Russell Peters
Profession: Comedian
Age: 40
Hometown: Brampton, Ont.
Notable achievements: More than 35 million views on YouTube; sold more than 250,000 copies of his DVDs Outsourced and Red, White and Brown; winner of a Gemini Award for Best Host or Performance in a Variety Series, for hosting the 2008 Juno Awards and four-time Gemini Award nominee
Upcoming: Hosting the 9th annual It's Always Something variety show in support of Gilda's Club Greater Toronto on Nov. 22, at the Princess of Wales Theatre; concert dates across North America in November/December/January; book tour across North America for his first book, Call Me Russell, released in October, 2010
Russell Peters is laughing all the way to the bank. The Indo-Canadian comedian is one of the top 10 highest-grossing comics according to Forbes - No. 7 at $15-million (earned from June 2009 to June 2010).
Peters has performed at sold-out venues around the globe. He loves the spotlight on stage and on the road. That's why he has a garage full of flashy cars.
What's in your garage?
I have eight cars - a 2007 Audi S8, a 2007 Infiniti M45, a 2007 Bentley Continental GTC, a 2010 Range Rover Sport Supercharged, a 1964 Impala convertible, a 2010 Porsche Panamera Turbo, a 2009 Jaguar XFR and a 2010 Lexus LX570.
I like the cars that look impressive, but are not like a Lamborghini or a Ferrari where people are like, "Oh my God! Look at that!"
Mine is more for the people who know about cars and what that car has and will be impressed. I do it for people in the know not for "Oh my God! Look at me!"
I could have easily bought a Lamborghini or Ferrari at any point of my life, but I don't like getting in and out of them - they're too low and literally I hurt my balls getting in and out of those cars. So when they say guys that drive those cars are making up for something - I'd say they clearly have no balls!
What's your favourite car?
I like them all individually. Each one is good for something. I really enjoy my Jaguar, to be honest with you. It's really awesome. Aesthetically, it's a beautiful car and it drives amazingly. I wish they made it in all-wheel-drive because I think it would handle better. That's my only beef with the car.
I treat them like women. You can't just say these type of women are the best. You can't say I like big boobs or I like small boobs. Each woman has some beauty in her that you can look at and focus on. Cars are like that, too. Mind you, we're talking about the super models of cars.
I know what I like. All my cars have over 500 horses, but I don't really drive them that fast.
Do you really need 500-plus horses driving in Los Angeles or Toronto?
No. But if it's available, why would you say no to it?
The Canadian mentality is getting the one with the smaller engine. I don't want that Canadian mentality when it comes to my car. Give me the biggest, most obnoxious engine you can put in a car and I'll decide how fast I can drive it!
How fast do you drive? Have you been caught for speeding?
I have.
I used to have a Cayenne Turbo - I was caught in that. I was caught in my Bentley - that was the only two times I was caught for speeding.
I don't generally give any attitude when they pull me over because I know I'm wrong.
You own one classic car - why did you buy it?
It's a 1964 Impala convertible.
I just wanted an old car. I got it because it's a very cool car - it's canary yellow with a white roof. It's a very L.A. car.
I bought it a year and a half ago off a friend who is a professional boxer. He tore his Achilles and couldn't train for a few months and he needed money so I bought it off of him. I was trying to help him out.
I would like to get a '64 Lincoln Continental with the suicide doors - the one they have on Entourage. Ideally, I'd like to sell my Impala and get that one instead.
What was your first car?
A Saturn SL. It was the most basic Saturn you could buy when it came out in '92.
It didn't have A/C; it didn't even have two mirrors on the side of the car. It only had one on the driver's side - that was it.
It was $9,000 brand new. It was my first car - you never forget your first, do you?
Who taught you to drive?
I learned to drive in the '80s when they had 365s.
I had three of them. I would get one and it would expire, I would get another one and it would expire.
I didn't get my licence until I was 21 years old because I didn't have a reason to. I didn't have a car. My dad wasn't going to give me his car so what's the point?
But I'd have my 365 and all my friends drank and I didn't so they would get drunk and I would end up driving.
It was trial and error. My dad never bothered to teach me. That's how I learned to drive stick, how to drive an automatic - just cause my friends would get drunk and I'd be forced to drive.
There was one point when I was a teenager we would steal cars and we stole a Dodge Omni, but a hatchback version. It was stick and we had no clue how to drive it. I remember jerking up and down the street in this car and we just dashed it somewhere on a street and walked home.
I remember my brother had a colleague over at the house and they went on some work retreat. That person had parked their car in our driveway and I stole it and drove to school and I still didn't know how to drive. I cracked her mirror trying to back it out of the driveway.
I got into three accidents in one-month period when I was a new driver; I was 21-22. I deserved what I got at that point.
What would you like to add to your garage?
I really like the Jaguar XJ. I was going to trade my XFR for an XJ here, but Canada is [offensive language deleted]with its car prices!
It is absolutely unreasonable and unnecessary. They were going to give me a deal at the dealership and it was going to be $2,800 a month to lease one! $2,800 a month to lease a car - are you out of your mind?
This interview has been edited and condensed.
Petrina Gentile