The Cool Cars of Classic Rock Stars

Moneyed musicians and expensive cars go together like sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll. Some, such as The Who’s Pete Townshend, claim to have spent five years saving up for his dream machine…

1.) Pete Townshend – Mercedes S 600 Pullman

Pete’s Mercedes-Benz Grosser doesn’t ordinarily appear as the choice of his generation, but a classic is a classic.

2.) Freddie Mercury – Studebaker Champion

Freddie gets first prize in the Rock Stars Cars’ product placement competition as he makes himself comfortable on this 1950 Studebaker Champion.

3.) Jeff Beck – Ford Deuce Coupe

Beck is an avid vehicle collector. His favorites are the classic Ford Deuce Coupes and Roadsters. He also has a 1932 three-window Ford Coupe, which he copied from the car used in the classic movie called American Graffiti. He set out to create an exact replica after losing out in an auction to buy the original one. He still also has the 1963 split-window Corvette Stingray that he bought during the heydays of The Yardbirds.

4.) Bruce Springsteen – Chevy Corvette

Acquired on the back of a ton of sales for his ‘Born to Run’ album in 1975, Bruce’s 1960 Chevrolet Corvette parked on Colonial Avenue in Haddonfield, New Jersey.

5.) John Lennon – Rolls Royce

The psychedelic Rolls, commissioned in May 1967 by Lennon is among the most unique and valuable cars in the world and epitomizes the sixties in London. He and his exclusive friends used the car between 1967 and 1974 in both the UK and the US.

6.) Keith Moon – Ferrari Dino 246

This, of course, is what most of Keith Moon’s cars ended up looking like. Bizarrely, it wasn’t Keith who totaled his Ferrari Dino just a few weeks after he bought it. He lent it to a couple of bikers at his local pub, The Golden Grove in Chertsey, to take it for a spin, only for them to crash it into a ditch.

7.) Suzi Quatro – Austin Ruby

Quatro, of The Runaways and Happy Days fame, opens the Custom Car Festival in 1982 as she rides in a V8 Supercharged Austin Ruby.

8.) Sonny & Cher – Ford Mustangs

Created to reflect the personalities of husband and wife singing duo Sonny Bono and Cher, this pair of 1966 Mustangs came in two different sizes. As a publicity stunt, it must have been an expensive one.

9.) Marky Ramone – 1965 Chrysler Imperial

The drummer of The Ramones, perhaps outside Coney Island?, leans against his 1965 Chrysler Imperial “Green Hornet” from the U.S. TV series. Ramone restored the car himself.

10.) Morrissey – Fiat 500

His Fiat 850 is the slightly larger “Estate” model known as the ‘Giardiniera’, produced between 1960 and 1975 (and possibly also the name of Mozza’s favorite pizza).

11.) Miles Davis – Lamborghini Miura

Davis rolled in a Lamborghini Miura and famously broke both his ankles while totaling it in 1972. You can’t keep a jazz legend down. When Davis was released from the hospital after a lengthy stay, one of the first orders of business was to buy another Lambo.

12.) Johnny Cash – Cadillac ’49 – ’70

This Frankenstein’s monster of a Cadillac was built to promote Cash’s song “One Piece at a Time.” The song’s about an assembly line worker who steals a Cadillac by taking home one piece at a time in his lunchbox. Nashville mechanic Bruce Fitzpatrick (far right) constructed the car from Cadillac parts using the song as a manual.

13.) Janis Joplin – Porsche 365

Janis Joplin’s Porsche is on display in all its garish 60’s glory, but you can’t blame poor Janis. Her roadie, Dave Roberts, reportedly had the car painted “to resemble a pile of Jimi Hendrix’s vomit.” It was stolen a year after the paint job, painted gray, recovered, then restored and is currently valued at $400,000.

14.) Dave Clark – Jaguar E-Type

The E-Type was the car of choice for 60’s hit parade regulars, like The Dave Clark Five, or at least it was for Dave.

15.) George Harrison – Aston Martin DB5

This Beatles’ lust for speed began in childhood when he would doodle guitars and cars in school. He was able to slake his lifelong passion for driving his variety of exotic wheels on the open road and occasionally on the track.

16.) Tommy Iommi – Jaguar E-Type

This founding member of Black Sabbath had 3 E-Types and found them as exhilarating as a 70’s Sabbath show.

17.) Ginger Baker – Jensen FF

Baker, the drummer for the rock band Cream, presented with the keys to his new Jensen FF in 1969. The Jensen FF, launched in 1966, is the world’s first production four-wheel drive car with anti-lock brakes.

18.) Elvis – Cadillac Eldorado Seville

When Presley popped into Memphis to get his hair cut at Jim’s Barber Shop, a cop writes him out a ticket for his new white Cadillac. It’s unknown whether he’s tucking a bribe into the officer’s pocket or just crossing his fingers.

19.) Bryan Ferry – Messerschmitt KR200

A young Mr. Ferry looked suitably rakish in his Messerschmitt. It’s a hard one to carry off and maybe not the safest for modern roads, but it is a great choice of wheels and has bags of charm.

20.) Dolly Parton – Cadillac DeVille

A smoldering Dolly Parton packs a few frocks, some hairspray, and a trunk full of guitars for another tour. Her 1997 Cadillac d’Elegance was a favorite and is now on display, complete with autographed arm rests, at the Hollywood Star Cars Museum.

21.) Elton John – Jaguar E-Type

In the driveway of his home in Old Windsor, Elton creates his very own traffic jam with his very own collection. Sir Elton’s Jaguar E-Type gets pole position with its personalized license plate representing ‘OK Elton’.

22.) Keith Moon – AC 428

When Moon wasn’t driving his vehicles into hotel swimming pools, he loved to show them off, like his AC 428 hot rod and his infamous hovercraft.

23.) Bill Wyman – Citroen SM

It looks more suited to a Jetson than a rock star, but two Rolling Stones have purchased Citroen SMs. Although he doesn’t drive, drummer Charlie Watts had one added to his collection, and former bassist Bill Wyman loves its retro-futurist feel.