People & motoring

Celebrities and their cars

The cars they chose, customized and made famous. Explore the documented stories behind the connection.

5stories to explore
Elvis Presley’s restored white BMW 507 on display at Goodwood Revival, with an Elvis exhibit behind it.
Elvis Presley’s actual 1957 BMW 507, chassis 70079, restored in Feather White by BMW Group Classic, at Goodwood Revival in 2018.Photo: David Merrett (Dave Hamster) · CC BY 2.0. Resized and converted to WebP; full original frame shown.
Former ownerMusic
Elvis Presley portrait, 1970

Elvis Presley

1957 BMW 507

A chassis number and a 1958 insurance document helped BMW establish which 507 Elvis drove in Germany.

Read Elvis’s car story
Janis Joplin’s psychedelic Porsche 356 Cabriolet, shown from the front left at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Janis Joplin’s actual 1964 Porsche 356 C 1600 SC Cabriolet, chassis 160371, wearing the recreated “History of the Universe” mural at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014.Photo: Sam Howzit · CC BY 2.0. Resized and converted to WebP; full original frame shown.
Former ownerMusic
Janis Joplin portrait, 1970

Janis Joplin

1964 Porsche 356 C 1600 SC Cabriolet

Joplin’s Porsche carried a mural by Dave Richards. Its auction history also explains how that artwork was later recreated.

Read Janis’s car story
The unrestored dark green Bullitt hero Mustang, seen from the rear right at the 2018 Detroit auto show.
The actual 1968 Ford Mustang GT fastback hero car driven by Steve McQueen in Bullitt, VIN 8R02S125559, at the 2018 Detroit auto show.Photo: Joe Ross (Joseph Ross; Corvair Owner) · CC BY-SA 2.0. Resized and converted to WebP; full original frame shown.
On-screen associationFilm
Steve McQueen portrait, 1968

Steve McQueen

1968 Ford Mustang GT fastback

The surviving Bullitt hero car has a documented connection to McQueen’s film role and a separate ownership history.

Read Steve’s car story
A side and front detail of John Lennon’s yellow psychedelic Rolls-Royce Phantom V in the Montréal museum exhibition.
John Lennon’s actual 1965 Rolls-Royce Phantom V, chassis 5VD73, on loan from the Royal BC Museum for The Beatles in Montréal exhibition in 2013. Detail view; the original photograph excludes part of the nose.Photo: Patrick Grace (ReplicatedGrace) · CC BY 2.0. Resized and converted to WebP; full original frame shown.
Former owner · custom commissionMusic
John Lennon portrait, 1969

John Lennon

1965 Rolls-Royce Phantom V

Lennon’s psychedelic Phantom began as a nearly all-black commission, with coachwork by Mulliner Park Ward.

Read John’s car story
A collector’s garageSilver SurfersSeven cars. Seven individual histories.

The sports cars Neil Peart chose to drive, from his first DB5 to the black Cobra.

Former owner · estate collectionMusic · Rush drummer and lyricist
Neil Peart performing with Rush in 2008, wearing a red and black cap.

Neil Peart

Silver Surfers · seven documented cars

Neil Peart’s seven-car Silver Surfers collection joined the 2021 Pebble Beach auction with a separate chassis record for every car. The DB5 began the collection; the black Cobra was its intentional color exception.

Read Neil’s car story