Emmitt Smith, a Driver Unto Himself

 

By: Bonnie McGeer, ForbesAutos.com
Photo Credit: Rolls-Royce

Emmitt Smith's taste in cars can be summed up by words he uses repeatedly when talking about them: "classy" and "tricked out."

But he has no interest in owning a huge garage full of vehicles. "It's not practical," says the 38-year-old former running back, who is the National Football League’s all-time rushing leader. He retired from the game in 2005 and is now an analyst for ESPN.

2008 Rolls-Royce Phantom Slideshow

He says the money that comes with being a professional football player can be overwhelming at first.

"When you're thrust into the world of sports and entertainment, and your first paycheck is bigger than any paycheck anybody in your whole entire family history has ever seen, you're forced to deal with things that most of them have never dealt with," he says. "I'm forced to grow up."

Smith spent 14 years in the NFL, including 13 years with the Dallas Cowboys, where he earned three Super Bowl rings. More recently he attracted new fans on ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" competition, which he won with dance partner Cheryl Burke in 2006.

Because he’s not much of a fanatic for four-wheeled fun, Smith says he prefers making wise investments to indulging his wildest car dreams. But someday he just might buy one of those $350,000 Rolls-Royce Phantoms he admires so much. “They’re just beautiful,� he says.

Smith points to his grandfather as someone who helped teach him about financial responsibility. But even so, his grandfather was more familiar with certificates of deposit (CDs) than stocks. "My grandfather taught me about CDs one day," he says. "We walked to the bank and we cashed out a CD to pay for my sister's car for her high school graduation. That's when I learned about CDs, and I was, like, 12."

Smith says his grandfather did the same thing for him when he turned 18, back in 1987. With $10,500 from his grandfather's CDs, Smith bought his first car, a used 1985 Nissan Maxima.

"Now the roles are flipped,� Smith says. “Now it's my job and my responsibility to help him."

Flashing a wide grin, Smith says he just wishes he knew enough back then to advise his grandfather to invest in stock from Microsoft instead of CDs. “"I didn'’t learn about stocks and bonds until I got to the NFL. If I knew what I know today back when I was at that bank with my grandfather when I was 12, I would’'ve told him, 'Go buy some Coca-Cola, put some money into Wal-Mart, get you some Microsoft,'"� he says, with a laugh. “"Diversify that $15,000.�"

We sat down to talk cars with a warm and gracious Smith in Las Vegas, where he was a guest speaker at a conference. Read excerpts from the interview below.

ForbesAutos: Are you into cars?
Smith: I don't mind driving. But do I love cars? Not really. I like cars. There are some beautiful cars out there.

Which cars do you think are beautiful?
I like the Rolls-Royce Phantom.

What makes that particular car stand out to you?
They're unique. They're well put together. They're just beautiful. They make a serious statement about the person driving them.

Such as?
The cars themselves are classy and not many people can afford one. You have some capital behind you if you're in one of those.

What else do you like?
I'm a big fan of automobiles that are tricked out. Twenty-inch rims.
Twenty-two inch rims. A Cadillac Escalade with some 24s on it and stuff like that. Nice ride.

What do you drive?
I have the new Escalade as the family vehicle, the extended one. That's a 2008. I have a Mercedes 600 V12. That's probably a 2005. And I have an H2, either 2003 or 2004.

Did you trick out the Escalade?
No, not yet. But I'm looking at some rims to put on it, 24s.

What is it about Escalades that makes them so popular with football players? (Several of the players in our Cars of NFL Stars feature said they have Escalades.)
It's a Cadillac. It's a great-looking car. It's a big SUV, but it's a classy SUV. It's not like a typical SUV. It's stylish, it has flair, and it rides good.

What's the coolest car you've ever driven?
Probably my Lamborghini. I had a 2002 Lamborghini Murcielago. It was Cowboy blue, with blue suede inside. It was tricked out. But I got rid of it.

Why did you get rid of it?
I didn't drive it enough.

Did it hurt to let go?
No, it didn't. I wasn't that attached to it. That's what I mean. I'm not that kind of a car lover. I don't get attached to automobiles. It's not like I have a 35,000-square-foot garage and I got all these cars in it — no.

Do you end up getting driven a lot?
No, only when I am on the road traveling and a car picks me up and takes me around. Other than that, not really. I am my everyday driver.

Have you ever owned a Phantom?
No. I'll get one, one of these days. I mean, I could get one now. But there are a lot of other things that are more important than to have a car that I'm not going to drive all the time. That's one of the reasons I got rid of my Lamborghini.

How many children do you have?
Four. Like I said, there are other things that are more important.

So a big vehicle lets everyone pile in?
The Escalade does that. The Benz is for mother and I, a classy car, a nice car.

That's what you use to take your wife on a date?
Yeah, and that H2 is for me.

• Porsche Goes Hybrid