Steve Jobs’ daughter had no idea why he was trading in Porsches every six months as she wanted one for herself
Published on Oct 01, 2025 at 4:51 PM (UTC+4)
by Alessandro Renesis
Last updated on Oct 01, 2025 at 8:36 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones
Steve Jobs kept changing his Porsche 911 every six months, and his daughter, who wanted one for herself, never understood why.
Years later, she learned that Jobs was simply exploiting a loophole in California that allowed him to drive his car without a license plate.
He kept doing this thing for years, and no one knew why.
Unfortunately for him (and everyone else), California eventually changed this law.
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The reason why Steve Jobs changed his car after exactly six months
Even though he was worth around $10 billion, Jobs was not particularly lavish when it came to spending money.
Even so, his daily driver wasn’t exactly cheap.
For a while, Steve Jobs leased a brand-new black Porsche 911 every six months.
Years later, he switched cars and replaced his Porsche 911 with a Mercedes-Benz SL 55 (pictured below).
He changed his car but never changed his tactic.
For years, he continued leasing an identical car every six months because that meant he could always drive it without a license plate.
One of his daughters, Lisa Brennan-Jobs, explained in her memoir ‘Small Fry‘ how she wanted the Porsche but basically couldn’t get it because her father kept getting rid of it every six months.
The state of California changed this law to avoid this
Back then, the law in California allowed owners to drive their vehicles without a license plate for up to six months, but that basically meant anyone could drive a car plate-free as long as they replaced it every six months.
Steve Jobs exploited this obscure loophole in the law to get away from the paps, and that meant his car never had a plate.
Obviously, Jobs was just doing this to avoid the paparazzi, but for clear reasons, keeping track of a car with no license plate isn’t easy.
This is why California eventually changed the law, and the fact that high-profile car owners somewhat ‘popularized’ this law was part of the reason why the state made this decision.
