Were You Aware Dax Shepard Operates a 700-HP 1994 Buick Roadmaster Station Wagon?

As Conan highlights in the video, most individuals suddenly acquiring wealth would indulge in a high-performance car—a McLaren GT, perhaps, or a Ferrari F8 Tributo—yet Shepard opted to invest a substantial sum into the final outstanding American station wagon. Shepard expresses considerable pride when characterizing it as the “peak achievement for station wagons in American history” and discussing the 700-horsepower, 6.2-liter supercharged Chevy LSA crate engine he installed instead of the stock 260-horsepower 5.7-liter LT1 V8. The vehicle also features a personalized coilover suspension, anti-roll bars, Wilwood brakes, and BBS wheels.

It is, as he describes it, a “woodgrain station wagon NASCAR,” capable of accelerating from zero to 60 mph in a mere four seconds. Shepard views the modifications as entirely pragmatic. “If you’re a parent with two young children…you want to exit that vehicle as swiftly as possible,” he informs Conan.

The duo then proceed to recollect their childhood memories of the golden days when fitting six kids into an American station wagon with the commonplace rear-facing jump seat in the trunk was the norm. Occupying the crumple zone was always somewhat perilous, but it had a couple of advantages. Shepard often positions his kids in the rear back area because he “can’t hear them as loudly,” while Conan reflects on how amusing the drivers behind them as children likely jump-started his entertainment industry career.

Shepard is renowned for his passion for vehicles and fondness for wagons—he also possesses a Mercedes-AMG E63 estate, a vintage 1967 Lincoln Continental hot rod he has owned for many years, multiple motorcycles, and some off-road recreational vehicles in his garage—but his affection for the Roadmaster runs deep. His mother worked at GM in press fleet management during the 1990s, part of a lengthy career in the automotive sector, and he would assist in transporting press cars for journalists. The 1994 Buick Roadmaster was always his favorite.

“Upon my wife’s pregnancy four years ago, my immediate thought was, ‘I must acquire a B-Body station wagon between ’94 and ’96 because if I’m going to become a parent, I refuse to drive a minivan,” he disclosed to Jay Leno in 2017 when he brought the Roadmaster to an installment of Jay Leno’s Garage. “I want to be in something I can drift.”

The Shepard/Bell family actually utilizes the wagon. It has accompanied them on family road trips from Los Angeles to Oregon and transports the family canines regularly. Shepard informed Motor Trend that he attempts to rotate through his vehicles so that each one is driven at least once per week.

He’s not the sole celebrity with an unexpected daily mode of transportation. Earlier in May, we highlighted Lady Gaga’s 1993 Ford F-150 SVT Lightning, illustrating that fame does not necessitate driving the most luxurious vehicles money can buy.