Jason Statham is hard.

“I’ve always had a fascination with cars and racing.”

The high-kicking, fast-talking south London boy-done-good stars in the DVD release of Transporter 3, where he plays hard-nut driver Frank Martin: a “sort-of bad guy who does good things”.

And for petrolheads, there are a lot of good things in the film.

“If you use an Audi like we did in Transporter 3, they remove the brain that controls it, the slip differential, the track-cam and all that.

“Then they juice up the horsepower and tighten the suspension – it makes it useful in chase situations.”

Useful? Sure – if shunning the Audi’s famous four-wheel-drive and bounding into stationary trains is useful.

But Michelle Julienne – who was responsible for the chase sequences in Transporter 3 – is a man ‘The Stath’ gives a mighty big thumbs-up to.

“He is a legend. For the film, he got a car onto two wheels at like, 60mph.

“They filmed two trucks with the car between them, and for the train sequence, they jumped a car onto a stationary train. Amazing.”

I’ll bring you flowers

But it could easily have been Jason performing the stunts himself – he loves driving.

“I think most men are interested in speed”, he explains, “more so than flower arranging anyway.”

Most men however, don’t get to thrash the life out of £100,000+ supercars on Californian racetracks (or date Kelly Brook).

“I go to a track called Willow Springs where you can hammer it. I’ve been up there with Lamborghinis and Ferraris and for me it is the best track in the world.

“You get a streetcar with plenty of juice and go and hammer it around a track for an afternoon, it’s a lot of fun. There is always a corner coming up on that track, though, so you’re never too much above 140-145mph.”

He may be lacking a few follicles up top, but Jason has seen his fair share of ‘hairy’ moments behind the wheel.

“I was driving one of those Lamborghini super Gallardos. You put the traction control on and it’s idiot-proof. You can just put your foot flat down and hammer around every corner – it just corrects itself.

“But take it off and it’s a different animal.”

Kick me, it’s good

And the ex-boyfriend of former model-turned-presenter-turned-actress Kelly Brook is no stranger to a good kicking, as he revealed on the making of Transporter 3.

“In the film I fight Semi Shielt – who comes from Holland. And Holland provides some of the most outstanding kick-boxers in the world.

“I can remember him hoofing me once in the chest – it must have been 5 per cent of his capability – and I went flying. Me feet came off the ground.”

But getting his ass whooped by a professional kick-boxer is a world away from his south London roots – and his swimming background.

Yes – Stath started out in life as a professional diver, came 12th in the 1992 diving world championship, and was a member of the national diving squad for twelve years.

And this Briton really has got talent. He was spotted by ex Mr Madonna (film director Guy Ritchie for non-Heat readers) and landed a part in iconic British gangster flick Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels in 1998, catapulting the built-like-a-brickhouse diver into sun-kissed Californian waters.

He starred alongside Brad Pitt and is now working with ‘The Governator’ Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sly Stallone on what looks like the best action movie ever, The Expendables.

The ‘Stathanator’

Going up against the Terminator and the world’s most lovable boxer surely begs the question – will Stath’s hard-as-nails physique keep up?

“I’ve smashed myself around, been on crutches and broken a couple of bones, sure.

“The most frustrating thing about injuries is that they take so bloody long to heal”, he explains. “I did my ankle almost two years ago and it’s never healed. I’m still suffering, then I had my cartilage removed, and then my meniscus cartilage ripped and I had this bloody bad knee. Every time I run it swells up. It’s a nightmare.”

Perhaps Jason can ease his Freddie Krueger-inspired cartilage nightmares with a soft, romantic comedy role instead of his usual martial arts warfare?

Maybe he could be the next Hugh Grant?

“I like Hugh Grant. He’s funny. He’s done some great movies. I’d love to do a comedy. Why not?

“If someone comes up with a great script, with a great director and a great bunch of actors, count me in.”

Transporter 3 is out now on DVD and Blu-Ray.

Jason Statham likes fast cars - perhaps he should get one of these: