When we think of celebrities, we usually associate them with expensive, flashy sports cars. For many, this is exactly the case, but then there are the odd few who choose to go against the grain. We take a look at some of the more unexpected and eclectic celebrity rides.
Elon Musk – Lotus Esprit Submarine
When you think of Elon Musk, you probably think of rockets that can land back on Earth, Teslas flying into space and possibly – if you’ve followed some of his more recent antics – an all-electric Roadster with rocket-powered hover capability. None of this is a surprise for a man who has not only made it to the coveted ‘richest man in the world’ spot but also has a reputation for outlandish and sometimes absurd publicity stunts.
So while this most certainly isn’t his everyday runaround (we’re pretty sure he uses a Tesla for that), it does nonetheless definitely belong here on this list. Meet the Lotus Esprit Submarine. The bizarre vehicle made a splash with its appearance in Bond’s 1977 offering ‘The Spy Who Loved Me’ and was purchased at auction by Musk in 2013 – for over £600,000. While most people would be happy to simply own the car, Musk is rumoured to have plans to convert it into a fully functional electric submarine car – and he can probably pull it off too!
Clint Eastwood – Fiat 500e
Dirty Harry, Gran Torino, The Enforcer… When it comes to serious Hollywood hard men, Clint Eastwood has a resume that will make most others pale into insignificance. So you’d expect him to have a pretty bad-ass ride to live up to his reputation, right? Wrong!
It turns out that Clint’s ride of choice when he’s out and about in LA is in fact a Fiat 500. A standard Fiat 500. Not even the slightly cooler Abarth model either, but the electric version! Just keep that image in mind next time you macho out for the weekend with a Dirty Harry box set…
Beyonce – 1959 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud Series II Drophead
We would never doubt that the queen of cool would have some nice rides. After all, the R&B star is possibly the most successful singer-songwriter ever, not to mention her career as an actress, producer and director. And then there is of course the hubby – that’ll be American rap superstar Jay-Z. It’s pretty hard to imagine Beyonce driving anything other than blacked-out supercars and blinged up SUVs.
It may come as a surprise then to discover that Beyonce also enjoys driving something slightly less conventional – a $1 million 1959 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud Drophead – a birthday present from husband Jay-Z.
Jeremy Clarkson – Lamborghini tractor
It’s pretty impossible to talk cars without mentioning the world’s most famous petrol head at some point. The legend who is Jeremy Clarkson has probably driven just about every car known to man – and shared his not too subtle opinion on most of them too. It’s not hard to picture him racing across Europe in an Aston DB9 or cruising around the Cotswold hills in his Range Rover Vogue SE.
J.Clarkson
But let’s look at one of the more unusual vehicles in Clarkson’s collection – a Lamborghini R8 270 DCR tractor. In true Clarkson style, the giant machine has ‘48 gears and 188 buttons’ and boasts front tyres that are taller than the presenter himself. In fact, much like his ego, the tractor was so huge that it didn’t even fit in his barn.
Ingvar Kamprad – 1993 Volvo 240 GL
Finally, let’s not forget to mention the late founder of flat-pack furniture giant IKEA, who was famous for his frugal habits. Despite amassing a fortune of almost $60 billion, the billionaire businessman was always reluctant to part with his money – especially when it came to cars.
Famously, the miserly magnate drove a 1993 Volvo 240 GL for almost two decades, reluctantly giving it up only when he was finally persuaded that the vehicle was no longer safe to drive.
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