Ferrari 250 GT Pininfarina $3.6 Million Nicolas Cage’s exotic automobile collection was sizable until he ran into a personal financial crisis. He liked to spend. He literally owned a castle, two actually: A German medieval castle in Schloss Neidstein and the English Midford Castle in Somerset. Yachts, an island in the Bahamas, fine artwork and 15 personal residences made the shopping list. It all came to a screeching halt once a $6.2 million tax bill came in at the peak of his over-spending binge. Four divorces probably didn’t help.
In the mid-2000s he began selling things off and spending less. As one item he kept is this stunning antique. One of his favorites, the 1958 Ferrari 250 GT Pininfarina is a rare classic. Only 350 models were manufactured by Ferrari between 1958 and 1960. Each model was hand-built by the legendary Italian automotive giant. Today, a vintage Pininfarina is worth $3.6 million. In 1958, the race car sold for $15,000.
Jay Z
Maybach Exelero $8.8 Million There’s a story behind this lavish Maybach. Jay-Z’s pricey collection includes fine hypercar performance machines like his Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport and a Pagani Zonda F, an extravagant $670,000 elite Italian-Argentinian brand. But the $8.8 million German Maybach Exelero pictured here may not be his. Though he featured it in his music video “Lost One.” It wasn’t the first Maybach featured in his music videos. A Maybach 57 became a hip-hop legend. It starred in a video by Jay Z and Kanye West. The video for their self-proclaimed “luxury rap” song called “Otis” is from Watch the Throne, a collaboration album by Jay Z and Kanye. Shot by distinguished filmmaker Spike Jonze, “Otis” starts off with a bluesy R&B riff and shots of the car in its pristine condition. Enter a blow torch and a metal saw.
The rap duo cut the Maybach down to its frame as the beats drop in. It’s no exaggeration when they rap, “last week I was in my other, other Benz.” The characteristic rap-swagger continues while Jay-Z and Kanye race the shell of the Exelero through a dry flood control channel. Kanye did his own stunts performing 360-burnouts with four supermodels in the backseat. The end of the video announces the Maybach is up for charity auction. The value was placed at $150,000. The actual bid for the Save the Children donation fetched a mere $60,000. Not much to brag about.
Puff Diddy
Rolls Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe $440K As the richest hip-hop artist, Sean “Puff Diddy” Combs’ net worth brushes up near billionaire status at $825 million. The music industry magnate started his own label in 1993, Bad Boy Entertainment. The entrepreneur also offers product. The Sean John luxury line retails his personal perfume fragrance called “I Am King,” naturally. But, what he truly prizes is his stunning automobile collection. Highlighted here is the Rolls Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe. The 2004 four-door British luxury sedan is the most expensive Rolls on the market priced at $440,000. P. Diddy picked out a custom silver and white convertible.
The lavish contemporary interior featuring hardwood veneering styled like the interior of a yacht makes the Phantom Drophead one of the rapper’s favorite cars to drive downtown. Amongst his collection is a 1997 Maybach 57, a $360,000 upscale Mercedes-Benz, exactly like the one Jay-Z and Kanye tore down. Jay Z purchased it for his son’s 16th birthday years before the 2011 song came out. The car included a chauffeur since the boy hadn’t gotten his license yet.
Seal
Bentley Azure $380K Why Seal? It reminds us of those adorable sea creatures. Hmm, the only other option may have been the acronym HOAS for Henry Olusegun Adeola Samuel, and we all know how unpopular HOAs are! The British pop sensation hit the charts royally and chilled with pop superstars Madonna and George Michael raising money for AIDS charities. One of his favorite rides is this beautiful Bentley Azure produced by the distinguished British automobile maker, Bentley Motors. The company was first purchased by Rolls Royce in 1931.
At the top of its class, Bentley first produced the Azure in 1995. It’s based on the Continental model but features an open-top convertible. The classy vehicle houses some power as well with a 6.75-liter V8 featuring an intercooler Garrett turbocharger. Priced to its class, Seal’s Bentley ran him $380,000. No word if German model Heidi Klum kept the posh ride after their divorce went through.
Kanye West
Mercedes SLR $850K Of course, Kanye loves his Lambo from ex-wife Kim, but Kanye West and Kim Kardashian own a fleet of exotic supercars and other priceless vehicles. The Mercedes-Benz SLR, however, is very special, indeed. It’s his “other, other Mercedes,” but not exactly. It’s what you get when you cross a McLaren with a Mercedes, namely, an American-British masterpiece. It’s a rare find. Called a light sports racer, the very last one was produced in 2010. The speed demon is powered by a 5.4-liter supercharged V8. It’s a 5-speed, and it’s lightning-fast.
The high-class performance takes the SLR from 0-60 in 3.4 seconds. Luckily, it’s got a high-tech brake system to slow it down. It holds a special place in Kanye’s heart, even though he’s owned it pre-Kim when he was still dating Amber Rose. (Drama. Gotta have it). Kanye showed off the exclusive McLaren SLR Stirling Moss edition at an AIDS charity gala in Cannes back in 2011. The nearly one-million-dollar gorgeous machine-turned lots of heads. It’s so sleek it doesn’t even have a windshield! (Helmets for protection?)