Let’s take a wild ride down the memory lane of rock and roll excess – in cars! Four wheels and the wildest souls in the music industry. Rock Stars seem to love to blow what many of us would consider a year’s salary (or more) on cars they don’t know what to do with, let alone drive. Still, it makes for some great stories, so let’s enjoy them here.
Noel Gallagher’s love/hate for a Rolls-Royce
A chocolate brown 1978 roller was the demand of Oasis guitarist/songwriter Noel Gallagher from Creation label boss Alan McGee in the mid-’90s. And at the time, Noel hadn’t even passed his driving test yet. Buying a Rolls-Royce before getting a license? That is a rock star move.
Later, Noel goes on to shell out £110k for a revamped 1967 Mark II Jag. He forgets about it and parks it with just 12 miles on the clock.
But that’s not the end of the Rolls-Royce saga. Oh no, it’s immortalized on the cover of Oasis’ 1997 album, ‘Be Here Now.’ A white Rolls Royce, casually floating in a swimming pool in the backyard of some swanky mansion. That iconic album cover cost a whopping £100k and was originally a homage to Keith Moon – fitting, considering the extravagance.
Jamiroquai’s impressive collection of classics
Jay Kay, Jamiroquai’s frontman, the cat in the hat himself, has been diving headfirst into the world of classic cars since he was a teenager. Why? Because getting insurance on a modern ride was too hard. So, what’s a young, car-loving dude to do? Embrace the classics, of course!
Now, if you were to take a leisurely stroll through Jamiroquai’s garages since the ’90s, you’d be in for a treat. We’re talking about every kind of exotic automobile you can imagine – from sleek Ferraris to jaw-dropping Lamborghinis.
Let’s start with the crown jewel – the one-of-a-kind LaFerrari hypercar. But get this – it’s not just any LaFerrari; it’s the only one in the world sporting a green finish because our man Jay wanted to make a statement. Then there’s the Ferrari 330 GT Shooting Brake and the cars from the classic Cosmic Girl video. Jamiroquai’s ride game is strong in that one, with cameos from his Lamborghini SE30 and Ferrari F355/F40.
But amidst all this automotive extravagance, there’s one prancing horse that stands tall above the rest – the Ferrari F40, the stuff of dreams for car enthusiasts worldwide. In Jay’s words, it’s not just any Ferrari – it’s “the best in the world.” And with a collection like his, that’s saying something.
Dave Grohl’s love of bands in vans
While it’s not the fancy, high-tech kind you’d expect from a rockstar with millions in the bank, you have to love the homage Foo Fighter’s frontman Dave Grohl is paying to his punk-rock roots with a van straight out of the Arizona Desert. We’re talking about a 1965 Ford Falcon Van, the kind that probably still echoes the sounds of punk anthems in its rusty chassis.
Dave Grohl still has a soft spot for the gritty days of punk-rock van tours. None of those fancy tour buses for this guy – he’s rolling with the spirit of his youth. This Ford Falcon Van wasn’t exactly sitting in a showroom waiting for him, though; it was out there in the Arizona Desert, nursing three flat tyres until California body shop King T’s Kustoms stepped in to bring this van back from the automotive afterlife.
Cruising down the rock and roll highway with Jeff Beck
Jeff Beck’s badass 1932 Ford Deuce Coupé isn’t your average rockstar car – it’s a piece of vintage cool that’s as iconic as Beck’s guitar riffs. Back in the day, Eric Clapton was flexing his fleet of Ferraris, and Beck just shrugged it off and said, “Anyone can buy those.”
The man behind “Hi Ho Silver Lining” doesn’t just collect cars; he builds them. He has over 30 hot rods under his belt, and right in the spotlight is his vintage Ford straight out of a ’70s dream – a homage to the good ol’ American Graffiti days.
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Steven Tyler’s Hennessey Venom GT Spyder is a rockstar’s dream on wheels
Aerosmith’s legendary frontman, Steven Tyler, laid his eyes on the Venom GT Spyder back in 2011 at the Pebble Beach Concours D’Elegance and became the first person in the world to own this beast of a car. Fast forward to 2017, and the man decides to let go of his prized possession, auctioning it off for a cool $800k at Barrett-Jackson in Scottsdale, Arizona. The cash from the auction goes straight to Janie’s Fund, a resource for girls who’ve faced abuse and need some help. Now, that’s rock and roll with a heart.
Tyler originally coughed up $1.1 million for this speed demon in 2012. So, whoever got their hands on it at the auction basically made off like a bandit, scoring a sweet deal. But that’s not all – Tyler, being the generous rocker that he is, threw in an autographed guitar from Aerosmith and a vacation stay in his Hawaii home. Talk about the ultimate package deal.
Now, let’s talk about the car itself. The Hennessey Venom GT Spyder is not your average convertible. Only 12 of these bad boys were ever built. Under the hood, you’ve got a twin-turbo 7.0-liter V-8 engine that can launch you from 0-60 mph in less than 2.4 seconds. And if you’re feeling the need for some serious speed, this beast can hit a mind-boggling 265.6 mph…that’s an eye-watering 426 kmh!
Eric Clapton’s Ferrari SP12 EC
We mentioned Clapton’s love of Ferraris earlier, but this ain’t your run-of-the-mill, off-the-shelf speed demon; it’s a custom creation that Clapton commissioned from Ferrari’s One-Off Programme. And when we say custom, we mean Clapton-dropped-a-cool-$4.75-million-for-it custom.
So, rewind to 2012 when Clapton decided he needed a car that laughs in the face of the ordinary. He went to Ferrari, and they made a tribute to the BB 512i, a Ferrari model that Clapton has a soft spot for. In case you’re wondering, he’s owned not one, not two, but three of those bad boys over the years.
The SP12 EC is based on the Ferrari 458 Italia, but it has Clapton’s personal touch. The design tips its hat to the 512 BB, featuring details inspired by the classic Ferrari. You know, the one with the mid-mounted 360bhp flat-12 engine, giving it that sweet, sweet sound that only a Ferrari can make.
The Centro Stile Ferrari joined forces with Pininfarina and some Modena engineers to make Clapton’s dream car a reality. Under the hood, the 458 has its standard 570bhp, 4.5-litre V8 engine.