There are a lot of celebrities who like to spend their hard-earned cash on fast cars and vintage vehicles. Jay Leno is famous for having not just one of the best car collections in Hollywood but perhaps in the world.
Leno loves to take care of the historic cars in his collection, but not every famous face is as interested in the well-being of their million-dollar automobiles, preferring to spend big on tasteless modifications and flashy paint jobs.
For every celebrity who has taken a classic car and ruined it with their cheesy sense of style, however, there are just as many who take good care of the vehicles in their collection, even managing to save some genuine antiques from the scrapheap thanks to their investment.
20. Ruined: Deadmau5 - Ferrari 458
Dutch DJ Deadmau5 has a reputation for making some extreme modifications to his supercar collection and even got into trouble with Ferrari for the radical and rather ugly changes he made to his classic Ferrari 458, which included removing the iconic Ferrari prancing horse badge and renaming the car “Purrari”.
19. Saved: Aaron Paul - 1965 Shelby Cobra
Actor Aaron Paul is best known for playing Jesse in Breaking Bad, in which he drove a 1986 Toyota Tercel which had definitely seen better days. In real life, the star has much better taste in cars, including an iconic 1965 Shelby Cobra. Less than 1000 models were made between 1962 and 1967, and vintage vehicles like Paul’s can sell for well over $1 million.
18. Ruined: Will.i.am - Volkswagen Beetle
The Volkswagen Beetle is one of the biggest success stories when it comes to automotive design and is certainly one of the most recognizable cars of the 20th century. Why singer and producer Will.i.am decided that he wanted to wreck his gorgeous 1958 VW Beetle with a $900,000 rebuilding project is anybody’s guess.
17. Saved: Ben Affleck - 1969 Cadillac Coupe DeVille
Oscar-winner Ben Affleck has a real passion for classic cars and takes great care of the vintage vehicles which have ended up in his possession. One of the highlights of his collection is a 1969 Cadillac Coupe DeVille sedan, which despite its age still gets regular outings when the actor needs to get around in Hollywood.
16. Ruined: Nicki Minaj - Lamborghini Aventador
The Lamborghini Aventador is a popular choice among the Hollywood elite, thanks to its stylish design and its hefty price tag. Rapper Nicki Minaj is the proud owner of an Aventador, but she ruined it by stamping her own personality on the vehicle. A Lamborghini Aventador with a hot pink paint job is still a great car to drive but there are few people who would want to get behind the wheel.
15. Saved: Nicolas Cage - 1963 Jaguar E-Type
Hollywood actors have a lot of disposable income, and collecting classic cars is not only a fun hobby for many of them but also a great investment opportunity. Nicolas Cage’s collection includes several iconic vehicles, including a stylish lightweight 1963 Jaguar E-Type only 12 of which were built by the British company to compete with their motor racing rivals in the 60s.
14. Ruined: Khloe Kardashian - Land Rover Range Rover
The Kardashian girls are known for their love of expensive cars – and also for the tasteless custom makeovers they give their vehicles. Khloe Kardashian wanted her Land Rover Range Rover to stand out from the crowd in Hollywood, and she certainly managed that thanks to a hideous black velvet wrap on her SUV.
13. Saved: Eric Bana - 1973 Ford XB Falcon
The 1973 Ford XB Falcon owned by Australian actor Eric Bana has been a lifelong passion for the Hulk star. He dreamed of owning one of these classic cars throughout his teenage years and finally bought one and rebuilt it himself, before entering it into several amateur races back home in Australia.
12. Ruined: Sonny and Cher - Ford Mustangs
Celebrities ruining their cars with their extreme bad taste is not a new phenomenon. Singers Sonny and Cher who enjoyed a successful recording and TV career in the 1960s and 1970s had a matching pair of Ford Mustangs, painted in garish colors (one in pink and the other in orange) and each with its own personalized license plate.
11. Saved: George Foreman - 1977 Volkswagen Beetle
Will.i.am may have wrecked his 1958 Volkswagen Beetle, but former boxing champion and grill enthusiast George Foreman has kept his 1977 model very as the designer intended. The heavyweight champ has a vast collection of cars, including modern supercars and vintage classics, but Foreman always says that his favorite remains his VW Beetle.
10. Ruined: Dennis Rodman – Hummer
Former NBA star Dennis Rodman always had a larger than life personality – and a colorful look to match with his tattoos, piercings, dyed hair, and his wacky fashion sense. In the mid-1990s he drove a customized Hummer, covered in graffiti-style art, including some rather risqué and very tasteless images of semi-naked women.
9. Saved: Jerry Seinfeld - 1959 Porsche 718
Fellow comedian Jerry Seinfeld is another Hollywood star with an appreciation for vintage vehicles, many of which have featured in his Netflix series Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee. One of the highlights of his well-loved and well-maintained collection is a 1959 Porsche 718. Seinfeld actually sold several of his vintage Porsches at auction in 2016, making over $22 million.
8. Ruined: Justin Bieber - Audi R8
Justin Bieber may still be in his early-20s, but he has already been involved in more than his fair share of auto incidents, including a DUI and an accident in which he drove over the foot of a paparazzi photographer! His collection of cars includes a gorgeous Audi R8, which has been ruined with a leopard print wrap.
7. Saved: Ralph Lauren - 1938 Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic
Fashion designer, billionaire, and automotive aficionado Ralph Lauren may be famous for his polo player-adorned shirts, but his real passion is collecting classic cars. Perhaps the star of his collection is a vintage 1938 Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic, only two of which are still in circulation, valued at more than $40 million each.
6. Ruined: Hulk Hogan - Dodge Viper
WWE wrestlers are masters if self-promotion and 1990s icon Hulk Hogan is no exception. The wrestling star may have been out of the ring for a few years, but he still drives a Dodge Viper branded in the red and yellow colors he used to wear when he competed, as well as his Hulkster nickname splashed across the hood.
5. Saved: Kendall Jenner - 1957 Corvette Stingray
As one of the younger members of the Kardashian clan, Kendall Jenner has followed in her big sisters’ footsteps when it comes to her love of cars. The young supermodel clearly has better taste than Khloe and the others, however, having bought herself a perfectly restored 1957 Corvette Stingray in 2015.
4. Ruined: Paris Hilton - Bentley Continental
No-one would be surprised to learn that socialite and reality TV star Paris Hilton drove a pink car; the fact that she gave a classic and timeless Bentley Continental a girly makeover is perhaps a little more unexpected. The pink Bentley was a favorite of Hilton’s in the early 2000s, but she still takes it out for a spin now and then.
3. Saved: Jay Leno - 1909 Stanley Steamer
Jay Leno’s iconic car collection is worth over $50 million and features automotive museum pieces as well as modern supercars. One of the most intriguing vehicles in his collection is a 1909 Stanley Steamer, a rare steam-powered car made of wood which takes 20 minutes to get started and needs to be pumped by hand.
2. Ruined: Chris Brown - Lamborghini Aventador
Singer Chris Brown is another celebrity fan of the Lamborghini Aventador, and like Nicki Minaj, he also likes to make sure his model stands out from the crowd. In fact, Brown has more than one ruined Aventador; one with a tasteless black, white and red camouflage-style paint job and another with an eye-catching gold vinyl wrap.
1. Saved: Tim Allen - 1933 Ford Roadster
Throughout his popular sitcom Home Improvement, Tim Allen’s on-screen character was always in his garage tinkering away on a vintage vehicle. Few knew that the hands-on star was actually renovating a 1933 Ford Roadster while he was on the set of the show, a classic car which got plenty of love and attention while it was being rebuilt.
Sources: Pursuitist, MSN, Mustang and Ford, Motor Trend
