Seb Delanney reviews Elon Musk’s insanely expensive car collection

Kieran Bicknell

Perhaps best known as being founder and CEO of Tesla, Elon Musk is also the creator of SpaceX, PayPal, and more. While best known for his electric vehicles, Elon also has an incredible collection of classic cars, supercars, and even fighter jets.

Despite the squeaky-clean environmental image he is creating with Tesla, it seems that Elon Musk is partial to the odd ‘dirty’ classic car, as well as your typical high-paid CEO love for supercars.

Not only does he have a variety of four-wheeled machinery, but Elon also has a soft spot for Russian military hardware, as YouTuber Seb Delanney finds out.

Not quite what you’d expect Elon to drive

One of the standout cars from Elon’s collection is about as far-removed from Tesla as possible: The Ford Model T.

Apparently gifted by a friend, Elon admires the Model T for being the first car to bring private transportation to the masses, in a similar vein to what Elon is doing with electric vehicles through his company Tesla.

Elon is also the sentimental type, having kept his first car: A 1978 BMW E21 320i. Bought for $1400, it was Elon’s daily driver for a number of years. Worth far more now, restored examples go for as much as $13,000, so it’s safe to say Elon would make a profit if he chose to sell.

Movie cars and electric conversions

It seems Elon is a big fan of the James Bond franchise, as one of the jewels of his car collection is a 1976 Lotus Esprit nicknamed ‘Wet Nellie.’  Star of “The spy who loved me” the car was shown as being an amphibious vehicle, having the ability to turn into a submarine.

Having bought the car from an auction back in 2013 for $997,000, Elon says he plans to convert the vehicle into a functioning submarine, along with swapping out the engine for a Tesla electric propulsion system.

Elon Musk Fighter Jet
The Aero L-39 Albatross is Elon’s “favourite” plane

Elon has more than just cars in his collection

While the Ford Model T and James Bond car may be unusual, the weirdest vehicle in Elon’s collection is a Russian fighter jet from the 1960s known as the Aero L-39 ‘Albatross.’ Speaking about his love for the plane, Elon says it’s “probably the most fun plane I own… literally just like (being) in Top Gun.”

Alongside the oddities and icons in his collection, Elon daily drives a number of his Tesla production cars, as well as having been seen recently in a prototype Tesla Cybertruck in Malibu, CA.

There’s also the prototype Tesla Roadster, which is currently orbiting the earth after having been sent into space by SpaceX. With a production version of the Tesla Roadster allegedly in the works, Elon may have to wait a while to get back behind the wheel of a Roadster since his own is now inaccessible.

About The Author

Kieran is a former Dexerto writer. He joined Dexerto in 2020 to lead the new area of cars coverage on the website, a burgeoning vertical which he influenced and developed. He is a passionate motoring fan, and an expert on all things automobile, reviewing countless new cars from manufacturers and giving an informed opinion.