Modest but tasteful: unusual and strange celebrity cars (photos)

Typically, celebrities buy expensive cars that emphasize their status. Celebrities’ garages feature supercars, luxury sedans, and top-of-the-line SUVs. But there are exceptions when famous people buy cheap and rather non-standard cars. British publication Autocar talks about such cars.

Joe Biden – Studebaker Champion

Joe Biden is the son of a car salesman and has been interested in cars since his youth. The President of the United States has owned a sporty Chevrolet Corvette Stingray since 1967. However, his first car was the 1951 Studebaker Champion with an unusual design.

King Charles III – MG C

Charles III also loved sports cars and owned expensive and powerful Aston Martins and Jaguars. His first car was also a sports car, but it was cheap. For his 18th birthday, then-Prince Charles received a blue MG C, a 2.9-litre six-cylinder coupe version of the famous MG B Convertible.

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth – Land Rover

Elizabeth II drove a truck during World War II and drove even in her old age. The Queen of Great Britain especially liked Land Rover SUVs. The royal family always had lots of these in their garage.

Princess Diana – Ford Escort

Lady Di loved cheap Ford Escorts and owned several cars of this model. She received her first Ford Escort as a gift from Prince Charles in 1981. One of Princess Diana’s cars sold for $920,000 in 2022.

John Paul II – Ford Escort

Although John Paul II drove many private “pope cars,” he also drove a modest Ford Escort. The Ford was sold at a charity auction in 2005 for $690,000.

Pope Benedict XVI – Volkswagen Golf 4

Joseph Ratzinger bought a Volkswagen Golf 4 while he was still a cardinal. Interestingly, he did not have a driver’s license, but he knew how to fly a helicopter. Benedict XVI sold the VW Golf in 2005 after becoming pope, and the new owner later resold the car on eBay for $250,000.

John Lennon – Austin Maxi

John Lennon once had both a Mercedes 600 and a Rolls-Royce with psychedelic paint in his garage. But in 1969 he, Yoko Ono and their children traveled in an affordable Austin Maxi to visit relatives in the north of Scotland. But they went only 110 km – Lennon lost control and the car flew into a ditch. They say that after the accident, the lead singer of The Beatles never drove again.

George Clooney – Tango T600

The star actor once became the first owner of a custom-made Tango T600 electric car. This car is so narrow that the passenger in the cabin sits behind the driver. Later, Tango T600 was purchased by Google founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page.

Tom Hanks-Fiat 126

Tom Hanks received a compact Fiat 126 as a gift from his fans. Once, during filming in Hungary, he posed for a photo next to such a Fiat, and the actor’s Polish fans decided to please him. Tom Hanks later sold the Fiat 126 at a charity auction for $83,500.

Leonardo DiCaprio – Toyota Prius

Leonardo DiCaprio is a well-known environmentalist and now drives an electric car. There were no electric cars on the market 25 years ago, so he bought a Toyota Prius hybrid. Tom Hanks, Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Aniston and Salma Hayek soon followed suit.

Clint Eastwood – Mini Countryman

Clint Eastwood had many powerful sports cars, but in the ’60s he drove a compact station wagon called the Mini Countryman. Over time, the actor tuned the car – installed a more powerful engine from the charged Mini Cooper S.

LeBron James – Kia K900

In 2014, millionaire LeBron James drove a relatively inexpensive Kia K900 sedan. The fact is that the basketball player signed an advertising contract with Kia.

Sebastian Vettel – Fiat 500

The four-time Formula 1 champion has a collection of supercars and considers the Ferrari F40 to be his favorite car. But he also bought an old Fiat 500 with a 30-horsepower engine.

Jim Clark – Sunbeam-Talbot 90

Two-time Formula 1 champion Jim Clark’s first car was a budget Sunbeam-Talbot 90. His father gave him the car, but the future racing star crashed into him.

Colin Champion – Renault 4

Lotus founder Colin Champion has created a galaxy of sports cars, but he once also drove a budget Renault 4. The car was given to him in 1966 at the beginning of the partnership between Lotus and Renault (the British Europa sports car had been used by the French). engines). Champin drove a Renault 4 from France to his villa in Ibiza with journalist Gerard Crombat.

Previously Focus He told me that Elvis Presley’s abandoned limousine was found in a dump.

We also wrote about the rusty Chevrolet of the star of the Fast and Furious movies.