The word “cool” has a subjective meaning, but more often than not, when someone owns a lavish piece of property that most can’t afford, people are impressed. A small population in the U.S. is fortunate enough to be able to buy nearly anything they want, and for some of those individuals, their collection item of choice is automobiles.
Tons of celebrities have nice rides, but only a few stand head and shoulders above the rest. With that in mind, here are the five coolest celebrity-owned vehicles today:
5. Chris Brown’s Lamborghini Gallardo V10:
The hip-hop star once had his Lamborghini custom painted to look like a Hot Wheels car circa 1994, TMZ reported. Regardless of what the public thinks of Brown, the old-school design helps the most-produced model of Lamborghini stand out from the crowd of an over-saturated Italian-made celebrity car market. Apparently, he’s a fan of hyper-customized paint jobs, because he also recently showed off a Lamborghini Aventador that was painted to replicate a popular Nike sneaker.
4. Patrick Dempsey’s Jaguar E-Type:
Just like his character in Grey’s Anatomy, Patrick Dempsey’s vintage Jaguar demonstrates there’s room for refinement in the gaudy celebrity car market. The British-made roadster was produced between 1961 and 1975 and was voted the most beautiful car by The Telegraph, a U.K.-based newspaper, in 2008.
3. Bill Gates’ Porsche 959:
The software mogul isn’t necessarily considered an A-List celebrity, but his eye for classic cars shouts, “swagger” louder than Jay-Z in his prime. Gates’s Porsche 959 is one of just 337 ever produced, according to classic car blog Historic Race. To get it stateside, he took classic car shipping to a whole new level. In 1987, Gates imported the car himself and appropriately dubbed it the “Gates 959,”The Verge reported. Originally produced as a concept car in 1983, the 959 was modified just enough to become street legal before it hit selected showrooms in 1986.
2. Jay Leno’s EcoJet:
A unique car list wouldn’t be complete without a shoutout to the long-time Late Night host. To say Leno’s car collection is vast would be somewhat of an understatement; the former comedian owns approximately 769 automobiles and 117 motorcycles – a higher vehicle total than the number of Late Night Shows he’s hosted, according to NBC. One of his cars stands out above rest, though. Leno commissioned General Motors to build an American-made roadster in 2012 and it took him a year to receive the finished product. Its Honeywell LT-101 turbine engine with some 700 horsepower runs on biodiesel, making it one of the only eco-friendly luxury cars to date. Most shipping companies were likely fighting over this job.
1. Jay-Z’s Maybach Exelero:
Speaking of swagger, the man who christened the phrase also may have one of the chicest looking – and most expensive – cars among celebrity circles. The German-made luxury sports car features a twin turbo V-12 engine that produces almost 700 horsepower and reaches a top speed of 218 mph, according to Automobile Magazine. Not all celebrities can get behind the wheel of a Batmobile Doppelganger, though. Just like Bruce Wayne, Shawn Carter is one of few who can afford to cut a check for a cool $8 million on a single automobile.
