Many celebrities have more money than they can spend. Some buy fancy houses overlooking the ocean and others buy private planes to whisk them off to exotic locales at a moment’s notice. Some celebrities are motoring enthusiasts and indulge in classy automobiles.
Many celebrities like to buy brand-new models and keep up with the times, but others prefer vintage motorcars. While not everyone in the spotlight is as into cars as Jay Leno, they still have some excellent taste in cars. Robert Downey Jr. for example has a classic BMW 3.0CSi, which he had modified with an E34 M5’s engine. How cool is that? Rowan Atkinson has owned some of the rarest and most obscure cars, including a McLaren F1, an Aston Martin V8 Vantage Zagato, and an MG XPower SV.
So, where some celebrities are only in on the expensive and exclusive automobile trend for the extra fame and glory, others truly enjoy and appreciate their car collections. Here are 10 of the rarest classic cars owned by celebrities.
10 1965 Chevy Corvette - Robert Downey Jr.
Robert Downey Jr has many cars in his collection. From the Audi R8 which he is seen driving in the first Iron Man movie, to a Ferrari California T and even a modified Ford Mustang Boss 302 from 1969.
One of his most cherished cars is a 1965 Chevy Corvette C2, which he had meticulously restored. The car looks to be stock, but since not much is known about it, we cannot be sure. The C2 is finished in Glen Green, which isn’t as flashy as the red or blue, allowing for an understated look. Downey Jr and his wife are often seen driving along country roads when the sun is out.
9 1950 Jaguar XK120 Roadster - Ralph Lauren
Ralph Lauren is one of the most famous fashion designers/philanthropists/businessmen in the US and as such has accumulated quite an impressive car collection. He owns some of the rarest cars in the world, from a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO to a 1957 Jaguar XKSS. He even owns a super-rare 1938 Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic – worth at least an estimated $40 million.
One of the other extremely rare cars in Lauren’s collection is his 1950 Jaguar XK120 Alloy Roadster. The Alloy Roadster is much the same as the normal XK120, however, it was made of aluminum rather than steel as Jaguar originally intended. Jaguar only wanted to make 200 units. The demand for the XK120 was so great, that they ditched the aluminum for steel to keep up with demand. As a result, the Alloy Roadster is the rarest of the XK120s.
8 1959 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud II - Beyoncé
Beyoncé Knowles is one of the most well-known pop stars in the world. She is also married to Jay-Z, one of the most famous rappers in the industry. With such credentials, the two musical giants have amassed quite the car collection which includes a McLaren-Mercedes SLR, a Pagani Zonda F, and the only Maybach Exelero in existence.
For one of her birthdays, Jay-Z bought Beyoncé a 1959 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud II – which reportedly cost him upwards of $1 million. The car is the convertible version which has a beautiful blue soft-top and whitewall tires, with the interior slathered in luxuriously soft leather.
7 1974 Ford Falcon XB - Eric Bana
Eric Bana is a proper motoring enthusiast. In addition to his acting career, he has done motor racing and has even combined his two interests and directed his own documentary based on his love of cars – specifically his 1974 Ford Falcon XB.
The Falcon XB was the second iteration of the third generation of Falcon, which was produced by Ford Australia between 1972 and 1974. Bana bought the Falcon XB at the age of 15 after seeing the Mad Max movies – which feature the same model. Today, the Falcon XB is so rare that when production started on the 2015 Mad Max movie, the staff couldn’t find any for sale, so they made them from scratch.
6 1955 Buick Roadmaster - Jay Leno
Jay Leno is one of the biggest motoring enthusiasts on the planet, showcasing his massive collection of automobiles on his YouTube channel. Leno has many rare cars in his collection, but one which stands out is his gorgeous 1955 Buick Roadmaster – his first car.
The one in his collection has a silver and black two-tone paint job, with a black and white interior and beautiful whitewall tires. Leno bought it in 1972 and restored it in 1973 but has since upgraded the car with a 572 cubic-inch V8, producing 620 hp, and an updated 4-speed automatic. Quite an awesome and sentimental car.
5 1959 Porsche 718 RSK - Jerry Seinfeld
Jerry Seinfeld was the star of the classic sitcom, Seinfeld, which was about nothing and everything all at once. With the success of the sitcom, Seinfeld had accumulated quite a large amount of wealth which he then used to collect cars with – specifically Porsches.
Seinfeld has many 911 models which he cherishes, but one of his rarest cars was a 1959 Porsche 718 RSK – which was a Formula Two Grand Prix race car. The 718 RSK is powered by a 1.5-liter flat-4, which produced just 142 hp, but the overall weight of the car is just shy of 1,200 lbs – making it a speedy little thing.
4 1965 Shelby Cobra - Aaron Paul
Aaron Paul is mostly known for his portrayal of Jesse Pinkman, Walter White’s former student and cooking partner in the multiple award-winning series, Breaking Bad. After the success of Breaking Bad, Paul went on to star in movies such as Need For Speed – the live-action depiction of the popular video game.
To celebrate his success, Paul bought himself a 1965 Shelby Cobra 427 – one of the most famous cars built by Shelby American, based on the British AC Ace. Paul’s Cobra is painted in classic Shelby colors – blue with twin white stripes. Paul is regularly seen driving around in it.
3 1971 Lamborghini Miura SVJ - Nicolas Cage
Nicolas Cage has starred in many famous movies. Arguably the most famous one for motoring enthusiasts is the Gone in Sixty Seconds remake – in which the Ford Mustang GT500 ‘Eleanor’ became inexplicably famous.
Cage has had many interests, including owning properties all over the world. One of the big financial investments he made was buying a one-owner 1971 Lamborghini Miura SVJ – from the Shah of Iran. He purchased it in 1997 but sold it in 2002 for financial reasons as the car cost him $450,000.
2 1963 Porsche 356 - Patrick Dempsey
Patrick Dempsey is most famous for his stint in the popular medical drama, Gray’s Anatomy. What many don’t know about this famous actor is that he is an avid collector of cars and enjoys motor racing. He even has his own racing team and has personally competed in multiple endurance racing championships.
One of his favorite cars in his collection is his 1963 Porsche 356, which was his first car. He saw a poster of a Porsche 911 when he was young and decided that it was a car he wanted to own. Unfortunately, 911s were quite expensive, so he compromised and got the 356 – a car that he has said that he would never sell.
1 Elvis Presley’s 1955 Cadillac DeVille - Lady Gaga
Lady Gaga is one of the biggest names in the music industry thanks to her style and, sometimes controversial tastes. While being an excellent musician, she is also a motoring enthusiast and owns a bunch of classic American cars – ranging from a 1960s Ford Mustang to a blacked-out Chevy El Camino and even a 1983 Mercedes-Benz W123 300D sedan. She also likes modern machines as she owns a Lamborghini Huracan and two Rolls-Royce Phantoms.
While she was promoting her fifth studio album, Joanne, she decided to make a statement when arriving at the locations for her shows. To do this, she bought the 1955 Cadillac DeVille once owned by none other than Elvis Presley. After the tour was complete, she sold it back to a museum where it is now proudly displayed after transporting two of the biggest names in the music industry. Talk about a rare vintage car.