Noted car enthusiast and collector Travis Kelce at his Kelce Car Jam fundraiser last week, two days before giving Taylor Swift a ride in his 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS convertible. Instagram screengrab/The Kansas City Chiefs

Car enthusiast and collector Travis Kelce could have squired one of the most famous women in the world around Kansas City in any vehicle of his choosing.

He went old-school, whisking her away from GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday in an iconic muscle car he loves because “it looks so sweet.”

Now photos and videos of the Chiefs star with Taylor Swift riding shotgun have fired up fresh interest in their ride — a 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle, one of the most well-known muscle cars to ever hit the market.

Swifties loved the images of the pop star laughing and smiling in the convertible’s front seat, one fan gushing on TikTok that it was “so dreamy” it could be the singer’s next album cover. The photo of them in the Chevelle is already on T-shirts. Car buffs are loving the attention.

 

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce drove Taylor Swift through Kansas City Sunday in his 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle, one of many cars he collects. Instagram screenshot/Travis Kelce

 

“Even people who don’t love classic cars are asking about this 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS,” automotive journalist Mary Conway wrote for Torque News after the couple’s ride. The automotive website this week dubbed the car “the most famous car in America.”

Conway noted how Kansas Citians have seen Kelce behind the wheel of his Chevelle before, earlier this year for instance after helping the Chiefs win another Super Bowl. Fans also have seen the car at The Fuel House in Bonner Springs, a membership-only “premier automotive country club” where members can work on their cars and hang out with other car lovers.

Two days before Swift climbed into the car, Kelce took it to the Kelce Car Jam fundraiser in the West Bottoms, where dozens of cars were displayed under the 12th Street Bridge. The event’s proceeds benefited his Eighty-Seven & Running Foundation, which helps underserved youth in Kansas City.

Image

His collection has included some famous luxury cars — an Aston Martin Vanquish, Mercedes-AMG G 63, Rolls-Royce Phantom, GMC Terrain and a special Land Rover Range Rover “that makes the already bougie SUV even more exceedingly luxurious,” CarsForSale.com says. “Not only that, but he has a pretty sweet 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS convertible.” People even give Kelce cars. In 2017 he was named an MVP at the Pro Bowl and received a 2017 Genesis G80, a midsize luxury sedan. Sources told CarBuzz at the time that he would probably donate it to charity because he was “too big to really use it.”

A 2021 Facebook post by Kelce’s father, Ed Kelce, shows the tight end revving the Chevelle’s beastly engine. He sat tall, really tall, behind the wheel. At 6-feet-5-inches, the football player dwarfs the low-slung car.

“Travis Kelce’s impressive physique may be an asset on the football field, but it can also pose a challenge when it comes to finding a comfortable ride,” the FirstSportz website noted earlier this year while detailing Kelce’s car collection.

‘DEFINITELY CUSTOMIZED’

The Chevy Chevelle SS is one of the most desirable Chevys ever built, roaring to life during the renaissance of muscle cars in the 60s and 70s. As part of the company’s centennial celebration in 2011, Chevrolet asked fans to vote for the best Chevy of all time. The more than 100,000 who voted chose the 1969 Camaro. The 1970 Chevelle SS came in second. The car oozed cool. “It was a good run for the Chevelle line all those 13 years it was in production. It managed to poke the hearts of the hardcore classic Chevy enthusiasts,” says HotCars.com.

Movie fans will recognize it from 2012’s “Jack Reacher,” where Tom Cruise screamed over bridges and through tunnels behind the wheel of a cherry red Chevelle in a memorable chase scene.

In the 1993 coming-of-age classic “Dazed and Confused,” the director is said to have chosen a black 1970 Chevy Chevelle SS 454 for a young Matthew McConaughey to drive because “it had a machismo look that spoke teen muscle.”

In May, a 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle LS6 convertible — four-speed manual transmission, desert sand metallic color with a Paul Anka 8-track in the player — sold at auction for $425,000..

Conway noted that Kelce’s Chevelle “is definitely customized and riding on huge tires,” with “custom headlights and black bumpers.”

Kelce talked about the Chevelle earlier this month on his “New Heights” podcast while hyping the Car Jam, which melded his love of cars and dedication to helping Kansas City families.

He talked about how his foundation is helping local students convert a Chevelle into an electric car, said to be the first muscle car conversion done by students. The Ignition Lab at Operation Breakthrough on Troost Avenue is teaching hundreds of high school students the skills of a mechanic. Kelce has been known to visit the kids and get his hands dirty.

He displayed some of his own collection at Car Jam, a couple of his modern cars and some “old school” cars, referencing the Chevelle on the podcast.

“Man, that thing always sounds so mean coming around the corner and it looks sweet.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kansas City Chiefs (@chiefs) TAYLOR SWIFT EFFECT

But Kelce wasn’t the only one in that Chevelle Sunday night who knows something about cars. “We know that Swift herself is a registered car fan — penning lyrics about some of her favorite models, collecting a small fleet of vehicles and even appearing plastered on the side of a NASCAR racer back in 2012,” digital journalist Owen Bellwood wrote this week for Jalopnik automotive website.

Bellwood’s editor added a note at the end of the story apologizing for making Bellwood write a story whose headline read: Jalopnik Investigates: Is Travis Kelce Taylor Swift’s First ‘Car Person’ Love Interest?

The answer is no.

“Easily the two biggest car fans that Swift has been caught holding hands with are singers Joe Jonas and Harry Styles,” Bellwood reported.

“Jonas’ top cars in his collection include a Ford Falcon that was restored by West Coast Customs, a Fisker Karma and a Mini Moke — providing a nice mix of class and weirdness that many car fans aspire to.

“Styles, meanwhile, is a true connoisseur with a collection that includes a Jaguar E-Type, Ferrari Dino 246 GTS and the excellent Ford Capri. Clearly a collection that will never go out of style.”

Swift’s ex-boyfriend Jake Gyllenhaal, on the other hand, didn’t own vehicles “worth writing a song about,” Bellwood noted.

Kelce is a different story.

“So while he might not be Swift’s first car-collecting love interest, he definitely appears to be the one that takes his love of cars beyond simply buying expensive toys,” Bellwood concluded.

Conway wrote that whether Kelce and Swift continue dating “remains to be seen.”

But in the meantime, she wrote, “at least the pair has drawn attention to a great classic car and reminded people how cool classics are.”