ELON’S GARAGE Inside billionaire Tesla founder Elon Musk’s garage, from priceless British sports cars to futuristic Cybertruck
ELON Musk is one of the richest people in the world, with a net worth of many billions of dollars – and a car collection to match.
The Tesla boss clearly appreciates a wide variety of vehicles, from humble vintage cars to the latest electric models produced by his company.
Ford Model T
It’s one of the most famous cars in the world and is widely considered to be the first modern mass-produced vehicle.
It was simple, robust and arguably paved the way for the automobile age and the world we live in today.
Elon Musk was given this car by a friend.
BMW 3 Series
The 320i was one of BMW’s most iconic saloons and probably the car a lot of people think of when they hear the name “3 Series”.
A 1978 model was Elon Musk’s first car, which he had for years before becoming absurdly wealthy.
He bought the car for $1,400 in 1993 and was able to enjoy a massive upgrade just six years later.
McLaren F1
The McLaren F1 is one of the greatest cars of all time.
The beautiful three-seater was the fastest production car in the world for over a decade.
Elon Musk bought his McLaren F1 for $1m in 1999 after he’d just made $22m in Silicon Valley.
And to his credit, he used the machine as much as he could, including on ordinary drives around California.
But eventually he crashed it on his way to a business meeting, and despite his passenger having no seat belt on at the time of the accident, both occupants were unharmed.
Elon Musk sold the car for a significant profit – McLaren F1s are worth around £20m today – and his company Tesla has since produced electric cars that outpace the F1’s acceleration.
Tesla Cybertruck
The Cybertruck looks like something from a mobile phone game, and not one of the better ones.
But it’s one of the few exciting models in the important – albeit not particularly lucrative – electric goods vehicle sector.
Tesla’s Cybertruck isn’t on sale yet, but Elon Musk has been driving his prototype around.
Order books are expected to open in 2022, with prices starting from around $40,000.
Lotus Esprit (amphibious)
Elon Musk no doubt considers himself to have some similarities with James Bond.
And now he has one of 007’s most famous cars, the amphibious 1976 Lotus Esprit from The Spy Who loved Me.
There are clear similarities between this and the Cybertruck.
And while the movie prop isn’t actually equipped to be used as an amphibious car, it really does have some submarine capabilities.
Tesla Roadster
It was probably the first electric car to be properly cool.
And while the Roadster bears little resemblance to the Model 3s and Model Xs parked on plusher streets in the UK, it’s a big part of Tesla’s history.
The battery-electric sports car was based on the lightweight Lotus Elise, a famous British sports car famous with petrolheads.
The Tesla Roadster is very rare, with less than 2,500 sold.
It’s also the only car in space.