5 Cars Owned By William Shatner That Prove He Has Great Taste
You may know him as Captain Kirk and remember him sat comfortably on the bridge of the USS Starship Enterprise — but in real life he's William Shatner and his rides are a bit more down to earth. Shatner has also only been to space once, so owning his own ship is probably out of the question.
While none of the vehicles listed here are capable of exploring the farthest reaches of the galaxy, they're all impressive in their own right. Shatner, who is in his 90s, has experienced a wide array of vehicles during his time and all of them are impressive in their own ways. The collection includes an economical British classic that can't even crank out 30 horsepower, and a luxury sports car from the same island that produces over 400.
There is also an American classic that is closely associated with NASA's best and brightest, a Volkswagen with more tech crammed into it than a pretend spaceship, and a Porsche. Because everyone gets a Porsche once they've "made it." So buckle up as we engage our thrusters and take a look at some gems from Shatner's roughly 75 years of vehicle ownership.
He started out acting with a Morris Minor
We all have to start somewhere. Before he was Captain Kirk, Shatner was like many other actors. He'd land a decent role occasionally, but that would be spaced out by periods of struggle. As a result, he couldn't afford anything too flashy in those early days. Still, according to an interview with the Wall Street Journal one of his first cars, a 1950s Morris Minor, is amongst the best investments Shatner ever made. It cost him around $400, and got him to Toronto where he could start the career that made him a household name.
Minors were manufactured by British automaker Morris, and that's likely why they were most popular in the United Kingdom. Some were exported around the world, including to Canada which is where Shatner got his. The engine in the 1950s models was pretty small, under a liter to be exact. It also put out less than 30 horsepower. The Minor could just barely make it over 60 mph, so you could get a 0-60 time from it. Hitting that milestone would take over a minute. So it wasn't a go-to vehicle for speed lovers. If we're being polite, we can describe the Minor as functional, and leave it at that.
While they may not be the sexiest vehicle ever made, Morris Minors actually have a fairly dedicated cult following. They're also pretty collectible. A good condition Minor can set you back between $20,000 and $40,000.
He had a spaceman's car of choice
Star Trek was Shatner's big break, and not long after the series debuted in 1966, the actor bought himself a ride that was more reflective of his success. Shatner is most associated with a character who travels through space for a living. So it's quite appropriate his first truly decent ride was a vehicle most people will associate quite closely with NASA's pioneering astronauts. Captain Kirk got himself a Corvette, a used 1963 Corvette Fuelie coupe to be specific.
I saw this picture of William Shatner, his Doberman, and 63 Corvette. I am impressed and had to share on his site. pic.twitter.com/gAAeuHgWFT
— Bill E (@Simplerlife) June 24, 2020
The coupe, complete with a luggage rack, came in a few configurations. While we don't know exactly which one Shatner had parked on his driveway, it's possible that there was either a 327 or 360hp V8 engine purring away under the hood. In either case, it would have had a four-speed manual transmission and likely handled exceptionally well for the era. It isn't known when Shatner parted ways with his 'Vette, but given that it crops up in several photographs, it's likely he held onto it for a good portion of his glory days. According to an interview he did with MotorTrend, Shatner even got a bit of extra use out of the two-seat car. He had a couple of little seats made to fit on the parcel shelf so he could drive his young daughters around town.
Of course there's a Porsche
Many great car collections are likely to include a Porsche — but most enthusiasts will play it safe and opt for some flavor of Porsche 911. Quirkier types may opt for something like a 924, a vehicle that will result in far more interesting conversations and also happens to be one of the cheaper options. Shatner went an entirely different route, and instead opted for a 2011 Porsche Panamera.
Although the German automaker is known for its sports coupes, the Panamera definitely isn't that. You can tell it's a Porsche by looking at it, that front end is pretty distinctive. But it's a four-seat sedan — so that iconic shape is a little bit stretched. Under the hood are the parts you'd expect to give Porsche levels of performance. On the basic model, the 3.6L V6 Engine is capable of churning out 300 horsepower, that gets put through a 7-speed automatic transmission and can send the sedan from 0-60 in around six seconds. There is also a trim with a 4.8 liter V8, which gives you an extra 200 horsepower and shaves an impressive two seconds off the 0-60 time.
He was still playing a spy in the 2000s
The 2002 Aston Martin DB7 is arguably the coolest car William Shatner has ever driven. Its only real competition is the Corvette he owned around 60 years previously. The iconic British sports car is actually pretty close in design to the Jaguar XKR which was released around the same time. The two even share many parts, but the Aston being an Aston was significantly more expensive — $70,000 more expensive to be exact. Still, Shatner has the funds and can afford a car from a brand that immediately makes anyone driving it feel like an international super spy.
Given the size of its motor, and looking at some of his comments, you'd have to assume it's the coolness factor endearing Bill to the Aston. Shatner was using the DB7 as a daily driver as recently as 2014, citing his love of the noise its 420-horsepower, 5.9-liter, V12 engine makes. When not stuck in traffic on a morning commute, the DB7 can go from 0-60 in just 4.8 seconds. That's nothing special these days but was quite impressive back in 2002 when Aston Martin released this car. Unfortunately, all good things come to an end. Shatner parted ways with his beloved DB7 in 2016, telling auction house Barret Jackson that he was selling the Aston because he simply had "too many cars" and wanted to move on to another phase in his life. He did sign the vehicle before handing it over though.
He purchased VW's ultra Luxury model
Shatner sold his 2004 Volkswagen Phaeton at the same time as his DB7, and in the listing described it as "one of the most technologically advanced cars in the world at the time. The sci-fi actor has a point, and Volkswagen did go all out to give the Phaeton a number of features that regular cars wouldn't get for a long time afterward. The Phaeton debuted in 2002 and was produced until 2016. The 2004 model, which Shatner had, was the first to be sold in the United States.
It was VW's attempt to corner the luxury market and came with two engine options on this side of the Atlantic. The standard V8 was powerful enough, offering 335 horsepower. You could also opt for an even bigger 6.0-liter W12 that could produce 420 horsepower. Either way, both engines were limited to just 130 miles per hour for some unfathomable reason. The Phaeton also had the leatherwork you'd expect inside a luxury model, a sat-nav, tire pressure sensors, and a host of other toys that unfortunately developed a reputation for going a bit wrong. Shortly before the Phaeton disappeared, VW was going to roll the dice once more and push out a super-luxury version of the vehicle called the D2. That wasn't to be though, the company changed tack and began focusing on the emerging electric vehicle market — shelving the D2 and killing off the Phaeton line completely.