Brian Johnson, the former lead singer of legendary rock band, AC/DC, retired from music due to hearing problems. Since taking retirement, this petrolhead has got more time to pursue his passion for cars and racing. He hosts the show, Cars That Rock, a must watch for car enthusiasts. Growing up in Dunston, on the edge of Gateshead, in the 1950s, seeing a decent car was an event for Johnson. But, now, his garage includes everything from a Rolls-Royce Phantom to a classic Citroën DS23 Pallas. From the decades of rocking career, he has accumulated a net worth of around $90 million and he has spent a significant part of his fortune in settling his garage. Let’s get into Brian Johnson’s $9m worth garage.
1. 1965 Lola T70 Mark 1
The final of 15 MK1s ever built, this car has an interesting story that includes use as a camera car in a Paul Newman movie and period races at Riverside. After he purchased, he got the car completely restored using fresh fiberglass, original type body and finished in its original color with Russkit decals. The car with a Ford V8 engine producing 640 horsepower, which Johnson himself used in multiple races, was auctioned off in 2016 for $595k.
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2. Ferrari 458 Italia
The Ferrari 458 Italia is Johnson’s modern favorite, which he has described as the most beautiful Ferrari ever. Though he doesn’t like white cars, a 458 Italia grabbed his attention when he was passing by a showroom in Park Avenue with his wife. Later, he got a red one through Chris Evans. The car’s engine featured Direct Fuel Injection, which is a first for a Ferrari mid-engine setup in its road cars.
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3. Rolls-Royce Phantom
The Rolls-Royce Phantom’s platform is called ‘The Architecture of Luxury’ and Brian said that it is a car he always yearned to possess. He says,
“When I was a kid they were unattainable. So when I got a chance to buy one, I did. I drive it like I stole it.”
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4. Bentley 4 1/2 Litre Vanden Plas
Brian considers this Bentley an iconic British automobile and describes the car as “Oozing Britishness.” He uses the vintage Bentley to pick up the morning paper. Apparently, he is an admirer of W.O. Bentley who was an English engineer who founded Bentley. He said,
“You had to have a lot of money and a lot of balls to [race] one of these cars. A lot of people died driving them.”
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5. Mini Cooper
Mini Cooper is a post-World War II, small fuel-efficient car built to be economically accessible for everyone. It was a cultural phenomenon, from hipsters to rockers, and royalty to racers everyone drove it. Immediately after driving one, Brian fell in love with the car and bought it from his friend who just happened to have two of them.
“[The Owner] had two and said “I can’t sell it to you, Brian. It’s not possible.” And his wife came up and said, “You have two of them!” He had two the same color, buying the second one without telling his wife so he could pull it out and she wouldn’t know one from the other – but she had found out he did have two of them.”
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6. Land Rover
Brian addresses his dark green Supercharged Range Rover V8 as “Chelsea Tractor” but he himself has a huge respect for Land Rover. He owns at least two Land Rovers. He says,
“England feels nice and safe. Because there’s Land Rovers there.”
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7. Fiat Abarth
Brian fondly calls this car ‘Ferrari’s little cousin’. It’s a pint-sized performer he drags around behind his tour bus, just so he has a car to drive around. He doesn’t like to call his cars a “collection”, he says he just doesn’t see the point if the cars “just sit there”. Although he has collected a lot of cars, this particular is one of his favorite.
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8. 1973 Citroën DS23 Pallas
Another car gracing Johnson’s garage is 1973 Citroën DS23 Pallas. Citroën chose to call this line of car DS because the letters are pronounced “déesse”, which literally translates to goddess and now it stand for Distinctive Series. Johnson rates this car 8 out of 10. He says,
“I drive it all the time. It’s still the most beautiful shape in the world. The mechanics are a bugger to keep up and running.”
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9. Audi R8
Audi R8 is one of Johnson’s prized possession. He bought this car after getting tired of the hot desert highways the band used to cross during their tours. This car had everything he wanted in a car luxury, speed, and awesome air conditioning system.
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10. Richard Petty Edition Ford Mustang GT
This was the first vehicle he purchased in America. This 627 horse powered car is one of 43-speed demon children that were produced under partnership of Ford and the Richard Petty Garage. The car had market value of just over $92,000 when he bought it.
References
- Brian Johnson’s Awesome Car Collection
- The Awesome Car Collection of AC/DC Lead Singer Brian Johnson
- ME AND MY MOTOR: BRIAN JOHNSON, AC/DC FRONTMAN
- TOP 5: BRIAN JOHNSON’S CARS