Kanye West’s car collection is for gold-diggers only‘Jesus Walks’, but Yeezy drives. And no wonder…
He might be getting divorced and his presidential run was a flop, but the mercurial Kanye West is still living the “Good Life” as far as his garage is concerned.
Ye, who turns 44 today, likes to go “HAM” in a broad selection of vehicles that include Lambos, McLaren-Mercs and Eastern Bloc ATVs. What else would you expect from a self-made billionaire who released a hit song called “Power” and put the auto in autotune?
Lexus ES300 (2002)
Like many hip-hop stars, one of Kanye’s early rides was a Lexus. His was the mid-range fourth-generation 3.0 V6 ES model.
Things ended badly for the ES300, though, when Mr West crashed it and would have been 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁ed were it not for the Lexus’ five-star-rated safety features. His injuries required reconstructive surgery and inspired the track “Through The Wire”, which he recorded just a fortnight later while his jaw was wired shut.
Maybach 57, from the ‘Otis’ music video (2004)
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One of the more memorable music video motors, Yeezy applied his creativity to a 2004 Maybach for his and Jay-Z’s 2011 smash hit single “Otis”. New, this car would have cost nearly £300,000, yet the rap MVPs saw fit to take a chainsaw to it (via SWE Auto Prep in North Hollywood, who did the job in two days) and turned it into an uber-luxe Mad Max vehicle. The stunt driving was done by the guy who coordinated Fast & Furious 7. If someone cut up our Maybach we’d be furious also. It was sold at auction the following year, not in a car category but as a piece of contemporary art. It only managed to reach £42,000, a fraction of what they’d spent on it.
Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren (2007)
Kanye alienated a lot of his fan base by cosying up to Donald Trump while he was in the Oval Office and here’s something else he has in common with the disgraced Potus: both have owned Mercedes SLR McLarens. Manufactured from 2003 at McLaren’s HQ in Woking, before it had established its own automotive brand, this car was built at the behest of Daimler AG, with whom the Formula One team had an engine partnership at the time. The F1 influence is clear to see in the frontal styling, the three-pointed star protruding on what looks a little bit like the nose of Kimi Raikkonen and David Coulthard’s company cars. Powered by a lightweight 5.4 supercharged V8, it can hit 60mph in 3.4 seconds and has a top speed of 208mph.
Bugatti Veyron 16.4 FBG Par Hermès (2008)
He’s referred to himself as the “Hermès of verses”, which perhaps inspired Kanye’s purchase of this collaboration between Bugatti and the famed Parisian luxury house, of which just four were built. FBG refers to the Rue Du Faubourg Saint-Honoré where you’ll frequently see the 21-time Grammy-winner shopping during fashion week. The two-tone machine features vents on the edge of the rims that are designed to look like Hermès’ signature seams, the aluminium grilles on the radiator and intercoolers are marked with the letter “H” and the leather seats were designed and crafted in Hermès’ atelier. The 16.4, which was the first Veyron out of the gates, is powered by a gargantuan 8.0 quad-turbo W16 engine producing 987bhp, which was a record for a production road car at the time. Top speed is 253mph, at which point it’s liable to “Lift Off”. The Hermès car was £1.3 million new and it costs an alarming £50,000 for a service.
Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Stirling Moss (2009)
The “Louis Vuitton don” is one of only a handful of multimillionaires to have got his hands on the very special SLR McLaren Stirling Moss edition, which is a homage to the great British racing driver who so brilliantly won the Mille Miglia in a 300SL SLR in 1955. SLR, incidentally, stands for Sport Leicht Rennsport – or Sport Light Racing. As well as its freshly sculpted windscreen-less body, power was upgraded to 651bhp and the chassis was lightened, which increased the top speed to 217mph. Just 75 were built, each retailing for £660,000. Good job Yeezy’s sold a lot of sneakers.
Dartz Prombron Red Diamond Edition (2010)
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Bulletproof, ethically questionable and definitely OTT, the Dartz Prombron is perhaps the most oligarchy SUV ever made. In making the purchase, Yeezus followed the example of his collaborator and mentor Jay-Z. Russian-built, it features gold-plated windows, tyres that cannot puncture, tungsten exhausts and white-gold gauges covered in rubies. Costing around £1 million, the options lists includes upholstery made from a sperm whale’s foreskin. Kanye bought two, probably to upstage Mr Carter.
Aston Martin DBS V12 (2011)
Having sampled “Diamonds Are Forever” on his track “Diamonds From Sierra Leone”, it’s clear Kanye is a James Bond fan. Such is his admiration for the UK civil service’s biggest expenses abuser, he even has the wheels from Casino Royale. This flagship Aston packs a “Monster” 5.9 V12, which delivers 62mph in 4.3 seconds and has a top speed of 192mph. Without doubt, one of the sub-zero coolest supercars of recent times.
Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4 (2013)
It’s impossible to “Drive Slow” in Ye’s beloved stealth-black Aventador. The LP 700-4 was the first itineration, boasting 690bhp from its 6.5-litre normally aspirated V12 – one of the most glorious-sounding beasts of the digital age. Top speed is 220mph and it does 0-62 in just 2.9 seconds. We’ve gotta admit, it does suit him.
Porsche 911 (991) Carrera 4S (2017)
A lot of Hollywood celebrities like to keep something unflashy in the garage so that they can go completely incognito from time to time (see Justin Timberlake and his VW Jetta). Now, Kanye’s never going to do that; the Porsche 991 is the closest he’s willing to come to blending in. Fortunately, they’re common enough on Rodeo Drive and in Calabasas that only the team from TMZ know it’s him. Top speed is 186mph, while it’ll hit 60mph in “Four[point]FiveSeconds”.
Lamborghini Urus (2019)
Lamborghini’s SUV is, like Kanye, a rather divisive proposition and that’s especially true of his Urus, which is matte beige. We think it kinda works, especially with its unusual monoblock wheels, which the rapper-fashionista designed himself. Pair with some cream-coloured high-top Yeezy Boosts and a Damir Doma coat to complete the look.
Sherp (2019)
The self-proclaimed “Christian Genius Billionaire” owns not one but eight of these really quite awesome all-terrain vehicles, which are built in Ukraine and designed to smash their way through Siberia. In this regard, it’s a bit like Vladimir Putin: Nothing gets in its way, not even the UN. Despite the Tonka-truck looks, it’s remarkably simple. Huge patented self-inflating tyres that sit proud of the bodywork means it can mount obstacles of more than 70cm. A skid-steer system allows it to turn in its own length. Under the floor is a turbodiesel block producing 44bhp, so it’s not all that quick. Top speed is 28mph, but it’ll also do 4mph on water because, did we mention, it swims… Think of this as a tiny wilderness-squashing tank designed to work in the most extreme environments, getting you places no other vehicle can manage. A bit like Kanye’s masterful beats.
