03 Oct 06
Peter Fonda
Easy Rider star Peter Fonda is a proper petrolhead, addicted to road trips. When he wants to get from his ranch in Montana to LA, the 66-year-old will not be climbing apologetically behind the wheel of a Prius, nor will he be taking a private jet. Instead he'll usually be passing over his BMW R100RS and his Ferrari Modena in favour of his trusty and much loved Mercedes Benz 450SEL 6.9.
He's owned this piece of German grossermuscle since it was new in 1978, but Fonda's Mercedes addiction started with a 1954 300SL gullwing that he owned aged 21 in the early 60s.
'I had a 300SL at the same time as a Facel Vega,' he says. 'I gave the Facel to my wife and I took the Gullwing. It was a fabulous car but I sold them both - like a fool.'
Facel Vega
Fonda saw the Facel Vega advertised while he was doing a play in New York. 'I'd been in France a couple of times before that and seen them on the street and it was like, Whoa, check that out!'
When the play finished Fonda and his wife Susan drove the Facel around LA for two years. 'My wife would come back and tell me how she'd blew this car off. Everybody always drag raced out of any light if they had a hot car and the Facel was fast.'
