Home / People & Personalities / High-Speed Hero
High-Speed Hero
Greg Grunberg plays an unassuming cop on the hit television series 'Heroes,' but a look in his garage shows he's anything but boring in real life.
Actor Greg Grunberg doesn't get to drive cool cars on television or in the movies. But he makes up for that with a personal inventory of hot rides that includes a Porsche 911 and a classic Ford Bronco.
Grunberg plays a mild-mannered telepathic cop on NBC's hit television series "Heroes." He previously played an FBI agent on the show "Alias" and says most of the roles he's cast in are of sober law enforcers.
Off-camera, the 42-year-old father of three likes to project a different image, one of a "sports-car-driving stud." Read more about the cars he drives and what he thinks they say about his personality in the interview below and in the accompanying slideshow.
In Pictures: See What's in Greg Grunberg's Garage
ForbesAutos.com: What cars do you own?
Greg Grunberg: I own a 2002 Chevy Avalanche. I got it the first year it was made and it is a car which I love. I also own a 2004 Porsche 911. It's a C4, a Carrera 4. I love it because it's an amazing sports car and it has four-wheel drive, so it sticks to the road. I never wanted to drive a Porsche because it has a stigma that comes with it, but I really appreciate the car and I love driving it. When I know I am going to be in traffic, I drive my 1969 Ford Bronco. That is my baby. It's light blue and classic 1969. It has this unreal alpine stereo system in it. It can get kind of loud in these old cars, but as long as you have an amazing sound system you feel like you are in another world. We have another car that my wife drives, a 2006 Yukon XL Denali, to schlep the kids around town.
What is your dream car?
My dream car is a 1977 Pontiac Trans Am. They call it The Bandit. It's the car from the movie "Smokey and the Bandit" and that's going to be the next car that I buy. I am all about memories and the way cars make you feel. I always wanted the Bronco and I got it; I wanted the Porsche and I got it. The Avalanche is good for me because I like to do work on the house and it's good for hauling around dirt and stuff.
How close are you to getting the Trans Am?
I have a mechanic, Lindy, who is on San Vicente and Pico. He works only on Broncos. I know I could buy a crappy one and fix it up, but I would rather have one that is already fixed-up, and I'm a few years from that. It will probably cost me about $25,000 to $30,000. It's not outrageously priced, but I'll need to wait. Right now, I'm about the car that I have being paid off. I tend to want to keep it and never sell it. I'm conservative with my money.
What was your first car ever?
My first car ever was a 1984 Toyota Celica GTS. It was a kind of cool car. It was a hand-me-down car from my brother Brad. I of course threw an unbelievable Alpine stereo in at the time. So long as I was comfortable inside and it drove well, then I considered it a great car.
Do you have any say in what your film and TV characters drive?
I usually play a boring CIA or FBI agent. For all my years on TV, that is what I play and then those cars unfortunately are pretty boring. I had one opportunity to drive a Cadillac convertible in a pilot, but it didn't make it. The more real the characters are on TV, the more boring the cars are that I have to drive. And now everything is sponsored. So everyone on "Heroes" is driving a Nissan. I wish they would give us a cool kick-ass Nissan to play with, but so far my character hasn't been so lucky.
What would you like to see in a car that you have yet to see?
Right now I love the stuff I have. It's all about the interior and making it ergonomically correct and with stuff where you can put your iPod in and then you have your GPS navigation system. I would love to have that ability, if it exists, that they show in those Lexus commercials to parallel park, too. I'd love the cars that I like to be hybrids, but that won't happen anytime in the near future since I like muscle cars with big engines and they are gas guzzlers.
What is the most design-forward car in your opinion?
I think it's got to be the Mercedes CLS63 AMG. That is so gorgeous. It's a top-of-the-line four-door sedan. I don't know the exact numbers. It has a point in the front and in the back. It's so ergonomically beautiful and well designed. The other car is the Lotus Exige S that I love. It's like a go-cart on steroids.
Your costar Hayden Panettierre told us she wants to sell her Porsche and get a Prius.
She and I joke about racing our Porches, but mine is faster. Hers is just for show. I commend her for the change. But I really just love driving my cars and the beauty of cars. If I could afford the Tesla Roadster, I would be driving one in a heartbeat. So the Porsche is my little silver bullet for now. I love it.
What car fits your personality?
I'm a family guy. I have three kids, but I gotta say I love the four-door Jeeps that are out right now. I love the four-wheel drive. But when I test drive them, they are too rickety. That would fit my personality, but they drive like a Swatch Watch — like it could break down at any minute. I was so disappointed. They are reasonably priced, but I didn't find it at all luxurious. It was like they were made out of plastic. I have a short attention span, so I love driving my big cars and then I love going to dinner with my wife in the Porsche and tearing it up through the canyons. I put the TV screens in the Avalanche and the Denali so the kids can watch "Heroes." Those are the cars the kids go in — not the Porsche. The kids have remote controls in the Bronco too for their iPods, for everything.
How often do you drive your cars?
I drive them all the time. I drive even if I have an event where there is a hired car to pick me up. Most times I cancel the car service and drive myself. If I am going to a premiere, they will want to send a limo. But I will always prefer to drive myself. We drive the kids to school and all over the place.
Some car designers view a vehicle as the largest accessory you'll ever wear. Do you think this is true?
I'm constantly asking my wife if this car makes my ass look big and she says, 'You need to get a Hummer.' I think you want to be more like the car you drive. I want to be a sports-car-driving stud, so I drive the Porsche. In my truck I feel big, badass and safe. I have multiple personalities, clearly, since I have different types of cars.
What do you miss from older vehicles and would like to see reemerge?
I think it's styling, the exterior of the car. The cars look meaner now. I like the old Cadillacs. I hate when cars all look the same with that sweeping generic look of being as aerodynamic as it gets. I like the details from the '50s and '60s cars that made them unique. With my Avalanche, it was just so different. It's an SUV, to a pickup. I jumped on it and it caught on. People like that truck, and I was one of the first people to buy it. And just a few months later it went up a lot in price.
What do you think about current fuel prices, and have they changed your driving habits?
It hasn't changed my driving habits; I stay closer to home anyway. But it absolutely pisses me off. I am absolutely disgusted by it, but I am not going to let it stop me from driving my cars around and enjoying them.
In Pictures: See What's in Greg Grunberg's Garage
New-Car Pricing
Get a free online price quote from a dealer near you: