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Andrée Vermeulen is Driving in Louboutins
“I think people would see me in a sage green Fiat, or a baby blue Mini Cooper,” muses Andree Vermeulen. The actress and writer— known best for starring alongside Rashida Jones in Angie Tribeca— fits a few Los Angeles stereotypes: petite, blonde, active, and an owner of two small dogs. So when a Volkswagen GTI pulls up, white with dark tinted windows, it is understandably surprising to see Vermeulen spring out.
“If people know about cars, they probably expect a young male because it’s a very speedy, sporty car. That’s part of why I got it,” Dree says of the GTI.
The rainbow dress and Louboutin heels chosen to show us around her Atwater Village neighborhood heighten the contrast with this high-powered hatch. She says it is entirely her personality to defy expectations but makes the case that the GTI fits her well: “I am girly, but I am also athletic and competitive.”
Fitting for Hollywood transportation, the car happens to be an icon. Born out of the best-selling Volkswagen Golf in 1975, the GTI (short for Grand Tourer, fuel Injected) took the world by storm with its mix of power, tuning, and practicality, and it has launched dozens of imitators.
Vermeulen grew up with Volkswagens in the family and felt a connection to the brand. When she was in a position to buy a new car for herself, she set her eye on the GTI. “I knew what I wanted,” she remembers, “and I got it.” She researched and negotiated for the Volkswagen online and picked it up from a local dealer.
An unexpected benefit to the GTI’s acoustic attributes, thanks to Fender-brand speakers: double-duty as a voiceover sound booth. “Auditions are all done in my car.”
Previous cars included a bright red Kia Sephia— “a lemon” and a string of Toyotas, ending with a Prius. “It is amazing to never have to get gas. When I switched to the GTI, every time the gas light would come on, I would be like, ‘Really?’”
“When you press the pedal, the pick up is amazing,” she says. “It just, like, shoots you forward.” Vermeulen admits she doesn’t know about horsepower or torque— 210 hp and 258 lb-ft for her 2016 example— but loves to drive. “The turning radius is insane, and the steering is so tight: “It makes me feel more secure than anything I’ve ever driven.”
With its heritage, performance and cult-like following, the GTI is more complicated than its outward appearance, and we think it’s the perfect fit for Dree.
