It’s a subject done to death – celebrities and their cars. From Katie Price in her pink Range Rover, to Justin Bieber’s matte black fleet, there’s a plethora of crass cars… But what if we told you that not all celebrity cars are made equal, and that some are – dare we say it – actually rather cool?
You probably won’t believe us – but we have proof! In the form of this list, six awesome celebrity car collections. You can tell when someone knows their cars when they own a Porsche 356 Speedster…
The Matrix man himself is well known for his love of both cars and bikes. He reportedly has a stable of cars, and has owned everything from a Volvo 122 (his first car) to a 993 Porsche 911 Carrera 4S.
And as for bikes? Well, the 56-year-old is so keen on two-wheelers, that he has begun building his own, launching Arch Motorcycles with custom bike builder Gard Hollinger back in 2011. The manufacturer produces limited edition American performance cruisers, with three models – the KRGT-1, 1s and Method 143 – debuting to date. Reeves even rode the KRGT-1 up the Hill at the Festival of Speed presented by Mastercard in 2016.
In his private collection, he also owns a 1973 Norton Commando 850 MK II Roadster – one of the finest machines to ever wear the Norton badge, if you ask me – which he bought in 1983 as his first motorcycle.
Admittedly, I had to Google who Howard Donald is, but I have it in good faith from colleagues that the 52-year-old Take That frontman is a car fanatic. In fact, he once shared a drive with Chris Harris here at our very own Goodwood Motor Circuit, during the 2015 Members’ Meeting test day. Driving in his classic Porsche 911, he told Harris how in the mid-2000s he bought his first classic – a 1970 Mercedes 280 SE. After watching a Porsche 356 racing at the Le Mans Classic, he decided to invest in one, before buying his go-to trackday car, the 911.
Other machines in the musician’s garage include a Ford Escort Mexico, a ’67 Mustang Fastback and a ’95 Porsche 911 GT2, all of which he reportedly uses on the regular. That’s what we like to hear!
Mr Bean is no stranger to a strange car, but in real life Rowan Atkinson has far better taste. Another Goodwood regular, Atkinson has one of the most eclectic collection of cars on our list, with vehicles ranging from a 1989 Lancia Delta Integrale to a 2011 Skoda Superb.
Another celebrity who prefers to use rather than display his cars, Atkinson famously bought a McLaren F1 in 1997 for £640,000, before crashing it twice on the road, and selling it in 2015 for £8 million. Mimicking the clumsiness for which his alter ego is known, Atkinson also bought (in 1998), crashed (during an Aston Martin Owners Club event in Darlington) and sold (in 2008) an Aston Martin V8 Zagato.
The 65-year-old’s Goodwood weapon of choice is his 1964 Ford Falcon Sprint, although he has raced many of his own classics at the Motor Circuit over the years. His co-driver at the 2002 Revival was one Sir Stirling Moss…
When you’re a world-renowned musician, with millions at your disposal, what would you do? Well, in the case of Coldplay bassist Guy Berryman, you curate an incredible car collection, and then start your own coffee table motoring magazine, The Road Rat.
In the 42-year-old’s classy converted barn lives a comprehensive collection of classic and contemporary cars, including a Porsche 914/6, Porsche 356 Carrera Speedster Zagato, Bizzarrini Strada and Bugatti Veyron. There’s also a Citroën SM, a Lancia Flaminia Sport, an Iso Grifo and a classic Porsche 911 S. And finally, perhaps the rarest car there, is the world’s only road registered Alpine A220, which sits alongside another Gordini V8-powered Le Mans race version, which he intends to compete in himself. To put their rarity into perspective – only 17 of these cars were built…
It pays to be funny, and in the case of American stand-up comedian Jerry Seinfield, what better way to invest your wealth than in an epic car collection?
The 66-year-old is a prolific collector and has one of largest collection on this list, with a reported 150 cars to his name. Of that 150, roughly a third are Porsches, including various 911s, a $700,000 Porsche 959 (one of only 337 built), 10 Boxsters (each painted a different colour), and a pearly grey 1955 Porsche 550 Spyder – identical to the one in which James Dean died. He also reportedly owns the first and last air-cooled Porsche 911s produced, and employs a team of mechanics to fuss and fettle over his epic collection daily.
In 2012, he launched his Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee series, in which he would take a fellow comedian for a ride and get coffee – combining his three loves of comedy, coffee and cars. And in 2016, he reportedly sold a huge $22 million worth of vehicles, comprising 16 Porsches and two VWs.
And how could we forget Jay Leno, the undisputable king when it comes to celebrity car collections. With a collection to match Seinfeld’s (albeit with fewer Porsches), Leno boasts everything from a half-a-million-dollar Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren to a 1939 Lagonda V12.
In between, there’s countless Bugattis, a 2014 McLaren P1, a 1967 Lamborghini Miura P400, a 2006 EcoJet, a Koenigsegg CCXR Trevita and a 1955 Mercedes 300SL Gullwing Coupe.
And alongside his 180-odd cars, Leno also owns more than 80 motorcycles, from all corners of world manufacturing. In his dedicated workshop-come-museum, there’s 10 classic Vincents, including two incredibly rare Black Prince models, plus a Ducati MHR900, 1974 Norton Commando JPS, Triumph T120R and an original Moto Guzzi V7 Sport. And on the stranger side of the spectrum, there’s a Munch Mammut. That’s not even to mention his selection of modern bikes, which includes a host of potent litre machines.
Since 2015 he has hosted his own show Jay Leno’s Garage from his California Big Dog Garage.
celebrity cars
Keanu Reeves
Rowan Atkinson
Howard Donald
Guy Berryman
Jerry Seinfeld
Jay Leno
Jay Leno's Garage
Coldplay
Take That
Mr Bean