Celebrities love cars. Whether it's a movie star, a rock god, rap star, or a sports champion, just check out their social accounts and you'll find countless photos of Lamborghinis, Ferraris, BMWs, Mustangs, and so on.
But that's not all. For every star who loves to zip around in an awesome, sleek sports car, there's someone else who feels just as thrilled by a good, old, powerful truck. We're talking the kind of behemoth that would crush a Maserati, chew it up and spit it out. We're talking the kind of vehicle used to haul hay on grandpa's farm or lug firewood out of the forest. Here are just a few individuals who express themselves through their trucks.
Arnold Schwarzenegger
It's no surprise to see the Terminator driving one of these hulks – can you picture him squished into a Mini, knees up around his ears? In fact, in the early 90s his fame and wealth enabled him to be among the earliest owners of the civilian version of the Hummer H1. Since then he has owned several versions. Don't misunderstand though; Arnold also has a soft side. Also found in his car collection are the requisite Italian sports cars.
Ted Nugent
These days, for better or worse, Nugent is as well known for his outspoken hunting and gun-rights advocacy as he is for his music. Fittingly, his passion for those subjects matches that for his truck. In 1971 (just five years after the model debuted), Nugent bought his first Ford Bronco. It was a love to last. In the 44 years since, Nugent has owned a succession of seven Broncos... but as the model was discontinued in 1996 it's only going to get more and more difficult for him to continue that streak.
O.J. Simpson
Moving on ...
Simon Cowell
Trust Simon Cowell (American Idol) to find a way to wussify his Ford Bronco. He's turned it into a convertible, eating a frozen yoghurt – and you just know he's wearing a v-neck tight sweater too. I mean, really. What would Ted Nugent say? This dune buggy has accomplished the seemingly impossible by wringing all the toughness out of the truck.
Luke Bryan
In Luke Bryan's 2007 hit "We Rode In Trucks," a wistful narrator expresses nostalgia for his vanished youth, in particular his younger days spent riding around in trucks (the title is pretty spot-on). It's also a love letter to growing up in rural America, and judging by the reaction of country fans, it went right to their hearts. It's pretty accurate to Bryan's own teenage days, but unfortunately, however, even the best make mistakes. A few years ago Bryan posted this pic to Twitter, when his truck accidentally rolled into a pond on his farm.
Lee Brice
Like Bryan, Lee Brice also expressed a powerful emotion through the use of his truck. This time, it's a narrator mourning his brother, who has been killed on military duty. Whenever he feels overwhelmed by the loss, he finds solace by taking his brother's truck out for a spin. (Although, in fact, Brice does not have a brother who died in such a way; the song was created when the writer listened to an interview with a man whose soldier son died in Afghanistan, and this man said he drives his son's truck to soothe his pain.) However, Brice does drive a truck in real life, as proven by this pic he tweeted.
Tim McGraw
Whereas the previous two songs tried to gently pluck your heartstrings, these next two express their love for trucks by screaming in your face. First up is McGraw's "Truck Yeah" (I'm willing to bet the writer came up with the title first, then wrote a song around the pun), in which he boasts about how he and his pals drive around in their trucks, and also expresses hope that one day he'll find a girl – who has her own truck.
Toby Keith
But while McGraw may have been searching for a woman WITH a truck, Keith goes one step further and looks for a woman who IS a truck. "Yeah you can see the girl comin' / From a mile away / She's got her big wheels turnin' / She's got Oklahoma plates" goes the opening stanza, and the song just builds from there. Hey, don't judge. It's the 21st century. And this intensity of passion makes perfect sense for a guy who loves trucks as much as McGraw does – he's been a spokesman for Ford F-150, including having written original songs for its commercials.
Bryan Baeumler
Now for some Canadian content. Home-renovation expert and Gemini-award winner Bryan Baeumler has spoken to autoTRADER.ca regarding his love for his Ram 3500. "Since I was a little kid," he said. "Dodge had the look." It's not just puppy love though, or a statement of strength, his truck is also of much practical use. In addition to being a TV host, Baeumler also runs his own construction outfit, which of course demands a large vehicle.
Amber Marshall
Marshall's character in the hit CBC series Heartland is not far removed from the actress's own real life. When she isn't filming on the ranch, Marshall volunteers at a vet clinic and lives on a farm near Calgary. To make her life easier, she owns two Ram 3500s, and she works them hard. Besides towing around a horse trailer, she also uses the trucks to transport her two dogs (inside the cab, of course), as well as an assortment of other animals, including chickens, pigs and peacocks. You can't fit those in a Lamborghini, you know – although it might be fun to try.
Kid Rock
Love him or hate him, and there are a lot of inhabitants in either camp, there's no denying Kid Rock is one of a kind. Despite hailing from the city of Detroit, he's about as country as they come. Proof of that is his love for pickup trucks. They feature in numerous of his videos, and he had this one specially wrapped to showcase his own brand of beer. Can you imagine dropping the kids off at school in this? Kid took it on tour with him and also showed it off on an episode of the Food Network's Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.
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