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Actor Bradley James Rode a Horse in Merlin, Now He's All in on the Ferrari Prancing Horse

The paved roads in Camelot couldn’t have been adequate for a car so low to the ground as a Ferrari. But luckily, in real life, Bradley James isn't riding a horse, but driving a car with the Prancing Horse logo, a Ferrari 488 Spider.
Bradley James as King Arthur in 'Merlin' 9 photos
Photo: BBC / Ferrari
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In the early 2010s, Bradley James was riding around on horses on the set of BBC's show 'Merlin.' But in the present day, he picked something with far more horsepower, choosing a model with the Prancing Horse logo, coming straight from Maranello, Italy.

The actor recently did a photo shoot in which he looked classy as a “getaway driver” with a convertible sports car. The vehicle he had was a Ferrari 488 Spider. James has been hinting at the project that has Mati Zanuzzi behind the lens, since late last month.

The 'Vikings: Valhalla' actor couldn't be further away from the Middle Ages with the modern-day Ferrari. While it's a slightly older model, since the 488 Spider was available between 2015 and 2019, it still is an impressive ride.

His friend, Guillermo Zapata, also appeared in some of the shots and revealed the car is actually a rental from Centurion Lifestyle. But the fact that Bradley James doesn’t own it doesn’t make it less awesome. The convertible he posed with seems to come in a Blu Abu Dhabi paintjob, with red calipers and a red interior.

As a successor of the 458 lineup and a predecessor of the F8 Tributo, the 488 Spider shares the same powertrain as its coupe counterpart, the 488 GTB. That is a 3.9-liter V8 engine rated at 661 horsepower (670 ps) and 561 lb-ft (760 Nm) of torque, sent to the rear wheels via a seven-speed automatic transmission.

Given all that horsepower, it would beat a real horse in a heartbeat, since it needs just three seconds to hit 62 mph (100 kph) from a standstill, running out of breath at 202 mph (325 kph).

It’s unclear which cars he drives in his day-to-day life, but the Ferrari 488 Spider isn't the only sports car Bradley James drove as the "getaway driver." In November 2021, the British actor enjoyed a day at Silverstone, testing his skills behind the wheel of an Aston Martin Vantage AMR.

In one of the posts, even fellow actress Janet Montgomery confessed she was impressed with the Ferrari. She joked that he should get out of the way so she could have a better look at the car. He replied that "this seems to be the overwhelmingly common response." The two starred together in 'Merlin,' where Montgomery appeared in two episodes as Princess Mithian, in the show's fourth and fifth season.

Given that ‘Merlin’ ended up with the famous sorcerer waiting for King Arthur's return in the present day, there is nothing that would stop the legendary ruler from trying out a Ferrari. Except for some etiquette rules, probably.

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About the author: Monica Coman
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Imagine a Wenn diagram for cars and celebrities. At the intersection you'll find Monica, putting her passion for these fields and English-Spanish double major to work. She's been doing for the past seven years, most recently at autoevolution.
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