MEMBER PROFILE
ROSS BUTLER is BREAKING CHARACTER
“This is the city of image,” Ross Butler says, parked in a Los Angeles driveway. “Being in entertainment, a lot of people have preconceptions of who we are because of who they see on screen. I think the way actors can express themselves is through their style, or through the car they have, because that’s what people can see.”
Today, he expresses himself through a black 2020 AMG C63, his daily-driver on extended loan from Mercedes-Benz, as Ross is an ambassador for the brand. The handsome sedan demonstrates a maturity at odds with preconceptions that might be attached to an actor who became well known for playing a teenager in popular series like Riversdale and Netflix’s Thirteen Reasons Why.
Ross says he’s had a “few different vibes of cars” over the years, reflecting different stages of his own personality.
After moving to Los Angeles for work, the Virginia-native bought himself a 2016 Dodge Challenger at age 25, believing then, “before I get to my 30s, I need to drive a muscle car.” He sampled a Mustang and Camaro but found the black-on-black Dodge to feel the fastest and most responsive. This process was his introduction to learning about engines, horsepower and weight, and he credits the Challenger with igniting his interest in motorsports.
The muscle car was “very Ross,” he says, describing his mid-twenties extroverted personality and lifestyle, but it would prove to be a short era— as in time he picked up an Audi A7, swapping out the Challenger’s impractical backseat for the four-dour sportback’s “couch on wheels.”
The wolf-in-sheep’s-clothing AMG sedan is perhaps the perfect combination of the two. Ross says as he becomes more comfortable with himself, he is drawn to the understated: “I like things that are sleek, not in your face, but they have specs on the inside you can’t see, but you can feel.”
And this duality extends to Ross’s favorite feature of the car— a dial that instantly activates a Sports+ mode that transforms the C63 to, in his words, “a joy ride.” On the 469 horsepower the hand-built engine delivers he teases, “I take advantage of it, that’s all I’ll say about that.”
For passengers in the know, the becoming-iconic Panamericana grill, V8 biturbo badging, and squared quad-exhaust all give a preview at the ride to come, but Ross says most friends don’t fully appreciate the Mercedes until he starts driving.
These days, Ross’s driving skills are getting honed on the street and on the track. He has started motorcycle racing and attending F1 and IndyCar events. After a hot lap with Mario Andretti— “I felt like I was going to die, but in a great way”—motorsports are a growing passion.
It seems certain, then, that more sports cars will join Ross’s collection, and he expressed interest in pursuing unique vintage pieces— imagining a weekend drive through Malibu in a 1950s Thunderbird convertible.
No matter what he’s driving and where his car vibes take him, Ross maintains it is the ingredients—not the image—that matters. “All of the things that go into a really good drive: where you’re going, who you’re with, and what music you’re listening to,” he says. “The right combination is meditative. You can clear your mind. Driving can be an escape.”
