Robert Irwin recreated an old photo of him and the late Steve Irwin driving his car, and revealed he used it to get his driver's license
Gary Gershoff/Getty Images, Australia Zoo via Getty Images
- Robert Irwin recreated an old childhood photo of him and his father, the late Steve Irwin.
- The original photo shows Robert as a toddler on Steve's lap in the driver's seat of his old car.
- Now 19, Robert said he still drives his dad's car and recently used it to pass his driver's test.
Robert Irwin, the son of the late TV personality and wildlife conservationist Steve Irwin, recreated a childhood photo of himself and his father, and revealed he still regularly drives his old man's car.
The 19-year-old, who has been carrying on his father's legacy by running the Australia Zoo with his mother Terri and sister Bindi, posted an Instagram photo on Tuesday paying homage to his father.
Steve was 44 when he died in 2006 from a stingray barb injury to the heart. At the time, Robert was just 2 and Bindi was 7.
In the post, Robert shared a selection of photos, the first of which is of himself as a toddler sitting on Steve's lap in the driving seat of his "ute," an Australian slang term for a car-like truck. The image shows the youngster clutching onto the steering wheel of the vehicle under Steve's guidance.
The second and third photos are taken more recently, showing Robert as a young adult driving the exact same car by himself and holding a red "P" sign, suggesting that he got his driving license.
Captioning the post, Robert wrote that his dad's car is "special."
"My dad's ute… it's a special car," he wrote. "From early memories when Dad would park and let me pretend to drive, to more recently when I took my drivers test in it (and somehow managed not to stall it)."
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Robert went on to say that he used the car for a milestone in his life. "I remember my first solo drive in this car after I got my license — it was to the hospital to meet my niece for the first time, right after she was born," he wrote, referring to Bindi's daughter, Grace Warrior Irwin Powell.
Bindi welcomed her daughter with her husband Chandler Powell in March 2021. As Insider previously reported, the couple chose the name of their daughter to pay tribute to several family members, including her late father.
"Her middle names, Warrior Irwin, are a tribute to my dad and his legacy as the most incredible Wildlife Warrior," Bindi wrote in an Instagram post announcing the birth.
Like his granddaughter, Steve's car is another way that his legacy continues. And in his recent post, Robert made it clear the vehicle is still very much in use.
"The ute still comes on road trips to this day," he concluded.