Here’s why Steve Jobs bought an identical car every 6 months

Apple co-founder Steve Jobs used to get an identical Porsche every six months for a pretty unusual reason. 

Jobs, who passed away in 2011, was known for wearing a ‘uniform’ of a simple black turtleneck and a pair of blue jeans every day. 

And it seems that he liked uniformity when it came to his cars, too – choosing to drive a black convertible Porsche 911, which he switched out for an identical one every six months. 

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Steve Jobs took advantage of a legal loophole

Many of the world’s rich and famous splash their cash on high-end vehicles and supercars. 

But when it came to Jobs, who had an estimated net worth of $10.2 billion at the time of his death, he kept things simple and drove the same model Porsche 911 for years. 

Every six months, Jobs would replace the car with an identical one – reportedly so he could avoid getting a license plate. 

Yep, according to Jon Callas, computer security expert and software engineer for Apple, Jobs didn’t want to have to get plates for his car, so he instead took advantage of a loophole in Californian law that meant drivers did not have to use license plates for the first six months of ownership.

So Jobs would simply lease a new one every six months, meaning he never had to bother getting any plates.

Callas first shared the story in an interview a few years back. 

“Not a lot of money for a billionaire to have no plate,” Callas said. 

“He’s paying less than a thou per month–let’s call it ten grand a year, to have no license plate.”

It’s unclear why he avoided getting plates

Callas confirmed what he’d said to Inc.com in 2018 – but did caveat the anecdote by saying it was something he had heard from others. 

It’s unclear why Jobs would go through such efforts to shun plates, but one theory suggests he did as his plate-less car allowed him to have some anonymity when out driving. 

Jobs happily drove his Porsche for many years but later swapped to a Mercedes SL 55. 

He still kept up with the same trick with that car, getting a new one every six months.

However, anyone hoping to try and replicate Jobs’ idea is out of luck – because Californian lawmakers closed up the loophole back in 2019.