Game of Thrones – the Cars of the Stars

You may have been moved by Kit Harrington’s reaction to reading the final season script for the first time [don’t worry, no spoilers in this article!] in the recent HBO documentary, Game of Thrones: The Last Watch and been moved yourself to see that actors really do care about the roles they play.

Emotion comes into choosing a car too of course, how often have you seen a friend replace their 2-seater petrol guzzling sports car for a nought-sixty-in-two-days bland people carrier once they have a family? Yes, of course they knew the sports car was impractical, but we so often buy cars based on emotion first, practicality second – until we get a family.

With that in mind, it’s interesting to see what the actors responsible for bringing us one of the most talked about TV series events in history, Game of Thrones, drive themselves – and its clear that emotion plays a big part in these decisions too; these are not necessarily the types of transport you might be expecting these actors to drive.

Kit Harington (Jon Snow)

It seems fitting to start with the central character to the whole Game of Thrones series; the pivotal character of Jon Snow developed from season 1 right up to the final season 8 into a firm fan favourite. The actor himself has recently said that he has struggled with personal and emotional issues as the Emmy Award winning series went from strength to strength and became a phenomenon, having recently checked himself into a wellness clinic as the HBO show’s final episodes were due to air.

Harrington, who is married to Rose Leslie, who played the wildling Ygritte on Game of Thrones and became Jon Snow’s love interest, has chosen perhaps a the most expected mode of transport for an actor in this list. Kit’s favoured vehicle is a Jaguar F-Type, the 2-seater sports car that is often argued to be the true successor to the throne left vacant by the E-Type. You can let your own imagination run the parallels here!

Kit also has a classic styled Triumph Thruxton motorcycle, and is the only actor here who ventures onto two wheels.

Sophie Turner (Sansa Stark)

Sansa Stark’s rise from a young naïve girl to wily confident would-be queen has been one of the most pleasing aspects of the show – considering what the character has been put through. Indeed, just avoiding death in Game of Thrones is something in itself. You could argue that Sophie has a car for each of the dramatic stages that she went through in Thrones – not content with one, Sophie Turner drives an Audi A7, a Porsche Panamera and a Volvo V90. With some of the scenes that Sansa Stark has had to endure, you can perhaps understand the need for the security of a Volvo, the manufacturer that we most associate with being ahead of the game as far as safety is concerned.

Emilia Clarke (Daenerys Targaryen)

The Mother of Dragons, who has graced our screens since 2011, also has a fine stable of cars, including a Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class, Audi A8, Audi Q3 and a 5.9-litre V12 Aston Martin DB9. She also owns a classic Mercedes 380 SL.

It has been rumoured that Emilia Clarke earned $2,000 per each episode of Game of Thrones that she featured in, so amassing a few nice cars shouldn’t dent the bank balance too much.

Yet it could have all been so different for Emilia Clarke’s arc of success, as before Game of Thrones became the world beating show that we know today, HBO shot a pilot show that never aired – and in it, Daenerys Targaryen was played by a different actress, called Tamzin Merchant.

Maisie Williams (Arya Stark)

Maisie Williams was only 14 when she first appeared as Arya Stark, so has only been driving for a relatively short period of time. The actress has literally grown up on screen over the show’s 9-year run from 2011-2019.

While the small but deadly Arya Stark might be expected to be riding in a compact sleek sports car, Maisie prefers something a little larger and has been spotted driving a Range Rover. The luxury SUV, now in its fourth generation, should protect her from winter and any dangers on the road as much as the teachings of that mysterious shape-shifting guild of assassins, the Faceless Men. Maybe paramagnetic colour-changing paint would be appropriate.

Aiden Gillen (Petyr Baelish, AKA ‘Littlefinger’)

If Aiden Gillen’s portrayal of Littlefinger may have owed a lot to various classic British spy films, it might come as no surprise that Gillen prefers a traditional classic car and owns a Volvo Amazon 121. The Amazon was a long-running Volvo that existed from 1956 until 1970 and was originally called the ‘Amason’ in tribute to the female warriors of Greek mythology. Again, one can possibly find a connection here between the mythological Amazons and many of the female characters in Game of Thrones! Though for every-day practical use, Littlefinger drives a Mercedes S-Class.

Peter Dinklage (Tyrion Lannister)

Watching Peter Dinklage’s fine Emmy Award-winning performances in Game of Thrones as Tyrion Lanaster has been fascinating. Seeing Tyrion develop from a brothel-haunting drink-loving hedonist, to a major player with many a memorable word of wisdom imparted from his lips, and all delivered in that impeccable English accent (he’s actually American) has been exhilarating; akin to watching Mark Rylance in the BBC mini-series, Wolf Hall.

Obviously Peter Dinklage has a height disadvantage to the other cast members as far as finding a suitable car goes, and to that end he owns a specially adapted Chrysler 300, the 4-door luxury vehicle from the huge manufacturer known as one of the ‘big 3’ in the USA. While some reports have suggested that Dinklage is the highest paid actor on Game of Thrones, that honour in fact goes to…

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jaime Lannister, AKA ‘Kingslayer’)

Despite his dubious predilections, Jaime Lanister is easily one of the most popular characters in the series thanks to some fine acting from Nikolaj Coster-Waldau. Nikolaj is another lover of the classic car and the Danish actor owns an Audi F103. The moniker ‘F103’ is actually the internal code name for the model series, which ran from 1965 until 1972. Presumably, he has had the infamous engine issues that afflicted some earlier models thanks to a high compression ratio sorted out – though for his character Jaime Lanister, ‘serious issues’ seem to be his forté in Game of Thrones.

Lena Headey (Cersai Lannister)

Talking of Jaime Lanister’s issues, his on-screen sister (and lover) Cersai Lanister played by Lena Headey is surely one of the most unpopular characters the series has thrown at us; consistently cold and calculating, yet still a fan favourite – everyone loves to hate a baddie.

Lena drives a Chrysler 300 and a Tesla Model S – the only one on this list to venture into EV territory. The Tesla Model S is the car that has removed the ‘what if’ anti-electric vehicle argument; ‘what if it runs out…’ is no longer a real consideration, as the Tesla boasts the longest EV range currently out there at 370 miles between charges.