Who wouldn’t be excited about writing a story about what a stand-up guy Keanu Reeves truly is? I mean, everything we already know about Keanu is what a ‘down to earth’ guy he is, (i.e.stopping to talk to strangers, taking public transportation, donating money to children’s hospitals, posing for pictures with fans, taking the movie crew to breakfast/lunch, etc), and the more you hear/read about him, the easier he is to admire. Keanu is so humble, it’s kind of hard not to love the guy.
I first remember Keanu from his role in “Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventures” from 1989. A story about two high school boys trying to pass history by traveling through time meeting different historical figures along the way. “Party on dudes!”
Fast forward a few years and Keanu is the star of the blockbuster ‘Matrix’ franchise, four wildly successful feature films. And speaking of “four”…. we are on the cusp of the 4th John Wick, about to be released, March 24th
A fascinating plus for a car enthusiast are the vehicles we get to experience as a part of these movies. Keanu is no stranger to fast cars or the stunts performed in them. No spoiler alert here, but be on the watch for the scene in front of the famous Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France where Keanu had to train to do a reverse 180, reload his prop gun and shoot it while drifting.
John Wick: Chapter 4 is said to have more action and more muscle cars and that says a lot about the already action packed series!
So what does Keanu drive?
Can we just start with the fact that he owns his own bike company? Arch Motorcycles. His obsession with motorcycles began when he took his first ride at age 22. He has since owned several, a 1973 classic Norton Commando 850 MK2A, a Kawasaki KZ 900, a Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R and a 2004 Matrix Reloaded Edition Ducati 998 just to name a few. Arch Motorcycles builds customized rides, sourcing components of the bike from around the globe.
A look into the history of Keanu’s car collection
If you are a Keanu fan of any sort you may know that his first car was a Volvo 122 and that his nickname for the vehicle was “Dumpy,” because he felt like the car was a dump. The British racing green car ended up being the set of wheels however, that drove Keanu from his home in Toronto to LA many years ago.
After the success of ‘Point Break’ and ‘Speed,’ Reeves purchased a black Porsche 911 Carrera 4S, featuring a sunroof and a manual gearbox, which made it fun to drive. Sadly, the car was stolen while he was shooting a new film and was away from home.
How much of a Mustang fan are you?
Here’s a bit of Mustang history…. While both Wick and Reeves are fans of the Ford Mustang, only one of them had a Boss 429 in his collection. You guessed it, Keanu Reeves. The mustang in the Wick movie was actually a Mach 1 and only die-hard Mustang fans can really tell the difference.
The 1969 Boss 429 is scarce. Ford only produced around 1300 of them between 1969 and 1970, making it an extremely sought after car.
Both Mustangs have a V8 engine. The Boss 429 producing 375 hp with 450 lb-ft of torque, while the Mach 1 model only produced 250 hp and 355 lb-ft of torque. The Boss 429 also had a manual gearbox while the Mach 1 had an automatic gearbox. Last, the Boss 429 had a functional hood scoop, whereas the Mach 1’s was non-functional.
The Mach 1 must have been impressive enough to steal though as that was the premise of the beginning chapter of John Wick. The men who approached Wick about the Mustang at a gas station ended up stealing the vehicle, believing it was a Boss 429.
Also in Reeves car collection: a Mercedes GLE, a Bugatti Veyron, given the title of being ‘the fastest super sportscar’ of its time, a Ferrari LaFerrari, with a naturally aspirated V12 engine and one electric engine, producing a combined 949 hp. (These last two mentioned are valued over $1 million). Then add to the mix, a Ferrari California T, an Audi A8, a Bentley Continental GT, an Audi Q7, a Dodge Charger SRT and a Ferrari 488 GTB.
Whether acting as Wick or just being himself, Keanu’s character is steadfast. He remains the same human throughout life’s ups and downs. Proof that while owning one hell of a car collection you can still be one of the nicest people in Hollywood.
 by: Tabatha Moran Chovanetz |
