Tech Billionaire Elon Musk's Car Collection Conflicts With EV Innovations

Elon Musk, the Tech. Billionaire has a fascinating palate for automobiles spanning from iconic and vintage classics to modern-day cutting-edge EVs. As the CEO of an EV company, Musk's favorite car is not an EV but rather a Hamann-modified BMW M5 from 2006 which was the inspiration behind the “Ludicrous Mode” in the Tesla Model S. Elon's choices for different vehicles reflect his broadminded thinking, eagerness to learn and grow, and spirit to push beyond boundaries and that's what exactly the tech. billionaire should aim for. 

11. 1920 Ford Model T

The 1920 Ford Model T was gifted to Elon Musk by one of his friends. And it kind of makes sense that one of the most influential car markers in the 21st century was given to the most influential car of the 20th century. The cost of the Model T was just $850 when it was first released, but since then its value has increased, and it's estimated to be worth around $15,000.

Unlike Elon's other cars, the Model T is rather controversial to be in his collection but being a pioneer in EVs in this modern-day age, Musk finds his Ford Model T an inspiration and a reminder of where the journey of the automobiles started. 

10. 1978 BMW 320i

Musk’s first car was a 1978 BMW 320i, which clearly shows off his humble beginnings because, back in the 70s, BMW wasn't quite the status symbol it is today. Elon bought the car for $1,400 and spent a bit more money fixing it. Sadly for him, the wheels fell off the car while being driven by one of his interns, whom he had lent it to when he worked at Zip2.

After finding out about the car’s condition, Elon chose to get rid of it. The value of a 1978 320i in good condition is around $16,600. The image above shows a young Elon Musk working on his BMW 320i. His mom, Maye Musk, posted this on X.com with the caption "@elonmusk #1995 And people said you knew nothing about cars.”

9. 2010 Audi Q7

Elon was in need of a large family car as his first wife had given birth to a set of twins in 2004 and triplets in 2006. He ended up getting the Audi Q7, which was one of the most luxurious SUVs back in 2010. 

Elon had his fair share of problems with the Q7, the main one being the third row of seats, which were pretty hard to access. So, when he began developing his own electric SUV, the Model X, Elon made sure to give the car falcon wing doors, which enabled easier access to the back row of the car. 

8. 2020 Tesla Cybertruck

The Cybertruck is the next car that is set to be released by Tesla in 2023, and it comes as no surprise to anyone that the CEO of the company has one of them. 

Although Elon claimed the Cybertruck's glass to be armored, in the first public event, Musk was humiliated as the metal ball was thrown at its windscreen completely shattering the glass at the launch event. 

7. 1967 Jaguar E-Type Convertible

According to Musk, he remembers first seeing the Jaguar E-Type in a classic convertible catalog at the age of 17. And after he saw it, he decided that he would buy the car if he was ever able to afford it. He ended up buying it and achieving his teenage dream. 

Elon's problematic relationship with the Jaguar also started when the car broke down on his way home from the dealership. In fact, Musk compared the Jaguar to a terrible girlfriend since it kept breaking down and causing him trouble. 

6. 2006 Hamann BMW M5

The 2006 Hamann BMW M5 was another car owned by Musk in the past that ended up inspiring him with one of his innovations in one of his own Tesla cars.

Musk went the extra step and ended up getting his M5 upgraded by BMW tuning specialist Hamann Motorsports to delimit the V10, upping the power to a monstrous 600 hp. The upgrade done by Hamann is what inspired the installation of the 'Ludicrous' mode in the Tesla Model S.

5. 2019 Tesla Model S Performance

According to Elon Musk, it is the Tesla Model S that he prefers to drive the most. After all, many people believe that the Model S is the most pleasant and luxurious vehicle available in the Tesla series. 

The base version of the 2019 Model S costs around $76,200, while the performance version Musk has created costs $119,990. It is also the vehicle that Musk used to debut the "Ludicrous" mode, which was modeled after his Hamann-tuned BMW M5.

4. 2012 Porsche 911 Turbo

According to Elon Musk, he loves the Porsche 911 and considers it one of his favorite cars of all time. One thing that he wasn’t quite on board with was the humongous gas-guzzling engine of the Porsche, which made him obsessed with the notion of electrifying his Porsche 911. 

The 911 Turbo may in some ways be credited with helping Musk pave the way for Tesla today as he got in touch with some businessmen who had started the electric car company Tesla in 2003, and the rest, as they say, is history.

3. 2008 Tesla Roadster

Tesla revealed their first electric car, the Roadster, back in 2008. The chassis of the car was based on a Lotus Elise, and it had a range of 227 miles. It could reach 0–60 MPH in 3.9 seconds, which was faster than a Lamborghini Gallardo back then and even quicker than a modern-day Emira. The first lucky owner of the Roadster was Elon Musk, obviously.

Elon doesn’t have the car in his garage anymore, as it's way up in space, amid the stars. During SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket launch in 2018, Musk loaded his Roadster with a dummy astronaut named - amply nicknamed Starman- and drove it into his own Tesla Buzz Lightyear journey. 

2. 1976 Lotus Esprit ‘Wet Nellie’

Musk bought the iconic and barely functional car-cum-submarine from The Spy Who Loved Me for $1 million when it was put up for auction in 2013. According to Musk, he has been smitten by the car ever since he witnessed Bond transform the Lotus Esprit into an amphibious vehicle with the press of a button. You can obviously tell that the Tesla CEO wouldn't miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. 

Elon was obviously upset to see that "Wet Nellie" couldn't actually change into a submarine, just like the rest of us. Despite his desire broken by false imagination, Musk's Lotus Espirit still remains a cool and iconic memoir in Elon Musk's car collection. 

1. 1997 McLaren F1

Famously, Elon Musk took delivery of what at the time was the fastest production car in the world, the McLaren F1, as documented by a CNN camera crew, as you can see in the images above. The man was a rising star in Silicon Valley, having sold his first company for big bucks and then making a big splash by starting what would become PayPal. To celebrate, he bought himself this legendary McLaren that was the fastest car of its era.

The McLaren F1 was his go-to car, but he was never able to obtain insurance for it. He ended up crashing the car three years later but got it repaired and sold it for a profit in 2007. Musk explained that he decided to sell the iconic vehicle because he didn't want to be the subject of constant articles about how he drives a gas-guzzling, high-performance sports car.

With that said, we are commemorating the car collection of Elon Musk. For more interesting articles follow the links mentioned below.

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