The basic concept for a Jeep has existed since almost the very first days of the automotive industry, but thanks to the design's iconic use in militaries during the World Wars, many car enthusiasts probably mistakenly believe that Jeep as a brand has been around for that whole time. In fact, Jeep first filed for a patent in 1943, and produced their first civilian product for 1945, the year World War II ended. Since then, models like the Wrangler, Cherokee, and Grand Cherokee have helped the brand stay at the forefront of the 4x4 market, developing a reputation for producing capable off-roaders that combine ruggedness with reliability, while the modern Grand Cherokee even offers a touch of luxury in an otherwise spartan lineup.
But the true icon of Jeep's history is the Jeep Wrangler, a simple platform offering plenty of customizable options, simple interior and exterior design, and plenty of wheel travel and clearance. Jeep's position as a staple of the American automotive industry (despite being owned by the Italian-American umbrella corporation Fiat-Chrysler) has made the brand instantly recognizable, and popular amongst the celebrity population who banks on being instantly recognizable themselves. Whether these folks truly need a Jeep or the dubious question of whether they actually take their Jeeps off-roading is moot, as the fact of the matter remains that they seem to include Jeeps in their car collections even when those collections rival the best in the world. Keep scrolling for 15 wealthy people who drive Jeeps around the streets and wherever their jet-setting lives take them.
16 Dennis Collins - Several Models
Dennis Collins is famous from Fast N' Loud and also has a very popular YouTube channel and has an estimated networth of $30 million. Dennis also manages Collins Bros Jeep, a custom Jeep business that sells Jeeps and Jeep parts, including its own line of custom parts under the name BLKMTN, which stands for Black Mountain. Collins recently sold his collection of CJ Jeeps worth $1 million.
15 Tim McGraw - Jeep Wrangler Rubicon
Country singer Tim McGraw sure seems to be a likely character to drive a Jeep - though after so much success charting a path that has helped to pioneer country-turned-pop stars like Taylor Swift, it is a bit surprising that he keeps a vintage Jeep in pristine shape. The old red Jeep fits into the country singer mold, though, even as McGraw keeps churning out platinum album after platinum album, filling stadiums and teaming up with his fellow music star wife, Faith Hill.
Several acting roles, including as an abusive father in the film Friday Night Lights, mean that McGraw can hold his head aloft even in liberal Los Angeles, where so many other celebs enjoy their (albeit usually newer) Jeeps, as well.
14 Floyd Mayweather - Custom Jeep Wrangler
Floyd "Money" Mayweather has earned his nickname, being the highest paid boxer of all time. Undefeated in the ring over a career spanning decades, Mayweather has amassed enormous wealth and from watches to necklaces to cars, he's not afraid to show it off for anyone who will watch or listen.
His custom Jeep, in matte black with custom TMT (The Money Team) wheels and plenty of rivets has lost much of what originally might have identified it as a Jeep at all, but should allow Mayweather plenty off-road clearance for enjoying the deserts around Las Vegas, and certainly more rock-crawling capabilities than the all wheel drive Bugatti Veyrons and Lamborghinis that round out his insane car collection.
13 Lebron James - Jeep Wrangler
Top-tier basketball players earn plenty of money playing in the sports world, but often times the best of the best earn even more in the form of endorsements. LeBron James, in discussion with Michael Jordan as the greatest basketball player of all time, has publicly stated his goal to join Jordan as a billionaire - and his lifetime deal with Nike seems likely to help him along that path. James enjoys a fine car collection himself, and in amongst the Ferraris and yes, the Kias, is a Jeep Wrangler, which should allow the 6'9" King a bit more space than the average mid-engined sports car.
12 David Beckham - Jeep Wrangler Unlimited
International soccer player turned model and businessman David Beckham took up the celebrity life in Los Angeles when he capped the end of his successful athletic career with a highly profitable stint with the LA Galaxy MLS team. Together with his wife, Victoria aka Posh Spice, Beckham owns an impressive collection of cars - highlighted by McLarens, Porsches, and Lamborghinis that great his family when they fly into town on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.
But as often as not, he'll chaperone his kids around town in an open topped Wrangler, giving the public plenty of opportunity to catch a glimpse of his famous profile.
11 Harrison Ford - Jeep Liberty
Though best known as Han Solo in the Star Wars franchise, Harrison Ford has also played a number of other massive roles throughout his career, from the early days in Apocalypse Now to CIA analyst Jack Ryan in several Tom Clancy adaptations, but in real life he's a guy who loves his cars and even his vintage planes. It shouldn't come as a surprise that Ford owns a Jeep to drive to the Santa Monica airport, though the fact that his is wrapped in a custom star spangled banner pattern brings another level of awesome to one of America's greatest heroes.
10 Iman Shumpert - Custom Jeep Wrangler
The former owner of one of the NBA's greatest flat-top hairdos, Iman Shumpert needs plenty of headroom in any car he drives to keep from ruining his look. Officially listed at 6'5" Shumpert isn't even close to being the tallest player in the league, but professional basketball creates an optical illusion for its smaller players, who are still larger than most people they might meet out and about. Shumpert's Jeep Wrangler comes in matte gray, with Hella lights and knobby tires, and though he's got the hard top on in this photo, don't doubt that hot summer days in Sacramento might tempt him to put the top down and let his hair have a bit more space to grow back.
9 Justin Timberlake & Jessica Biel - Jeep Wrangler Rubicon
Many industry fans may not realize that Justin Timberlake's multitalented wife, Jessica Biel, actually began her career as a vocalist before focusing more intently on acting.
The two have been married since 2012, and among many cars, they also share a Jeep Wrangler in Rubicon trim - just imagine pulling up to a stoplight and seeing these two singing a little carpool karaoke in traffic. The Wrangler Rubicon upgrades upon the base model's already impressive off-road capabilities, though it seems unlikely Timberlake is about to go off-roading in the Hollywood Hills anytime soon.
8 Kim Kardashian - Jeep Wrangler
Life is a constant photoshoot for Kim Kardashian, from incessant paparazzi hounding to a regular Instagram schedule for her millions of followers. Add in celebrity appearances and a recently shuttered line of stores for her personal clothing brand, Kim's is perhaps one of the world's most known and most photographed face. Kim has three kids now with former husband Kanye West. A Jeep Wrangler provides everything anyone might need to enjoy Wyoming, with four wheel drive, basic amenities, and plenty of use it and abuse it feeling for the jet-setting mother.
7 Chris Paul - Jeep Wrangler
Chris Paul surprised everyone when he left Los Angeles in a move to the Houston Rockets in an attempt to join James Harden with the stated goal of dethroning the NBA's reigning Warriors dynasty.
Whether in LA or Houston, Paul could definitely do worse than driving a Jeep Wrangler, though in Houston a white one seems all the better to help cope with mind-crushing heat and plenty of wide open Texas dirt surrounding the city.
6 Beyonce And Jay-Z - Jeep Wrangler
Jay-Z is well known to park his black McLaren on the narrow streets of Venice in West Los Angeles, a car so out of place amongst the Priuses and Fiat 500s that it stands out like a sore thumb. Together with his wife, Beyonce, Jay-Z must have amassed such a car collection that the prospect of someone dinging or damaging one of the world's premier sports cars doesn't even bother him. And yet, the two are still caught out and about in a Jeep Wrangler - a testament to the iconic style and lasting image Jeep has managed to maintain throughout the decades of Wrangler production.
5 Ralph Lauren - 1976 Jeep CJ-5
Though much of Ralph Lauren's life seems like a fashionable photo shoot, the truth is that Lauren owns one of the world's most impressive car collections (valued around $350 million) that includes vintage classics by the likes of Ferrari, Bugatti, Mercedes, and even Jeep Wranglers. A multibillion-dollar fashion empire has allowed Lauren to maintain multiple garages worth of historically significant cars, modern supercars, and everything in between. And in the history of the automobile, from the earliest days of horse drawn carriages on, the Jeep certainly fits into a slot of iconic, utilitarian 4x4s - maybe at the top of the heap for that category.
4 Britney Spears - Jeep Wrangler
Throughout the ups and downs of her life, Britney Spears has maintained a rabid fanbase who still turn out to her shows in droves. Living in comfort at homes in Los Angeles and Las Vegas, Britney has come a long way from her childhood in Kentwood, Louisiana - though her background shines through in her music, her style, and even her choice of cars. All across rural and urban America, Jeeps prove supremely capable of handling any kind of terrain, from flooded bayous to train tracks and the ease of smooth city streets, but the classic image of a Wrangler off-roading must appeal to the pop star's earliest thoughts of her upbringing.
3 Kevin Hart - Custom Jeep Wrangler
Actor and comedian Kevin Hart has been on quite a run these last few years, catapulting into superstardom and wealth thanks to a legendary work ethic paired with a talent for finding the right roles and creating his own aura within them. Hart's car collection is impressive, including new and old stars from Ferrari to Shelby Mustangs and more, but he's often spotted around Los Angeles in a customized Jeep Wrangler.
A bar of rally lights, black wheels, and red details from the shocks to tow hooks and Brembo brakes help star tours coach their tourists on who to spot on the streets of Los Angeles.
2 Josh Duhamel - Jeep Wrangler
Male model turned actor (and not the other way around) Josh Duhamel has been caught many times filling up his Jeep Wrangler at gas stations around Los Angeles.
And this is perhaps one of the legendary Jeep's weakest points - in today's era of hyper-efficient hybrids and fully electric cars, most Jeeps get fairly awful fuel economy thanks to vertical aero profiles, knobby tires, and four-wheel drive. Of course, a long career capped by a role in the Transformers franchise means Duhamel doesn't have to fret too much over the dent in his wallet while filling up his Jeep.
1 Kylie Jenner - Jeep Wrangler
A white Jeep Wrangler with rally lights, knobby tires, and custom wheels might seem like overkill for Kylie Jenner to pilot around the streets of Los Angeles, but in the hot San Fernando Valley summers that make Calabasas unbearable for six months of the year, the car choice is actually fairly common. Of course, most Jeep Wranglers in LA spend much of their time with either hard or soft tops fully removed - not an option when you're one of the world's most instantly recognizable reality stars being constantly trailed and hounded by paparazzi at all times of the day and night.
Sources: gq.com, wikipedia.org, and nba.com.