2 hours ago
3
When you’ve reached the pinnacle of any sport like snowboarder Scott James, it’s almost commonplace to splurge on a lavish and exotic car collection to get around town.
And while it’s hard to ignore the rare models frequenting athletes' collections, for James – who is currently representing Australia at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games – his first car just proves we all start from somewhere.
Back in 2016, the snowboarder told us his first chariot was a humble 2009 Jeep Wrangler that caused him more discomfort than pleasure.
“I had [it] for about four years. It was a manual, so it was a little tough when I was driving around Melbourne. You can imagine my clutch leg was getting pretty sore most of the time, sitting in traffic and whatnot,” James recalled.
While most kids dream of one day owning an exotic supercar from brands such as Lamborghini or Ferrari, according to the two-time Olympian, his childhood automotive fantasy is more of a workhorse than stallion.
“Ever since I was a young kid, I had this dream of having a truck-style car,” the halfpipe snowboarder told Drive.
According to James, his tough, heavy-duty automotive aspirations manifested in his choice of aftermarket parts for his Jeep Wrangler.
“After two years [of owning the Wrangler], using money I’d saved, I did the cliché lift kit and big black wheels. It was fun. It was actually a really good car when I was up in the snow,” he explained.
The 31-year-old Olympian who grew up in New Zealand recalled his first memories of driving in weather conditions that challenge even the most seasoned drivers, let alone a young motorist.
“I was in New Zealand when I got my driver’s licence, so I’ve been driving since I was 15. The roads up to the mountain are all privately owned properties, so it’s like driving on a farm,” he told Drive.
“I learned to drive in an old Toyota HiLux Surf, driving up and down those mountains, on some of the sketchiest roads and in some of the sketchiest weather in the world. There were a lot of extremes: dirt, snow, gravel. It was cool.”
Ethan Cardinal graduated with a Journalism degree in 2020 from La Trobe University and has been working in the fashion industry as a freelance writer prior to joining Drive in 2023. Ethan greatly enjoys investigating and reporting on the cross sections between automotive, lifestyle and culture. Ethan relishes the opportunity to explore how deep cars are intertwined within different industries and how they could affect both casual readers and car enthusiasts.
