What kind of car would you drive if you were a self-made billionaire living in sunny Silicon Valley? Would you play it safe with an ever-popular Porsche or other sportscar? Or would you choose something a little more conservative? Maybe eco-friendly?
Today’s tech moguls and media millionaires are choosing their rides carefully, keeping style, size, speed, and practicality in mind. And you know they did their research before buying—what else would you expect from a tech genius? Make sure to take a cue from these moguls and check expert reviews, compare specific models, and gather as much info as you can about each of your options before you buy. Below are a few of our favorite famous entrepreneurs, their rides, and what we think their cars might tell us about them.
MARK ZUCKERBERG
Despite being worth more than $35 billion, Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg famously drives around in a black Acura TSX, because it is “safe, comfortable and not ostentatious,” according to the tech titan himself—which is a good way to describe this laid-back billionaire and his slacker-chic persona. He’s the kind of guy who would rather donate 99 percent of his fortune to his non-profit organization that seeks to aid human advancement worldwide, rather than spending his seemingly endless cash on, say, yachts and gold-plated Rolls Royces. He’ll always pick sneakers over dress shoes, and convenience and reliability over flash and speed, including when it comes down to his wheels of choice.
SOPHIA AMORUSO
Not your typical CEO, Amoruso’s rags-to-riches story took her from living in a rented pool house in San Francisco in 2006 to running a veritable fashion empire. Today, her online retail company Nasty Gal earns more than $130 million each year, and Amoruso drives a flashy car in keeping with her bold rise to fame and fortune: an all-white Porsche that she paid for in cash—“which is so gangster,” she says. The car, like Amoruso, is very elegant, and it can accelerate from 0-to-60 in the blink of an eye, just like its owner’s meteoric climb in the fashion industry. The car’s all-white exterior goes with anything, which is good for this fashionista who is constantly changing up her look, and proves she always has the total picture in mind.
ELON MUSK
Musk, the CEO of electric car company Tesla Motors, is—of course—a proud owner of several of his own Tesla cars, including the newest eco-friendly Tesla Model S P85D. His Teslas are modeled after another favorite ride of his, the impossibly fast 1998 McLaren F1, which can hit sixty miles-per-hour in only 3.2 seconds. Even more impressively, his Tesla Model S P85D claims to beat that figure, at 3.1 seconds. Musk’s car choice shows he’s not only efficient, dependable, and eco-conscious, but also fast, sleek, and consistently ahead of the game. Musk wants the best of both worlds, while saving ours from climate change at the same time.
EVAN SPIEGEL
One of the youngest billionaires in the world, founder and CEO of Snapchat Evan Spiegel doesn’t mind showing off his achievements. (After all, what else is Snapchat for but sharing your coolest—or most enviable—moments?) Accordingly, it makes sense he likes to cruise around in a bright red Ferrari, a symbol of the fast life that he’s “been obsessed with” for ages. The car shows that Spiegel, a self-made billionaire who never finished college, is bold and fun, just like his cutting-edge video- and photo-sharing app, and that he hates to blend in with the crowd.
OPRAH WINFREY
What can’t Oprah do? Not only is the media tycoon one of the richest human beings on the planet, she’s also concerned about the earth’s lifespan—and who could be a better bet to save the planet than Ms. Winfrey? To prove her environmental bona fides, she recently tweeted photos of herself in her new white Tesla Model S. Oprah is not only insanely successful, but incredibly practical, a trait she shares with our other Tesla-driving entrepreneur, Elon Musk. She likes simple, reliable, and long-lasting products, and she believes in thinking outside of herself to do more for the greater good of humanity.
Whether you’re inventing your own car or just looking to buy something that fits your fast-paced life, Kelley Blue Book has all the information you need to get New Car Smart.