The Top 5 Most Expensive Cars Owned By Eddie Van Halen
Edward Lodewijk Van Halen was a maestro who undoubtedly sits high on most people's list of greatest guitar players in rock n' roll history. His distinct aural assault was imparted by the way he fingered the frets on his iconic, hand-built guitar known as Frankenstrat. And while the band changed lead singers over the years, its sound never did. When you heard a lick or solo from Eddie, you knew it was a Van Halen song.
His admitted passion to "tear things apart" (via Backstage Pass Rock-News) carried into his love for cars. As has been reported by a myriad of sources, he probably had more of them drive in and out of his collection than both versions of the band (Van Halen and Van Hagar) had hit songs on the all-genre Billboard 100 (23, if you're curious).
Classic Chevrolets appear to have been his favorite American-made muscle, owning a factory 1956 Nomad Station Wagon and a slew of custom-built classics like a 1970 Nova, 1955 210, and 1993 Chevy 1500 half-ton short bed pickup. For good measure, he even owned a tricked-out 1947 Dodge COE "Stake-Bed" truck, which he drove to his local home improvement store on the weekends.
All of these were sold at auction before his death in October of 2020. But the Guitar God also liked high-end sports cars like Lamborghini, Porsche, and Ferrari, which sit atop Van Halen's list of most expensive rides.
The Lambo Van Halen called an adult go-kart
Up first is Van Halen's most expensive and interesting set of wheels. The 1970 Lamborghini Miura S was purchased by his first wife — actress Valerie Bertinelli — as a wedding present. The license plate read "APR 11," honoring the day they got married (April 11, 1980). Eddie used it as a daily driver for many years, and it's also the car you can hear revving in the background on the band's song, "Panama."
A factory '70 Miura S came with a 3.9-liter, 239-cubic inch V12 producing 370 horsepower at 7700 rpm, and 286 foot-pounds of torque. It goes 0-60 in 5.5 seconds, and does the quarter mile in 13.9 seconds, with a top speed of 177 mph (via conceptcarz.com). But Van Halen's Miura, which he once described as "an adult go-kart," was anything but ordinary.
Like most other Van Halen cars, it was put up for sale in late 2018/early 2019 and purchased by John Temerian from Curated, the vintage exotic car dealership in Miami. Through research, Temerian discovered that the car is, in fact, a "Lavorazioni Speciale" — hand-built straight from the factory, complete with the broader body, vented fenders, and tires, not after-market mods as previously believed. Moreover, it's only five or six production numbers removed from the first Miura SV prototype.
They sent it back to the Lamborghini factory in Italy to restore it to its former glory, which included returning it to the actual "Verde" color — not the Van Halen red. In a February 2021 article, MotorBiscuit placed an estimated value at $1.5 million. Oddly, no updates have been posted about its current state or whereabouts, so the actual value might be very different now.
Even Eddie couldn't spin this Porsche
Next on the list is a 2016 Porsche 911 GT3 RS (like the one seen in the picture above, minus the black GT3 RS graphic along the bottom), which Van Halen ordered new directly from Porsche (via Stephen Becker Automotive Group). Vented louvers adorned the front fenders, while the back had "Turbo-like intakes." Van Halen's RS came with a magnesium roof, carbon fiber bucket seats with six-point safety harnesses, and the complete Club Sport Package that included a roll cage.
A 4.0-liter, flat-six sits under the hood kicking out 490 horsepower and 346 foot-pounds of torque. It's capable of screaming from a standstill to 60 mph in a mere 3.3 seconds, with a top speed of 193mph. It was mated to a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic with manual shifting mode (via Stephen Becker Automotive Group).
The 911 GT3 RS is a sports car that Car and Driver said was for "hard-core purists." In a 2016 interview with the car magazine, Van Halen lavished heaps of praise on the German sports car, saying that it was extremely light, handled well, and was the first 911 he was ever "able to four-wheel-drift" without spinning. His GT3 sold at auction for $200,000 with only 15,188 miles on the odometer.
This Italian horse likes to prance like David Lee Roth
According to Cosmic Wire, Eddie first purchased the 2000 Ferrari 550 Maranello and then gave it to his brother Alex, who souped it up to use on the race track.
It's strapped with a 5.5-liter V-12 blasting 479 horsepower with 419 foot-pounds of torque, and could zip from 0-60mph in 4.2 seconds (via Car and Driver). Eddie and Alex had some custom features added to it (of course), basically building it out to resemble the very limited 550 WSR, and by "very limited" we mean only 33 were made. Custom features included a six-speed gated shifter, Rod Millen Roll cage, SPARCO bucket racing seats with four-point harnesses, a Tubi exhaust system, lowering springs, and wider wheels and tires for track use (via Cosmic Wire).
You'd think a car like this (with very low mileage) would sell the second it hit the open market, especially given its ownership pedigree. You'd be wrong.
The auction site GottaHaveRockAndRoll first listed it in July 2020, with 28,000 miles on the odometer. It had a reserve price of $200,000 and a minimum bid of $125,000. The site shows that only one offer was made and failed to sell. It was listed again (same site) in November 2020, this time with a reserve of $350,000 and a minimum of $200,000. Still no takers. It was listed a third time by Cosmic Wire in September 2021, now with 29,045 on the odometer, and came with Alex's actual race-worn goggles and some limited edition NFTs. There's no evidence to suggest it sold here, either. Furthermore, it's uncertain who has the car now.
This Arena Red Porsche is a real arena-rocker
Another Porsche drifts onto Van Halen's list, this one a 1996 911 (Type 993) Turbo tricked out by RUF Automobiles in 2000. Modifications included the addition of radical RUF-made camshafts, tinkering with the turbochargers, adding a meaner exhaust system, and adding an EKS computer (via Bring a Trailer).
This 993 sported twin-turbocharged 3.6-liter flat-six (via Bring a Trailer) boosted by RUF to kick out 480 horsepower, and at only 3,300 pounds when paired with the six-speed manual transmission and all-wheel drive, makes the car "scary" fast (via Paul Rivera Jr). Other features included leather interior, electric sunroof, Dark Rootwood trim, an Arena Red paint job (via Bring a Trailer), and a Porsche factory racing bucket seat, which was different from the passenger seat (via Paul Rivera Jr).
When Bring a Trailer listed it in June 2019, it only had 21,355 miles on the odometer. It had a reserve price of $146,000, and while it received 27 bids, the reserve wasn't met, so it apparently didn't sell. An article in the Cincinnati Business Courier from July 7, 2021, says Eddie sold the car to Hard Rock Casino in 2019 and was installed as a centerpiece exhibit near one of the entrances to the Hard Rock Casino location in Cincinnati.
The Lambo Rambo led to an unchained moment
Last but not least is another Lamborghini that many may not even know exists because it's not a sports car. Believe it or not, the company made an SUV called the "Lambo Rambo" that looks more like a Hummer than the more commonly known Urus. The LM002, with a V12 engine from its Countach, is considered the first ultra-luxury SUV, and suffice it to say, many a celebrity owned one, including Van Halen (via Motor Trend). But not much else is known about the car, how long he had it or what happened to it.
We included it because it came with an MSRP of $120,000 (via Motor Trend) and one heck of an urban legend about an incident involving Eddie and Fred Durst, the lead singer for the band Limp Bizkit (via Driving). Sometime in the 1990s, he was collaborating with Durst on a project, and after they'd finished a practice set, everyone started smoking marijuana, as rock stars are known to do from time to time.
Eddie eventually made it home after the party but left his equipment at Durst's place. He called, left a message, but never heard back. Apparently, Van Halen was so mad he hopped into an unknown military-style vehicle and drove to Durst's house to confront him. A shirtless Eddie, with his long hair in a "samurai bun," jumped out, waving a gun. His "unchained" appearance was apparently enough for Durst to give him back his equipment (via Driving).
The LM002s were only produced between 1986 and 1993, so it fits into the timeline and may be the "unknown military-style" vehicle in question.