Death Race director Paul W.S. Anderson talks cars - Interview

Quick Stats: Paul W.S. Anderson Movie director, producer, writer
Daily Driver: 2007 Cadillac Escalade ESV (Paul's rating: 10 on a scale of 1 to 10)
Favorite road trip: From England's Newcastle to Berwick-upon-Tweed
Car he learned to drive in: late 1970s Volkswagen Golf
First car bought: early 1980s Peugeot 205

Director Paul W.S. Anderson's gritty car racing action thriller "Death Race" comes out this weekend, a sort of prequel to 1975's "Death Race 2000." Set in a dystopian future, the characters are like gladiators, with cars as their weapons.

Featuring Joan Allen, Jason Statham, Tyrese Gibson and Ian McShane, the film is expected do well, given Anderson's track record of "Alien vs. Predator," which he wrote and directed, "Mortal Kombat" and the "Resident Evil" trilogy. But Anderson's love of cars goes back to his very first film, 1994's "Shopping" about joyriding and ram-raiding.

Anderson finds irony between his movies and his family car. These days he and his partner, actress Milla Jovovich, are a one car family -- for now. His daily driver is a 2007 Cadillac Escalade ESV, which he rates a perfect 10. A far cry from the sporty convertibles they once had (she: a Lexus and he: a Jaguar), but they got this more family-friendly car when their daughter was born last year.

"I have responsibilities as a father, so I want to keep my need for speed in check a little bit," he says. "As a huge family vehicle, I'd give it a 10. It seats so many people -- we have one baby, three dogs, my family regularly come over and visit from England. It's a fantastic vehicle for shuffling a large amount of people around in immense comfort. It's also got a pretty big engine, so when you need to boost it, the acceleration's not bad and the brakes are excellent."

Sure, he has a day job as a big time Hollywood movie director, but with his British accent and chipper demeanor, his musings on cars are punctuated by subtle irony and a witty sense of humor that belie his darker films. It makes you think in an alternate universe Anderson might've been a great "Top Gear" host.

"I fell in love with the Escalade, because when I first met Milla, she had one of the first Escalades ever in L.A. I think her and P. Diddy had the first Escalades," he recalls. "The first time I met her, I saw her truck before I saw her and it thoroughly impressed me. I just thought it was the coolest looking vehicle."