star Weekend, which he also wrote and will direct and produce. Do you see what we mean by all-rounder?