5 Cars Owned By Rod Stewart That Prove He Has Great Taste
Rod Stewart is one of the most famous musicians alive today. He has sold over 250 million records and has been a solo artist as well as a member of The Dimensions, the Jeff Beck Group, Faces, and others. Stewart's career has spanned decades and he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994.
Rod the Mod is well known for his music as well as the truly rock 'n roll lifestyle he has lived while making it. James Brown once called Stewart the "best white soul singer in the world," and his passion has always been front and center. But one thing Stewart is also known for is his love of cars. He's even been spotted fixing potholes in the roads around his neighborhood as an act of kindness to other drivers (and for his own driving pleasure)! Like many other famous rockers who continuously collect new and interesting vehicles to motor them around town and beyond, Stewart has long held a love of automotive excellence. His garage has often been packed with Lamborghinis, Ferraris, and other powerful muscle, but these aren't the only vehicles that Rod Stewart can be seen cruising around in. His tastes include both luxury and immense style all in one.
1977 Porsche 911 Turbo Carrera
It's got to be a Porsche! The list of celebrity Porsche owners is vast and constantly growing. The 911 is one of the most sought-after automobiles on the planet, and vintage models like this one went fast. His 911 was such an icon that he was carjacked at gunpoint in 1982 while shopping with his daughter. The thief forced him to assist in the theft however, making the scene equal parts terrifying and strange: "At gunpoint, I had to walk out on a side street with a gun in my back and get in the car and start it for him. It started on a button," he recounted to an interviewer.
His Turbo Carrera was powered by an air-cooled, 3.3L flat-six, turbocharged engine. The build had a displacement of 2,994 cubic centimeters and produced 245 horsepower. The 911 Turbo Carrera utilized a four-speed manual transmission, and Stewart's, as it turns out, also started with a push button like many modern vehicles these days. The car could reach a top speed of 155 miles per hour, and its iconic style was undeniable.
[Featured image by Alf van Beem via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC0]
2013 Rolls-Royce Ghost EWB
A Rolls-Royce is nearly a necessity for someone as famous as Rod Stewart. The automobile is a classic for a reason. Rolls-Royce is known for producing some of the most luxurious rides in the world, but they also pack a serious punch under the hood. This makes the Rolls-Royce Ghost a perfect addition to the speedster-loving singer's collection of fantastic cars. His 2013 model utilizes the extended wheelbase for even greater luxury. The Rolls-Royce Ghost packs 563 horsepower with the help of a 6.6L turbocharged V12. It adds an eight-speed automatic transmission and can max out at 177 miles per hour. The Ghost brings a respectable acceleration to the table as well, doing 0-60 in 5 seconds flat.
The EWB model provides riders with the second most legroom of any four-seater sedan in the world, behind only the Rolls-Royce Phantom Extended. The passenger cabin is designed for immense comfort and includes onboard Wi-Fi and even brings a champagne chilling chamber into the armrest space between the back seats. This is the perfect ride for someone looking to be chauffeured around while doing work or enjoying the fruits of their labor. However, the Ghost is also a great driver itself and can give a car lover a wonderful experience while piloting the vehicle without the help of a hired hand.
[Featured image by Damian B Oh via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC BY-SA 4.0]
1971 Lamborghini Miura P400 S
Rod Stewart has owned a substantial number of individual Lamborghinis. But his first has to be the one to make this list. Upon the release of his third solo album "Every Picture Tells a Story" in 1971, Stewart treated himself to something that was truly special. He purchased a Lamborghini Miura P400 S, one of the best-looking vehicles the automotive marketplace has ever dreamed up.
The Lamborghini team only made this vehicle from 1969 to 1971, and in that time produced just 338 examples of the beauty. The Miura was powered by a 3.9L naturally aspirated V12 engine and produced 370 horsepower. It could top out at 177 miles per hour and accelerate from 0-60 in just 4.5 seconds. The car was a show of force, to be sure, and Stewart's was one of the first in the U.K., making it an even more head-turning automobile on the roads of his hometown. Rod Stewart's model was customized with a white exterior paint job and a black interior leather treatment, giving it a visually arresting look in more ways than one.
[Featured image by Ligabo via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC BY-SA 3.0]
2003 Ferrari Enzo
Rod Stewart was a major fan of Italian supercars. Both his collection of Lamborghinis and Ferraris was a thing of beauty. Stewart has owned and sold a variety of cars, but he noted that it's the car he regrets letting go of the most. "When I married Penny I had a Ferrari Enzo. I sold it. I shouldn't have," he told The Scottish Sun. To make matters worse for the superstar, he sold the vehicle for less than £1 million (a little over $1.2 million), but the car would have fetched about £3 million (roughly $3.62 million) just five years later, in 2018.
The Enzo is a magnificent machine. It utilizes a 6.0L V12 engine that produces 660 horsepower and incorporates a 6-speed auto-shift manual transmission. Rod bought his just after they were initially released in 2002, his (a 2003 model) would have cost $643,300 new. The car could reach a top speed of 217 miles per hour and did 0-60 in 3.6 seconds. Interestingly, the Enzo required a special invitation in order to purchase the model –- not just anyone with enough cash on hand could own one of these exclusive Ferraris named after the company's founder. In total, only 399 were sold, and one additional Ferrari Enzo was sold openly in a charity auction – it went for $1.1 million.
[Featured image by Axion23 via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC BY 2.0]
1969 Marcos GT
A sight to behold, the Marcos Engineering vehicles were a unique series of roadsters. Marcos is an amalgamation of the founders' names: Jem Marsh and Frank Costin. The pair wanted to create racing automobiles and initially constructed their roadsters with a plywood frame – like Costin had done while working on bombers during World War II.
Founded in 1959, the company eventually shifted to steel frames and dropped the plywood chassis altogether. The '69 models made use of either a Volvo straight-six or a Ford Essex V6, after boosting the output from earlier four-cylinder engines. Rod Stewart's Marcos GT incorporated a 3.0L V6. This vehicle was the first sports car that Stewart ever purchased. After working with a number of high-powered musical acts, Stewart was coming into fame all on his own, and his bank account showed it. In 1969, he was ready to ascend into the ranks of superstardom, bringing in all the trappings of fame and fortune that others before (and after) him had added to their lifestyles. The Marcos GT is a unique piece of British motoring history. One car magazine named the Marcos GT "probably the best of any production car we have driven." Now defunct (since 2007), Marcos vehicles still pop up on the market from time to time. In fact, a 1968 Marcos 1600 Coupe is going live at the Car & Classic auction house on February 28th, 2023, and another, a 1969 Marcos GT located in Spain is listed for sale at £46,000 (about $55,500) as of this writing.
[Featured image by Lothar Spurzem via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC BY-SA 2.0]