Actress Mischa Barton is set to shock car enthusiasts with her motor knowledge on a new TV series.

The former The O.C. star learned to drive when she was just 11 and she has been a big fan of classic cars ever since, and now she gets the chance to show off her motor mania as part of new show Joyride.

"I'm always that girl who's friends with the transport department (on a film set) and trying to borrow cars and take them out for a spin," she tells Entertainment Tonight.

Mischa and rapper T-Pain are among the co-hosts of Esquire Network's new six-episode car enthusiast show, which premieres on Tuesday night (15Nov16).

"When they (producers) hit me up, they were like, 'Does she really love cars? We know she has a vintage Cadillac obsession, but does she really love cars?' And I was like, 'Yeah!'

"I'm not a race car driver, but I've been taught by stunt drivers and I'm pretty good."

And she's urging everyone from "gearheads" to girly-girls to check out her new show, because she thinks it'll be fun for all, adding, "It was a dream job, I've gotta tell you. We couldn't believe we were getting paid to race cars and wreck them, although we weren't really supposed to be wrecking them."

In the first episode, Barton and T-Pain test out a 1967 Ford Bronco and a Porsche 911 GT3, among other classics, and she admits she loved working with the car-collecting rapper.

"T-Pain and I really hit it off in terms of chemistry just because we're both a bit goofier," she tells ET. "It was 100 degrees out on these racetracks and they're handing over the keys to a Maserati or a Lamborghini, so we're going to goof around and we're going to get a bit jokey by the end of it.

"I've got to go to Atlanta and check out his shop. I can't wait to see it."