Though most celebrities would consider themselves trendsetters or, as regards their automotive purchases, car collectors, the truth is that many are just hoarders of nice, new, shiny things. Travis Barker is a notable exception.
Amassing new cars, whether custom or not, does not a car collector make. Sure enough, celebrities like Kim Kardashian, half-sister Kylie Jenner, and many of today's rappers love their cars, and they're rightfully proud of them. But they're not car collectors.
Travis Barker is. The rocker, famous for his drumming skills, his Blink-182 association, and his marriage to (ironically) a Kardashian, is one of the most famous car collectors in showbiz. He is a self-proclaimed "Cadillac man," but he also loves vintage muscle and new, powerful rides, be they SUVs, trucks, or sedans.
Travis' collection has expanded considerably in recent years, proportionately with his success. It now includes some of the hottest new arrivals and the sickest vintage customs, but also bicycles and bikes, and pretty much everything in between. Every entry in what must be an auto enthusiast's dream garage is chosen with care and love and maintained and driven with the same amount of both. More than that, every entry is valued accordingly.
Photo: DUB Magazine
Take his '63 Chevy Impala as an example. It's been in Travis' garage since at least 2012, and while he doesn't take it out that often, he still finds the time to drive it. Just returned from touring with Blink-182 in Australia, Travis took it out this weekend after his return to Calabasas, CA, as he invited his wife Kourtney for a morning meal and coffee.
The bagged '63 ragtop Impala is truly a stunning vehicle, even if it doesn't get that much social media attention from Travis. He's had it for more than a decade after buying it from his friend Huero, as he revealed in a 2013 interview with DUB Magazine. At the time, his garage included just the Impala, a '51 cherry red Chevy truck, a '64 Riviera, a 2013 Marathon Prevost custom RV, and a 2012 GMC Denali customized truck.
The Impala sits low on air bags, features Cragar Supremes and white wall tires, and has an interior to match the minty/pistachio-green exterior, with custom FSAS logos and text on the body. Not that it needed any frills to stand out in a crowd, but all these make it an unmistakable appearance.
The last time Travis was seen out with it, i.e., and was photographed by the paparazzi, was sometime in 2014, when he used it as his daily for the kids' school run.
In that same DUB Magazine interview, Travis explained that he inherited his love for cars in general and vintage ones in particular from his father and that he'd never go for a garage queen. "I drive them all, depending on what I'm doing that day, how I'm feeling and even let my kids pick out what they feel like riding in on any particular day," he explained.
Grabbing brunch and coffee in such a timeless beauty is proof of that, if proof was still needed.
Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends. Full profile
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