These Famous Cars From The Past Are Still Worth A Pretty Penny Today
Some cars are destined to live in history, owned by legendary entertainers as undeniable classics. These cars, like Janis Joplin's 1964 Porsche 356 or a certain cinema spy's favorite Lotus, have stories to tell. And some are even worth a fortune today. These beauties stand heads and shoulders above the cars of their eras and have either become collector's items worth every penny or lost in time. Keep reading if you want to know more about these incredible cars, including what some will cost you to own!
Farah Fawcett's Cobra II Is Priceless
Anyone who was a fan of Charlie's Angels in the 1970s knows that Farah Fawcett's character only had eyes for one car; a Cobra II. Fawcett drove the car for several seasons, until she left the show, and her sweet ride behind.
The Cobra II remained on Charlie's Angels, and today it's considered priceless. The reason for this, sadly, is because no one knows what happened to the two production models. If these cars are ever found, they would likely sell at auction for millions of dollars.
Bond's Lotus Was Nearly Lost Forever
In the history of James Bond films, none are stranger than The Spy Who Loved Me. One of the stranger sights, of course, is the Lotus Espirit submarine. The car (which becomes a submersible on the silver screen), is a massively popular collector's item.
The Espirit used in the movie almost never made it to auction, though. When the film wrapped, the vehicle was thought to be lost. In 2013, it was found hidden under blankets in a storage shed. And when it was put up for sale, Elon Musk bought it for $550,000.
Let's Talk About John Lennon's Phantom V
Considered priceless today, when John Lennon first rolled out his psychedelic Rolls Royce Phantom V it was seen as an eyesore. The British saw the oddly painted luxury car as an insult to their tastes and values.
Eventually, the vehicle became known as a classic and will forever be associated with Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club. While no value has been placed on the car today, one Beatles historian believes it probably cost Lennon around $250,000 to purchase and fully customize.
Bowie's Volvo Will Set You Back A Few Hundred Thousand
David Bowie had pretty eccentric taste in his music and fashion. That same eccentricity did not follow him on the road, however. Instead of driving a flashy luxury vehicle, Bowie famously drove a Volvo 262C. For nearly two decades he drove the car known as a commuter classic.
In 1998, Bowie said goodbye to his noble steed and sold it. After several more years, the second owner sold the car at auction, where it fetched $216,000. For anyone wondering, the car came complete with a copy of its original registration.
The Original General Lee Was Bought For $110,000
The General Lee is the instantly recognizable Dodge Charger driven in The Dukes of Hazzard. To make the television show, hundreds of General Lees were produced. When the show ended, only 17 remained, including one original model used in the pilot.
That pilot General Lee was a hot ticket item when it was finally sold at auction. The buyer paid $110,000 to own a piece of history. As for the other 16 cars, they were all sold to private owners for undisclosed payments.
Have You Ever Heard Of A $30 Million Ferarri?
Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason really hit his famous car purchase record out of the park when he bought his Ferrari GTO in 1977. The musician has a slight obsession with the auto brand, owning several, but this one is by far his most prized.
Today, the car is valued at $30 million, a price that even surprised Mason, "When I paid $35,000 for the 250 GTO in 1977, I felt stupid to be spending so much — I didn't think it would be worth $30 million in 2016."
Andy Warhol Spent 24 Minutes Painting This Legend
Andy Warhol didn't deliver the expected results when he was tasked with turning a BMW into an "art car" in 1977. He spent 24 minutes painting the car into a masterpiece, and the promotion by BMW turned into a disaster when media outlets showed up too late to see him perform.
Always the gentleman, Warhol asked, "should I paint another car?" The answer was "no." The artsy BMW M1 is considered priceless today, a one of a kind collector's item that is perfect for those with a love for Warhol.
Paul McCartney's Aston Martin Will Really Set You Back!
During the 1960s, no band was bigger than than the Beatles, and the cars they drove let the world know it. While John Lennon putzed around town in a Rolls Royce, Paul McCartney preferred an Aston Martin.
McCartney didn't just have any Aston Martin, though. He had an Aston Martin that was customized with a functioning record player. That special feature shockingly still works today. And the car, if you were curious about owning it, will cost you $1.82 million!
The MonkeeMobile Is A $400,000 Treasure
The Monkees were never a real band, but that didn't stop them from having hit songs and an iconic car. The MonkeeMobile was the car of choice for the television creation, and is worth a cool $400,000 today!
The car is a customized 1966 Pontiac GTO, and would definitely stick out on the freeway. The current owner bought the MonkeeMobile in 2008 for $396,000. As long as they keep it maintained, it's safe to assume they'll be able to sell it for much more -- if they ever decide to.
Marilyn Monroe's Ford Thunderbird Is Worth Half A Million
When Marilyn Monroe married playwright Arthur Miller in 1956, she drove up to the courthouse in a black Ford Thunderbird. The car became infamous on that day. Six years later she gifted the car to John Strasberg.
Just a few months after gifting away her car, Monroe died. As the years passed, the car was maintained and kept in excellent condition. In 2018, it was sold for $490,000. If it ever gets sold again, we imagine it will cost quite a bit more!
Silver Shadow Was A Fighter
Do you remember what kind of car Muhammad Ali's Silver Shadow was? The car was a Rolls Royce, and Ali bought it for himself when he was reinstated to the boxing world after dodging the Vietnam Draft.
Ali drove Silver Shadow for six years before deciding to part ways with it. Eventually, it made its way to the Netherlands, where it was fully restored and put up for auction. Although we don't know how much it was sold for, we do know its estimated value is $70,000.
Keith Moon's Water Car Wasn't The Model You Thought
The story goes that at his birthday party in 1967, Keith Moon drove a Rolls Royce into a swimming pool. While Moon did drive a car into a swimming pool, trapping himself inside, it was not a Rolls Royce.
As Moon later clarified, "So there I was, sitting in the driver's seat of a Lincoln Continental, underwater. And the water was pouring in – coming in through the bloody pedal holes in the floorboard, squirting in through the windows." Moon then waited for the pressure to stabilize outside and inside the car so he could safely open the doors.
Janis Joplin's Summer Of Love-Mobile Is Ageless
When Janis Joplin bought her 1965 Porsche 356C Cabriolet in 1968, she turned it into a work of art. The car was painted in a mural style that made it instantly unique.
After Joplin's tragic death, her family locked the car away and had the paint job removed. Luckily for the public, the car was donated to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995 and was fully restored. Then, in 2015, Sotheby's sold the Cabriolet for $1.76 million.
Grace Kelly's Rover Was The Last Car She Ever Drove
Grace Kelly became a movie star in the 1950s thanks to Alfred Hitchock's Rear Window. Shorty after, she fell in love with Prince Rainier II and left Hollywood behind. As the Princess of Monaco, Kelly drove a 1971 Rover P6.
Tragically, the Rover P6 was the last car Kelly ever drove. In 1982, she was taking a ride when she had a stroke. The car swerved off the road and rolled down a mountainside, and she died instantly on impact.
Ringo Starr's Facel Vega II Is Incredibly Rare
In true Ringo Starr fashion, the drummer's choice of vehicle matched his personality. At the height of The Beatles popularity, he drove a Facel Vega II, an incredibly rare car that looks like it came straight out of a spy movie.
If you wanted to buy a Facel Vega II today, it would cost you around $250,000. Because the cars were rare when they were originally produced, any one of them will set you back, not just Ringo's.
Robert Plant Loved His Aston Martin
It was 1970 when Led Zeppelin's Robert Plant bought his dream car; an Aston Martin DB5. Unfortunately, he rarely got to drive those legendary wheels. The band's touring schedule was too brutal, and he was forced to sell it.
The new owner kept the Aston Martin in a "controlled" environment until it was put up for sale in 2017. The car is listed at a cool one million dollars, and we can't imagine it will stay on the market for very long.
Bob Dylan May Or May Not Have Crashed His Motorcycle
Bob Dylan found himself in an interesting spot in 1966. He was exhausted from touring non-stop and needed a break. And just when he needed it most, he crashed his Triumph Tiger motorcycle, broke several vertebrae, and barely survived. Or did he?
When Dylan's story about his accident was investigated, no medical records were ever found. There was no call for an ambulance, and no list of injuries treated, either. Dylan revealed later that he did get into an accident, but the results were exaggerated, "I had been in a motorcycle accident and I'd been hurt, but I recovered. Truth was that I wanted to get out of the rat race."
The First Lady Of Drag Racing Had An Amazing Four Wheeler
Shirley Muldowney was known during her career as "The First Lady Of Drag Racing." Scared of nothing, she was one of the original female drag racers, and in the '70s she won three NHRA Top Fuel Dragster world championships.
To have such a successful career, Muldowney had to stand up to rampant chauvinism, saying the "NHRA fought me every inch of the way, but when they saw how a girl could fill the stands; they saw I was good for the sport."
Mick Jagger Missed Out On A Huge Sale For His Car
Another rock star, another Aston Martin. This time it's Mick Jagger, legendary singer of The Rolling Stones. He bought his car in 1966 for $14,000, only to crash it right away. "I only bought the car three months ago. The damage is going to cost about £200," he said.
After the crash, there is no record of what Jagger did with the car. He did get rid of it somewhere along the line, though, and missed out on a possible million dollar payday. At least that's how much one expert thinks the car would have been worth in 2017.
Grace Slick Never Got The Chance To Sell Her Aston Martin
Grace Slick drove in style, and her automobile of choice was an Aston Martin DB6. Unfortunately, before she ever got a chance to cash in on her beauty, she lost it in a blaze of flames during a street race.
It was raining before the race, making the roads slick. The singer lost control of her car at 80 miles per hour and says she was only saved because she wasn't wearing her seatbelt. The car itself was totaled.
