carsales Drive-Thru car chats with Josh Gibson

AFL legend Josh Gibson definitely considers himself a car guy, but the Jeep ambassador gets his horsepower fix in unexpected ways these days.

As a kid Gibson grew up riding horses, spending school holidays at his Grandma’s home in Bowral, New South Wales where he’d ride horses at a nearby agistment. Following his departure from a successful football career, the BeFit Gym owner re-ignited his love of horse riding and since 2016 has been hooked on the significantly less-lucrative hobby of camp drafting. "I once won fifth place in a competition and received a cheque for $8.50!" laughs Gibson.

Gibson sits roadside in his white Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT to chat about cars and how a 6.4-litre Hemi V8 facilitates his active, go-anywhere lifestyle.

"Well I would say I’m into engines – yep, I am a car guy. I grew up with a mate who raced in a V8 series so I watched a fair bit of that and I love driving cars. I’m not the guy that likes to ride shotgun. I like to be behind the steering wheel."

"I was really into horse riding as a kid, but that had to get shelved for a fair amount of time due to footy. Towards the end of my career I was riding again and then I thought stuff it, I’m gonna buy a horse. I had no idea what camp drafting was and a mate took me to an event in Merrijig in 2016 and since then I’ve been hooked. It’s a great hobby and another great Australian made sport."

"We always got up to the snow and I remember being in the car with my parents. We had an Audi 80, which back then nobody knew who Audi was but it had a headphone jack in the back seat so it was very cool for road trips. All I remember was having my headphones plugged into that and Dad (being from West Indies), we’d always listen to Bob Marley. It was the old cassette tape, we’d play side A then side B - for a five hour trip it went non-stop. So I always think about driving to Falls Creek and it reminds me of Bob Marley and sitting in the back of the Audi."

"I remember the first time Mum let me drive – it was a manual and I would have been 14 or 15 [years old] and we were on a private property. I kept trying to take off and I kept stalling. She was like ‘You are going to be a hopeless driver!’ After the fourth attempt we realised the hand brake was on! Once I passed that hurdle I was off and flying. So Mum was the first one who got me in the car. I’d drive all the time with my parents - I’d always demand driving. We always had manual cars so that was handy."

"I had an Audi A4, silver, and the owner before me had really ridden the clutch out of it. There wasn’t much left. He was a heavy-footed man."

"I’d seriously give myself a 9 when it comes to parallel parking."

"Oh look, It’s pretty boring. I’ve just got a skin head. I’m actually glad it’s changed now. If we go back to one earlier when I had my P-plates and I had decided to shave my head and dye it blonde like Eminem - so if you saw that photo I’d seriously be a 1 out of 10."

"I’m pretty good – I’d give myself a 7."

"Great! I feel like I’m giving myself high scores all the time! But, I did have two jet-skis and they were on a double-axle trailer and a long nose so it’s easier to back up. I’ve done a fair bit of reversing parking a trailer and I will say that a few times over summer at the Sorrento boat ramp I’ve had to get into other people’s cars and reverse their trailer into the waters because they struggled. I’m not saying I’m the best but there’s definitely a few people out there that are worse than me."

"Oh well obviously Gone in 60 Seconds is a ripper but one my favourites and its very little [scene] but it’s Training Day with Denzel Washington. They [Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke] are sitting in his car and the other guy asks ‘where’s the office’ and he said ‘you’re in the office baby, we going up’ and he pumps the hydraulics and his car [Chevy Monte Carlo] lifts and pumps. When I was into hip-hop I was all into the hydraulics and the cars jumping and bouncing."

"It’d need to be someone funny. I’d probably go Dave Chappelle because I find him hilarious and I think he would keep me entertained on a road trip."

"Right now, always hand sanitiser… but a packet of chewing gum and a pair of sunglasses. I keep my car pretty minimal. I like to wash it once a week and I know, a Jeep shouldn’t be that clean. My stockman’s whip is often in the back seat, too."

ABS – Anti-lock brakes. I don’t know what an acronym is but I know that!

ESC - Electronic stability control

AEB - Nope!

RCTA - Can I phone a friend?

Uber

4.74

"It’s got the power that I need when I’m towing and I was lucky enough to have a trailer brake system installed so I can pull some bigger trailers. Also I sometimes use it as an office – I pulled over yesterday to take calls and use the laptop, so it’s serving a lot of purposes. It can go off road or it can be an office so I’m very lucky.

"And it’s clever. I absolutely love the fact you can start the car [remotely] on the way – you push the button on the key and the engine starts. If it’s cold it puts my heated seats on and if it’s warm it puts on cold [ventilated] seats.”

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