Beckham is off to LA, but the garage he leaves behind is enough to make any motoring enthusiast green with envy. Spoils on the pitch have enabled him to be spoilt for choice – so much so, he’s owned almost every must-own' car you can think of! And now armed with a $1m-a-week salary, one can only wonder what he'll be buying next…
Aston Martin DB7
Aston Martin DB7 - click photos to enlarge
David Beckham, number 7. There wasn’t a more fitting car for the English midfielder in his Manchester days. It also helped that it looked a million dollars (a month’s income?) and, with the later 6.0-litre V12 engine, sounded awesome. To be honest, the DB7 was never a boundary-defining drive, compromised by its Jaguar XJS-derived underpinnings and always trading handling vibrancy for cruising comfort. The interior was also below par. But it was just so intoxicatingly attractive, nobody minded all that much. The car that saved Aston; lucky seven strikes again. Nor has Becks given up the Aston habit; MSN Cars boss Tom Evans spotted him once at the wheel of a cherry-red Vanquish S on the M25... Price new: £96,250 (Vantage Coupe)
Bentley Continental GT
Bentley Continental GT
These are like uniform for Premiership footballers; stumble across the footballer’s training ground car park and they marginalise even pie stalls and replica shirts. Becks was duty-bound to own one, enjoy the mammoth pull of the 6.0-litre W12 engine, savour the total isolation it offers from the outside world. It’s a seriously distinctive car that’s all you could wish from a Bentley and more; 198mph means it’s a genuine supercar with space for four, that’s posh enough even for the wife. Price new: £112,750
BMW X5
The original bling machine, designed by BMW to barnstorm the Nurburgring, and ruined by footballers who then fit 23-inch alloys and chrome running boards. We’re sure Beckham wouldn’t be so crass, so you shouldn’t either – just fit a non-dating plate and darken the windows, for instant Saturday respect right up until you park in the supporters’ car park. They’re a common sight but still one of the best large SUVs to drive, and available second-hand from £16,000. That will buy either 4.4-litre petrol V8 or a six-cylinder diesel; we’d go for the latter, as you’d need Becks’ cash to freely enjoy the former. Price new: £59,000 (4.8iS)
Chrysler Grand Voyager
Poor old Becks, he probably brought this to stop Posh nagging about how difficult it was to get a pushchair into the Aston. It has ‘Grand’ in the title, too. He chooses black paint with windows to match, feels like a gangster when he first takes delivery… then his heart plunges when he drives it. It’s clumsier than a Deportivo tackle, and the V6 is thirstier than a pre-G4 Gazza, allegedly. Better instead to sit back in the superb leather captain’s chairs and let a minder do the driving. With Spice world on the DVD, now it makes sense. Price new: £33,095 (3.3 Limited XS)
Ferrari 550 Maranello
What could be more thrilling than a large Ferrari with an enormous bonnet, below which sat a 5.5-litre V12 engine? Even better is to have David Beckham cash, enabling you to bypass the waiting list for the car personally recommended by F1 presenter Martin Brundle. Beckham shows his astuteness by not replacing it with the inferior 575M facelift, enjoying the original with its entire iron fist, velvet glove power in tact. A Daytona for the new Millennium. Price new: £150,000
Ford F-Series pickup
America’s best-selling vehicle for the world’s highest-paid footballer. The latest variants really do look fantastic, and are cheap enough (think Ford Focus prices over there) to leave you in no doubt as to why they outsell ‘cars’ in the US. Few have seen them over here, so picture a Mitsubishi L200, enlarge it, add chrome and leather, do little to the suspension but throw in a 330-cube V8 (that’s 5.4-litres, and 300bhp), and you’re almost there. Sophisticated it ‘aint but it makes a statement and that’s just what David wants. There will be no better way to make friends in his new home by driving a truck that everyone else in LA drives. Price new: £30,000 + VAT (import)
Hummer H2
Arnie started it off, but just as the governor of the state where Beckham will find his new home is developing environmental responsibility, so too is the maker of civilian American military vehicles (relatively). So the H2 is a slightly smaller, slightly more manageable version – Range Rover sized, rather than truck-sized. Just what every busy footballer needs to drive incognito. Err, not. At least nobody would get in Beck’s way as he could just drive over them, while sitting in air conditioned, leather-clad splendour. Though tackling a parking bay would require every skill he could muster. If Becks drives his Hummer in LA he certainly won't stand out like he would in the UK. Price new: £46,995 (import)
Lincoln Navigator
The disappointment of the Voyager clearly didn’t dissuade Becks from the merits of big Americana. This is more like it; huge, brash, decadent and expensive, it’s everything a footballer could wish, with space for all three kids and more. Lincoln’s large SUV has mainstream roots, but has completely reinvented the brand and made it seriously cool. That it’s left-hand-drive only and on offered through very selected outlets over here only adds to the pizzazz. As does the need for a pin code to be typed in on a keypad before you enter. Now that’s cooler than Becks’ latest hairdo. Maybe Beckham's obsession with American cars should have told us years ago that that was where he'd finally end up. Price new: £49,995 (import)
Porsche 911 (993) Turbo
Legend has it, this is where Posh and Becks first hit it off. Grainy tabloid shots of their first kiss made for a fairytale story; ace footballer, fast car, pop star girlfriend. We know plenty about all of them, but it’s the fast car that consistently has most fans. The 993 series will remain for many the ultimate 911 – the last of the air-cooled ‘proper’ Porsches that had been honed to absolute perfection over 30-odd years. Price new: £97,950
TVR Cerbera
Schoolboys dream of driving TVRs just as much as they dream of becoming star footballers. Becks achieved one and was paid accordingly, helping him enhance his playground icon status by doing the other. Ironically though, in many ways the TVR is the complete antithesis of a successful footballer; loud, moshing engine sending gobfuls of power to the rear wheels, leery control whenever the road is wet, twisty or slightly bumpy, legends of unreliability and frequent breakdowns (maybe not so far removed, then). But then, if you can control a greasy, muddy ball flying towards you at 70mph, this should be a piece of cake. And as thrills go, it’s almost up there with winning the Premiership. If he drives this in LA he will
