As Tesla CEO Elon Musk seems to dominate the news with his “richest man in the world” status and purchase of Twitter, you wouldn’t know he is a car collector too. While eclectic, his collection has some impressive vehicles helping to inform his Tesla decisions. And they’re not all-electric, nor are they environmentally friendly, either. Whether you like him or not, check out some of the whoopties he owns.
1997 McLaren F1
1995 McLaren F1 road car | Getty
Around the time Musk was starting PayPal, he rewarded himself with one of the ultimate sports cars ever made, the McLaren F1. When expressing his ideas for an electric car company, he referenced this car vowing to make an EV with the performance of the F1. Sadly, this car met an unfortunate ending. Musk launched it into the air when he hit an embankment. Insurance didn’t fix it because he didn’t have any for the supercar. If there is an F1 out there with a salvage title, it might be Musk’s former McLaren.
2012 Porsche 911 Turbo
A Porsche 997.2 Turbo sports car | Getty
Musk has expressed in public how much he likes the Porsche 911. And he especially likes the turbo version. Though not one of the iconic air-cooled variety, his 911 is one of the fastest.
2006 Hamann BMW M5
2006 Hamann BMW M5 | Facebook
Musk also likes BMWs, as he has a couple of sedans. This is his Hamann M5, which has the massaged 5.0-liter V10. The Hamann-tuned sedan is packing over 600 hp. Yet another car Musk has benchmarked for Tesla.
1978 BMW 320i
BMW 320i Elon Musk’s first car | Getty
Not what one would expect in the billionaire’s collection, it isn’t. But the 320i sedan was Musk’s first car, showing his refined tastes even in his early years. This car also met a bad fate. His first company was Zip2, where Musk had a habit of loaning his BMW to interns. Unfortunately, one intern crashed the sedan, totaling it. No more loaners from Elon.
1967 Jaguar E-Type convertible
Jaguar E-Type convertible | Getty
The E-Type became an obsession for young Elon, vowing he would own one someday. Eventually purchasing a convertible, it broke down coming home from the dealer. “That one was like a bad girlfriend,” he once said. “It keeps breaking down on me and causing all sorts of trouble.”
1920 Ford Model T
1920 Ford Model T Touring | Getty
A gift from a friend, it is an outlier in a collection full of fast cars. Still, it changed mobility in the US, which is something that Tesla is doing now.
1976 Lotus Esprit “Wet Nellie”
Lotus Esprit movie prop in Elon Musk collection | Getty
Musk made headlines when he purchased the Lotus Esprit prop used in the James Bond movie “The Spy Who Loved Me.” Sold at auction, he paid almost $1 million for it, vowing to make it actually travel underwater. That never happened, however.
Tesla Model X
The Tesla Model X 100D electric SUV on display | Tesla
Though you could technically say Musk has owned every Tesla ever made, he does regularly use a Model X. He says it comes in handy when he takes his children out, which now number eight.
2008 Tesla Roadster “Starman”
Tesla roadster launched from the Falcon Heavy rocket with a dummy driver named “Starman” | Getty
Elon personally owned one of his Roadsters for years. Then, he decided he would launch it into space, which as crazy as it sounds, he did in 2018. It was released from one of his SpaceX Falcon Heavy rockets and is still in Earth’s orbit somewhere.
Keyword: Elon Musk’s Car Collection Is as Eclectic as You Would Expect