Elon Musk reveals the ‘incredible’ car he drove before starting Tesla
- Even though he only drives Teslas for obvious reasons, Elon Musk is a huge car guy
- He famously owned the Lotus Esprit that appeared in James Bond’s The Spy Who Loved Me and a McLaren F1
- In an episode of Joe Rogan’s podcast, he revealed the car he drove before starting Tesla
Published on Jan 17, 2024 at 8:47 PM (UTC+4)
by Alessandro Renesis
Last updated on Jan 18, 2024 at 8:44 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Adam Gray
Elon Musk is a bit of a secret car guy.
He doesn’t really talk about it that much, probably because he thinks it might be a conflict of interest since he owns a car company, but he’s a huge car fan.
And the car he drove before starting Tesla proves it.
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When people mention Elon Musk and cars in the same sentence, it’s almost always because of Tesla.
On the odd occasion, some people may mention the ‘James Bond’ Lotus Esprit he secretly bought years ago.
Or perhaps the McLaren F1 he bought in his 20s.
However, no one ever talks about his Porsche.
In the mid 2000s, right before starting Tesla, Elon Musk used to use a Porsche 911 997 as a daily driver.
He mentioned that during a podcast with Joe Rogan, and it’s clear he was absolutely besotted with it.
He calls it ‘incredible’.
Musk particularly admired the way Porsche still managed to make it fun to drive and great around the corners, despite the physics of having a rear engine and rear-wheel drive.
The Porsche 911 997 was introduced in 2004, and was available with three different versions of Porsche’s iconic flat-six.
The ‘base’ models were all powered by a 3.6-liter with 321 horsepower.
Then there was the 3.8-liter with 355 or 376 horsepower.
And then the fastest ones were powered by a different 3.6-liter, with or without turbo, with up to 523 horsepower.
We don’t know what model Musk owned, but it was probably not the base Carrera or the track-focused GT2 or GT3 – probably something in the middle.
These days, a 997 in good condition sells for about $90,000.
Interestingly, that makes it cheaper than some versions of the Cybertruck.
Alessandro is an automotive journalist with 10 years of experience covering supercars, automotive history, emerging vehicle technology, and luxury transportation. He wrote the first article published on SupercarBlondie.com when the website launched in 2022 and has since built a reputation for insightful reporting across the automotive and transportation industries. His expertise is grounded in hands-on experience. Alessandro has driven every Tesla model ever produced, from the original Roadster to the Cybertruck, and regularly covers the latest developments in electric vehicles and automotive innovation. His passion for transportation extends beyond cars, he has even flown a Boeing 787 Dreamliner simulator in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. His reporting spans everything from classic American muscle cars and rare automotive discoveries to luxury yachts, private aircraft, high-end watches, and cutting-edge vehicle technology. Known for his deep knowledge of automotive history and ability to uncover the stories behind iconic vehicles, Alessandro brings readers a blend of historical context, technical expertise, and first-hand experience.
