Redford and Newman sent a wrecked Porsche back and forth to each other


Redford and Newman in November, 2006

Beloved late screen star and philanthropist Paul Newman has been honored by many celebrities who worked with him and whose lives he touched. His co-star and best friend Robert Redford, 72, spoke with ABC News about his long and enduring friendship with Newman. He spoke of his dear friend in the present tense. Redford talked about how Newman loved his own jokes, even if they were crappy, but said his laughter was contagious and it didn’t matter how bad the joke was.

He told some stories about the pranks they used to play on each other, including one time he got a trashed Porsche and had it sent to Newman as a gift for his 50th birthday. He had the car wrapped with a ribbon and put on Newman’s back porch. Redford said that Newman used to bug the shit out of him talking about racing and he sent him the car as a reference to that.

Redford said he didn’t hear anything from Newman for a couple of weeks, but then he saw a big box sitting in his living room that was so heavy it dented the floor. Newman had sent the Porsche back to him in a box after he had it compacted.

Redford then contacted a sculptor he knew in Westport, CT where they both lived at the time and had the Porsche sent to her to make into a garden sculpture. He then hired a towing company and had the transformed Porsche towed back to Newman’s garden.

He said that “to this day, neither of us had ever spoken about it. Never acknowledged it.”

Redford currently lives in Sundance, Utah, but he used to live about a mile away from Newman in Connecticut with his family.

Here’s a link to the video of Redford talking about Newman and here’s a link to the transcript if you’d rather read it.

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14 Responses to “Redford and Newman sent a wrecked Porsche back and forth to each other”

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  1. Kaiser says:

    I’ve heard this story before – they told it either on an IFC or Bravo show, where they basically just had cameras following them around for a day in Connecticut. They were very funny together, and it just seemed natural and silly. 😥

  2. Celebitchy says:

    Damn, it sounds like Redford forgot all about it. He did scratch his face a lot when he said that they’d never acknowledged that story, so maybe he subconsciously realized it but didn’t really remember. They both told the story though Kaiser?

  3. geronimo says:

    I love this story! Felt such a pang reading the interview, beautiful tribute to Newman. Redford (another of the class acts) must miss him like crazy. 🙁

  4. lala says:

    These two define class acts.
    The both took their private good fortune and translated it into massive acts of public good.
    In the September issue of Vanity Fair there was a very long article about the life of Paul Newman. At the end of the article I shed some tears (not something I normally do). To me he is the defination of a life well lived.

  5. Kaiser says:

    CB – Actually, I think for this Porsche story, the cameras got them at different times to tell their side of the story. So maybe they never acknowledged it face-to-face, but yeah, it’s a story that both told on at least one occasion.

    I think the show might have been “Icons”? 😕

  6. daisy424 says:

    Hot Damn they look great in that Butch Cassidy photo…dreamy 8)

  7. anony says:

    That’s brilliant and perverse and just the best. Of course they didn’t talk about it which makes it funnier. I love stories like this; I think it’s the best way to pay tribute to a beloved friend once they pass. It shows how close the two were, too. They were so much alike even in humor:)

  8. KERRI says:

    A Porche wrapped up and sent to his living room?

    WOW, That’s some front door and that must be one big a## living room. I wonder if they had to remove all the furniture in the room, or did it fit nice and smug.

    You will be missed, Paul. You left behind good memories and extreme love for your friends and family.

  9. Lola says:

    This stor made me smile. Paul Newman was a beautiful man inside and out. A life well lived indeed.

  10. spoonman says:

    Men being men!

    These two where the perfect examples of Hollywood leading men. Where have they all gone???

    It will be decades if not never before any Hollywood actors come close to matching the brilliance and professionalism these two brought to the acting profession.

    Paul Newman was a class act in every way-he will be missed!!!

  11. sassyspank says:

    story gave insight to their friendship . . . you could see how fond they were of each other – two class acts. Hope they can be an example for all the trash in hollywood these days, with crotch flashing, sex-tape making, trash-talking ‘celebrities’ that are out there. Newman and Redford were from a different time – a time when decorum and class existed. RIP Newman . . . you will be deeply missed.
    x

  12. drm says:

    Lovely people, really amazing both of them. I’ll just digress and say that I am in total agreement with the comment about the Sundance photo…OMG talk about beautiful.

  13. clare says:

    My mother and I both agreed he was a one-of-a-kind dreamboat. And I think this may have been the only thng we have ever agreed upon.

    RIP, Mr. Newman.
    On my kitchen wall I have the poster of you in your chef’s hat advertising Newman’s Own. Gets me choked up now to look at it.

  14. Erin Vaughan says:

    Paul Newman was my alltime favorite person. He portrayed everything that I love in a person. Dedication, commitment and a love for laughter and practical jokes. Of course those piercing blue eyes were fantastic.
    You will always be my idiol Paul!
    Erin