13 Cars The Prince Actually Owned (And 5 Weird He Didn't)

The prince was one of the most popular entertainers in the area. When we lost him in 2016 at the age of 57, it was terrible. He was one of the most charismatic, enigmatic and eclectic performers of all time. He was a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer and director. The miniature firecracker, five feet three inches tall, was more attractive than people three times his size. He was known for his wide vocal range, extravagant and flamboyant style, and his ability to play guitar, piano, drums, bass, and keyboards.

After he passed away, an inventory of his estate was presented and made public, showing the world a list of possessions as eclectic and varied as his own musical styles and tastes. Some of the most interesting items on the list included: 12 Twin Cities properties that combined were worth about $25 million, another $110,000 spread across four bank accounts, and 67 gold bars that combined were worth about $840,000!

One of the other bits that were included in the Carver County District Court document were details of his car collection. Let me warn you: his collection is not what you expect. He is definitely not as extravagant as the man himself, although he is full of collectible and cool cars. Some of the cars on the list are recognizable from videos and movies featuring Prince.

Looking at this list of cars, you might think that Prince should have owned but didn't. Of course, this is completely arbitrary, but there are several specific cars (ahem mostly purple) that we think he should have put in his collection.

Here are 13 cars the Prince owns and 5 he should have.

18 He owned: 1985 Cadillac limousine.

You might expect Prince to have more limousines in his collection given how often he drove them (and especially given his lifestyle). Back in 1985, Prince was one of the hottest performers on the planet, with his Around the world in a day the album reached the Billboard Top 100. His biggest single "Raspberry Beret" peaked at number 2. He also began production on his second feature film, under the cherry moon, around this time. And he also bought his own Cadillac limousine to hide and avoid the paparazzi, but with style. Based on the time frame, it was probably either Fleetwood or DeVille.

17 He owned: 1999 Plymouth Prowler.

via Hemmings Motor News

Undoubtedly the strangest car Prince has owned, but somehow the most fitting for his character is his 1999 Plymouth Prowler. The now defunct car company was a real success when the Prowler first came out before people realized it was too weird to be a game changer. He bought Prowler the same year he signed with Artista Records and released Race Un2 the Joy Fantastic under the symbol of "love", collaborating with stars such as Eve, Gwen Stefani and Sheryl Crow. The album was not well received, and neither was the strange Prowler he bought. But if there was a car whose color scheme matched that of Prince, it was the original purple Plymouth Prowler.

16 He owned: 1964 Buick Wildcat.

The Prince's oldest car was a 1964 Buick Wildcat. This car was first seen in his video "Under the Cherry Moon". Prince, of course, opted for the convertible option for his Wildcat. This car was Buick's attempt to compete with GM's full-sized Oldsmobile Starfire, another sporty model the brand sold. The Wildcat was named for its big-block V8 engine, which was the largest of the car series, displacing 425 cubic inches and producing 360 horsepower with dual quad carburetors. This engine was named the "Super Wildcat" and gave rise to this amazing sports muscle car. It looks like this is the same car that the Prince would drive.

15 He owned: 1993 Ford Thunderbird.

Okay, maybe Prince didn't pick the best Ford Thunderbird. It wasn't quite the 1969 Thunderbird that was featured in his "Alphabet St." video. from the 1988 album lovesexy. But nevertheless it is Thunderbird. This 1993 is definitely not as cool as the big piece of metal from 1969, and not as flashy as one would expect Prince to be. The 1993 Thunderbird was indeed a mid-size car with reasonable performance (from 140 to 210 hp) that ran on a 3.8-liter or 5-liter V8 (for the Super Coupe). You can currently get a used 1993 Thunderbird for around $2,000 or less.

14 He owned: 1995 Jeep Grand Cherokee.

Prince had a very diverse music portfolio and this was reflected in his varied interest in cars. Judging by the strange things he owned, he was a very eclectic person. All we can say about the 1995 Jeep Grand Cherokee is that it was pretty cold in his hometown of Minneapolis, Minnesota during the winter, so that might be why he bought the Jeep Grand Cherokee. Jeeps have gained a cult following (as has Prince himself), although Grand Cherokees tend to have lower performance than other off-road SUVs and even other Jeeps. However, the new 2019 Grand Cherokee is pretty cute!

13 He owned: 1997 Lincoln Town Car.

Many stars of the 1990s owned a Lincoln Town Car, and Prince was no exception. This luxury trip made sense for a man who liked to ride with a chauffeur and liked to move around in style. It wasn't exactly a Bentley or a Rolls-Royce, but it was still a reliable midsize luxury car that could get Prince from point A to point B. The design of these cars was borrowed from the cheaper Ford Crown Victoria and Mercury Grand Marquis. The 1997 model year was the last of the second generation and included wood trim, door mirrors and climate control. You can currently buy a 1997 Town Car for around $6,000 or $7,000.

12 He owned: 2004 Cadillac XLR.

The Cadillac XLR was a pretty cool luxury car that was popular when it first appeared in the 2004 model year, so it's no surprise to Prince that he has one. The car was based on the Chevrolet Corvette C5 after GM switched to the C6. The XLR was anticipated by the Evoq concept and was the first Cadillac to feature radar-based adaptive cruise control (ACC). The engine was a 4.6-liter Northstar with 320 horsepower, allowing it to 0–60 mph in just 5.7 seconds. It also got 30 mpg which is pretty great. The car was nominated for the North American Car of the Year award in 2004.

11 He owned: 2011 Lincoln MKT.

The prince was a fan of big cars and luxury brands such as Lincoln, Cadillac and BMW. This luxury SUV has been around since 2010, making it the second SUV produced by Ford's luxury brand. It is the second largest SUV in Ford's repertoire, sitting in between the Lincoln MKX and the Lincoln Navigator. It shares a common base with the Ford Flex and Ford Explorer, although it has no direct Lincoln predecessors. It runs either a 2.0-liter EcoBoost inline-four (for the Town Car fleet version), a 3.7-liter V6, or a 3.5-liter EcoBoost twin-turbo GTDI V6. You can get a 2011 for around $6,000 these days, though a new 2019 MKT will set you back around $38,000.

10 He owned: 1991i 850 BMW.

via Matt Garrett's Car Collection

Judging by the list of his possessions, which was compiled after we lost Prince, it was noticed that he had a strong predilection for BMW. When the BMW 850i was first released, it was a bit of a disappointment for BMW enthusiasts, even though it came out around the same time many car companies were having trouble satisfying their audiences. However, in hindsight, the car has become something of a classic, and it actually looked better than a lot of things made in the 1990s (we're looking at you Chevy Camaro). He used an 850i for his "Sexy MF" video and it was probably the same one he had.

9 He owned: 1960 Buick Electra 225s.

via Hemmings Motor News

The Buick Electra 225 was extremely popular when it came out in the 1960s, and the best-selling and most beautiful Electra cars came out during that era, so we're guessing the one he owned came out sometime in that decade. Prince actually mentioned the Electra 225 in the song "Deuce A Quarter" in 1993. The Buick Electra had a long life from 1959 to 1990 when it was replaced by Buick Park Avenue. The car was named after the sister-in-law (Electra Wagoner Biggs) of the then Buick president. Over 30 years of operation, it was offered in various body styles, including coupe, convertible, sedan and even station wagon.

8 He owned: BMW 1984CS 633

The 1980s were a huge time for Prince, and 1984 was one of his best years of the decade. It was when he went on tour to promote one of his biggest albums, 1999, including the most recognizable song on the album "Red Corvette" (we will touch on it in more detail a little later). In the music video for this song, Prince competes with Michael Jackson, and this competition continues to this day. Back in 1984, they were the only two black artists to have full-time video airplay on MTV. One of the Prince's BMWs was a 1984 '633 CS, a sports car popular with collectors.

7 He owned: 1995 Prevost bus.

via Prevost RV for sale

When Prince was big and in charge in the 1990s, he decided to step up his game and buy himself a luxury tour bus so he could party like he did in 1999 in style. He also toured extensively, averaging one tour a year during the 1990s, to accompany his various album releases. In the mid-90s, Prince bought himself a Prevost tour bus. The Canadian manufacturing company was known for its high quality buses, motorhomes and tour buses after opening a shop in Quebec in 1924. By the time Prince bought his luxury tour bus, the company was already partnering with Volvo to supply top quality engines.

6 He owned: Hondamatic CM400A "Purple Rain".

Probably the most iconic vehicle Prince owned was not a car at all, but this Honda motorcycle - the Hondamatic CM400A - painted bright purple with Prince's "love" symbols emblazoned all over. This bike was named after his most famous song "Purple Rain", which was also an album and a feature film. The 1984 film was a semi-autobiographical short story and won an Academy Award for music taken from the album of the same name. In the film, Prince's character drives this luxurious Honda CM400A. It was the same bike he used in the later film. Graffiti Bridge, although it was painted gold and black for this film.

5 Strange he didn't have: 1991 Lamborghini Diablo

When trying to decide which purple cars are the most popular on the planet, the first thing that comes to mind is the Lamborghini Diablo from the beginning of the year. When it first appeared, the most iconic image of the "devilish" Lambo was by far the bright neon purple version. And what a great car it was. And what a sight it would be to see Prince driving his own Diabo - everyone knows he could afford it! But in fact, he preferred more practical cars. He didn't need a 12 mph V200 car to impress people (although that would help); his music spoke for itself.

4 Strange it didn't have: 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air

Another car that could appeal to Prince in style, especially given his craving for old, 1960s and 70s Detroit muscle, would be the Chevrolet Bel Air - preferably a Chevy, absolutely legendary America. This long car was produced from 1950 to 1981 for eight generations. The final year of the second generation, 1957, was probably the most iconic and classic of vintage Bel Airs, and it was only the second Chevrolet to feature a V8 engine. When the second-generation Bel Air first appeared in 1954, it received top marks from Motor Trend and Popular Mechanics magazines.

3 Strange it didn't have: 1953 Volkswagen Beetle

If you can imagine Prince in long, low cars like the Lamborghini Diablo and Chevy Bel Air, you can probably imagine him in shorter, squat cars like the VW Beetle too. And we're not talking about the New Beetle, but a real post-war VW Beetle, preferably from the 1950s. And, of course, preferably painted purple. These vintage cars are among the most popular collectible cars on the planet. There's a reason this car had one of the longest lifespans of any car (from 1938 to 2003) and why it's one of the best-selling cars of all time: it was practical, small, and a lot of fun to drive.

2 Strange he didn't have: 1969 Chevrolet Camaro SS

To appease Prince's love of muscle cars, we thought we'd include the Chevrolet Camaro, which in the 1960s and 70s was the epitome of muscle (besides the Mustang, perhaps). A purple 1969 Camaro SS with a black stripe on the hood would have looked amazing, and we can imagine that this is the car Prince should have owned. The 1969 Camaro was the year of the first generation and it was a beauty. The SS package was discontinued in 1972 (until 1996) so we think he would have liked to have this more collectible version.

1 Strange it didn't have: 1959 Chevrolet Corvette

The first car that immediately comes to mind when we imagine what Prince should have had is definitely and without a doubt an early model Chevrolet Corvette, obviously painted red to reflect one of his most famous songs." Little Red Corvette. Could you imagine Prince driving around in his little red C1 Corvette from the late 50s? Of course, it would be an amazing image. The solid axle Corvette C1 is by far one of the most popular collectible cars and probably the most popular Corvette model (other than the Sting Ray) among collectors today. You can probably get a 1959 Corvette for around $80,000 to $120,000 these days.

Sources: Autoweek, Jalopnik and City Pages.