The ingenious reason Steve Jobs’ Silver Mercedes SL55 AMG made him hard to spot
- Steve Jobs used to drive a Mercedes SL 55
- He would normally replace the car with an identical one every six months
- No one noticed because the car never had a number plate
Published on Jul 10, 2024 at 11:59 AM (UTC+4)
by Alessandro Renesis
Last updated on Jul 11, 2024 at 12:31 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Tom Wood
Steve Jobs drove the same car every day for years.
He used to own a Porsche before switching to Mercedes but, in both cases, it was always very difficult to spot him.
Jobs exploited a legal loophole that allowed to keep his car as anonymous as it could be and, for his entire life, it worked.
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Steve Jobs was worth north of $10 billion at the time of his death in 2011.
The tech mogul wasn’t particularly flashy when it came to money, even though he obviously had a lot.
Whilst he didn’t really have a car collection to speak of, he did like nice cars.
For the longest time, Steve Jobs’ daily driver was black Porsche 911.
Years later, he switched cars and replaced his Porsche 911 with a Mercedes-Benz SL 55.
However, in both instances, the car would be replaced with an identical one every six months, and no one would notice, because his cars never had a number plate.
Why Steve Jobs was allowed to own a car with no plates
The state of California, at one point, did not require new vehicles to have a license plate for up to six months.
California changed the law a few years ago but for a very long time, you were allowed to buy a new car and drive it plate-free and replace it once a year.
And that’s what Jobs did.
By leasing a new car every six months, Steve Jobs exploited this obscure loophole in the law and that meant his car never had a number plate.
No one really noticed at the time because back then the world of social media wasn’t the same as it is today.
These days, top CEOs conduct themselves differently.
We still don’t catch them driving fancy cars, but this is because they tend to use either private jets or massive yachts.
Jeff Bezos, for example, famously owns Koru, a $500 million sailing yacht which costs $25 million a year to run, as well as a shadow boat worth $75 million.
And then there’s Mark Zuckerberg, who’s currently enjoying his Italian holiday aboard his massive $300 million yacht called ‘Launchpad’, accompanied by another yacht, a support vessel aptly called ‘Wingman’.
The main image for this story was generated with AI
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.
