14 Strange Cars Michael Jackson Owned (And 6 He Would Buy Today)

Despite all the controversy and troubles that surrounded Michael Jackson towards the end of his life, for many people he will forever be remembered primarily as the king of pop music. His music lives on today and he is still one of the best selling musicians of all time and is considered one of the greatest artists of all time. He had an interesting life, to say the least, as he was the eighth child in the Jackson family.

His pioneering music videos of the 1980s such as "Beat It", "Billie Jean", and "Thriller" (all from the "Thriller" album) turned music videos into an art form. With 350 million records sold worldwide, he is the third best-selling artist of all time, behind only The Beatles and Elvis Presley. Even after he passed away in 2009, he was still huge: in 2016, his fortune earned $825 million, which is the highest annual amount ever recorded by Forbes!

One of the eclectic things in his life was his home near Santa Ynez, California, dubbed "Neverland Ranch". He purchased the 2,700-acre property in 1988 for $17 million and equipped it with several carnivals, amusement rides, Ferris wheels, a zoo, and a movie theatre. The Neverland Ranch had a collection of Michael's cars that grew over the years.

In 2009, to pay off debts, many of his most expensive possessions were sold, including some of his strange, bizarre cars that had been hidden from the public eye until the auction. The vehicles he used at the Neverland Ranch included a horse-drawn carriage, a fire engine, a Peter Pan golf cart, and more.

Let's take a look at 14 cars Michael Jackson owned and 6 cars he should have owned (from his music videos and other sources).

20 1990 Rolls-Royce Silver Spur II Limousine

These limos were huge in the 1990s. Obviously, they are still huge - huge and expensive. The 1990 Rolls-Royce Silver Spur was the perfect car to get a star like Michael Jackson around. It combined white leather and black fabric, made of the finest materials, of course. There were tinted windows and white curtains, in case that wasn't enough. Also included was a full service bar. Under the hood was a 6.75-liter V8 engine mated to a 4-speed automatic transmission. You can currently get one of these on the auction house for around $30,000-$50,000, which isn't that much considering the style points you'll have.

19 1954 Cadillac Fleetwood

The vintage classic Cadillac Fleetwood has a fairly popular history: it was on this car that Chauffeur Miss Daisy in 1989. Its engine was a 331 CID V8 that used an overhead valve design and gave the car 230 horsepower (quite a lot in those days). According to Hagerty.com, these cars in mint condition cost around $35,000, although the original MSRP in the 5,875s was only $1950. Michael wanted this special car because he liked the movie. Chauffeur Miss Daisy. He was in good company: Elvis Presley also owned a 1950s Fleetwood car.

18 Tourist bus Neoplan 1997 release

via the gallery of the Morrison Hotel

Michael Jackson certainly knew how to move around in style and comfort, which makes sense considering how often he was on tour and on the road. He liked to take all the luxury and comfort he had in his house with him on the road, so he bought this 1997 Neoplan tour bus and equipped it with everything he needed. It had separate seats and booths, a carpet with embroidered royal crowns. It was the bus he used for the HIStory world tour. It also had a full-sized bathroom - the sink was made of gilt and the countertops were made of granite and porcelain.

17 1988 GMC Jimmy High Sierra Classic

via Restore Muscle Car

This may be one of the least likely cars Michael Jackson owns, but he had one. Between the 1980s and 90s, everyone seemed to have a Jimmy. During this time, GM developed two SUVs, the Blazer and Jimmy, which have been sold under the Chevrolet brand since 1982. Both cars were very similar, with a front engine, rear linkage and a long chassis at the front. It may seem odd that someone like Michael Jackson had a car as solid as the Jimmy High Sierra Classic, but he really liked big cars and Jimmy was his favorite, so it makes sense.

16 1988 Lincoln Town Car Limousine

Another 1988 car owned by Michael Jackson was a white Lincoln Town Car limousine. However, unlike the Rolls-Royce limousine, this one came standard with gray leather, cloth interior and walnut paneling. It ran on a stock 5.0-litre engine that didn't pack too much power but allowed it to ride around town in style. Understandably, Michael loved limousines because the spacious interior and comfort made everything nice and quiet. Today, a regular 1988 Lincoln Town Car costs only about $11,500 in mint condition, although this limousine can cost about twice as much. Or ten times more if it really belonged to Michael himself!

15 1993 Ford Econoline E150 Van

via Enter Motors Group Nashville

Michael Jackson's 1993 Ford Econoline van was fully tuned to his specifications, featuring a TV placed in front of the front passenger seats (at a time when almost no cars had TVs inside), a game console, leather seats, high quality leather upholstery. , and more. The game console inside this van belongs to the museum today. It was another vehicle that was an item of luxury and comfort, but it also allowed him to move around the city undetected, allowing him to remain anonymous while completing his busy daily schedule. This model had a 4.9-liter V6 engine paired with a four-speed automatic.

14 2001 Harley-Davidson Touring Bike

Like most of the cars Michael has owned, his 2001 Harley-Davidson Touring motorcycle was custom-built, in this case with police trim. While this sounds very illegal (and it probably is, if you drove it in public you would probably be accused of impersonating a police officer), Michael was a special case. Michael was very fond of small vehicles, including two-wheelers, so this Harley with sirens and police lights is right in his wheelhouse. This purchase turned out to be another impulsive purchase because Michael didn't even use it. It ran on a V2 engine with a 67 horsepower five-speed gearbox.

13 Replica of a 1909 Detamble Model B roadster

With Michael's 1909 Detamble Model B replica, we're starting to delve into the "weird" category of his car collection. If it wasn't a replica, it would cost a lot of money, but it's not. This car was indeed something he drove around Neverland Ranch, not actual streets (come to think of it, it might not even have been street legal). The exact details of this car are a bit lacking, other than that it ran some kind of internal combustion engine, was full size, and actually worked. It was eventually sold at auction along with some of his other cars such as a 1954 Cadillac Fleetwood and his fire engine.

12 1985 Mercedes-Benz 500 SEL

For most of his daily commute, Michael Jackson preferred to drive his 1985 SEL 500 Mercedes-Benz. Beginning in 1985, he used this car to travel from his home in Encino to his studio in Los Angeles, 19 miles away. In 1988 he changed his house to the fantastic Neverland Ranch in Los Olivos and his Mercedes left with him. It was probably his favorite car - or at least the most used one. He drove this car for a decade, never tired of it! That's saying something, considering who we're talking about here. It sold for $100,000 at Julien's Auction "Music Icons" in 2009.

11 1999 Rolls-Royce Silver Seraph

via Carriage House Motor Cars

The interior of Michael Jackson's 1999 Rolls-Royce Silver Seraph was refined and worthy of a king, even if that king was the king of pop. It was covered in 24 carat gold and crystal like the Palace of Versailles and the car was designed entirely by Michael himself, with the interior lavishly decorated by some of the best designers in the field. It was equipped with a 5.4-liter V12 engine with 321 hp. This car has become one of the most iconic cars in Michael's collection due to the amount of luxury and money that went into its completion.

10 1986 GMC High Sierra 3500 Fire Truck

through car image

Another of the strangest cars in Michael Jackson's collection was an old-fashioned firetruck that was actually a 1986 GMC High Sierra 3500. As mentioned earlier, Michael was a big fan of big cars, so this car fits perfectly in his garage at Neverland Ranch. This special vehicle was converted into a firetruck at Michael's behest and came complete with a water tank, fire hose, and flashing red lights. Michael said in an interview that he feels like Peter Pan, so it's no surprise that he had a real fire truck in his collection.

9 Mini-car Dodge Viper

This car certainly made a splash at Michael's Neverland ranch. It was a black mini Dodge Viper with Simpsons embellishments throughout, including a Bart stencil on the leather of the passenger seat and hood, Sideshow Bob on the side of the car, Ned Flanders and Apu also on the side, and Maggie on the back of the passenger seat. Since it was not street legal and half the size of a real car, its only location was at the Neverland Ranch, where it was probably a big hit with the kids. Nothing more is known about the "car".

8 Montana Carriage Company Electrified Horse Carriage

Topping the list of strange vehicles in Michael Jackson's collection is his Neverland Ranch, an electrified horse-drawn carriage. It's well known that Michael often considered himself a child, or at least someone with Peter Pan Syndrome (never growing up), and this horse-drawn carriage would be perfect in Neverland to complete the fairy tale atmosphere. In 2009, Michael unfortunately had to sell about 2,000 of his most expensive items to pay off his many debts, and the horse-drawn carriage was up for auction at Julien's Beverly Hills auction. This Montana Carriage Company car was black and red and had a CD player in the speakers. It sold for between $6,000 and $8000.

7 Peter Pan's golf cart

Perhaps we were too hasty when we mentioned the strangest cars Michael has owned. If it's not a horse-drawn carriage, it certainly is the black golf cart he used at Neverland Ranch. And the reason it was so weird was because it had a self-stylized version of himself as Peter Pan painted on the hood. He was also accompanied by other children's illustrations (it is not clear if he made them himself). It was also sold in Julien's huge auction in 2009 for between $4,000 and $6,000, which is quite a lot for a golf car! It's probably because it's so legendary - and it's pretty obvious who it belonged to.

6 Should have owned: 1981 Suzuki Love

Michael Jackson has often said that Japan was one of his favorite places to visit and perform with one of his most dedicated fan bases. That is why, after his acquittal in 2005, he chose Japan for his first public performance. He even had a contract with Suzuki Motorcycles in 1981 when the music sensation teamed up with Suzuki to promote their new line of scooters. The Suzuki Love moped came out at a time when Michael was at the height of his fame, and the Thriller came out the very next year. In one of the videos, we see Michael dancing next to the scooter.

5 Should have owned: 1986 Ferrari Testarossa

Almost every child dreams of owning a Ferrari at least once in their life. It would make perfect sense for Michael Jackson to own this 1986 Ferrari Testarossa, given that he had the ability to drive it. He drove it during one of his Pepsi commercials. However, the experience was not pleasant. During the commercial, Michael had to dance on stage to pyrotechnic explosions. A timing error caused Michael's hair to catch fire and he suffered third-degree burns. In the second part of the commercial (which Michael continued after the lawsuit), he drove a Ferrari Testarossa Spider as a getaway car. It was actually the only one Testarossa Spider made and sold in 2017 for $800,000!

4 Should have owned: 1964 Cadillac DeVille

via car from UK

Back in the early 2000s, despite all the problems surrounding Michael's personal and physical life, he was more popular than ever. In 2001, the singer released "You Rock My World" from his 10th and final studio album. The album topped the charts worldwide, and the song became one of his last hit singles and reached the Top 10 on Billboard. It was a 13 minute video that featured other celebrities such as Chris Tucker and Marlon Brando. At one point in the video, we see a XNUMX' Cadillac DeVille convertible in the foreground, where Michael is eating at a Chinese restaurant. The car foreshadowed the gangsters that Michael encountered in the rest of the video.

3 Should have owned: Lancia Stratos Zero

When you talk about weird cars, there is nothing weirder than this one! This seems to be Michael Jackson's perfect mobile, although in fact he never had one. In 1988, with the release of Smooth Criminal, the pop star uses the magic star's wish to transform into a futuristic flying Lancia Stratos Zero. "Smooth Criminal" is a 40 minute video, although the song itself was only about 10 minutes long. The space age car was created by the Italian automaker Bertone in 1970. In the video, the aerodynamic Stratos Zero and the sound effects of a roaring engine help Michael escape from the gangsters.

2 Should have owned: 1956 BMW Isetta

via Hemmings Motor News

The BMW Isetta is often considered one of the strangest cars ever made, especially for a company as revered as BMW. This "bubble car" of Italian design dates back to the early 1950s when Iso launched the car. It had a tiny 9.5 horsepower engine with one wheel in the back and two in the front. A second wheel was later added to prevent the vehicle from tipping over. This car has never appeared in any of Michael Jackson's music videos, but can't you imagine him under that bubble dome? Oddly enough, over 161,000 of these items have been sold, and all of them are without side doors and a single swing door to access the car from the front.

1 Should have owned: 1959 Cadillac Cyclone

In our search for strange cars that must have belonged to Michael Jackson, we settled on a 1959 Cadillac Cyclone - one of USNews.com's "50 Weirdest Cars of All Time". This is another space age car with a body that was somewhat new in the 1950s but hasn't been seen since. It looks like a Jetson car, but on wheels. It was built by Harley Earl and features a rocket ship design with a plexiglass dome that allowed the driver to have a full 360-degree view. The top could be flipped under the rear of the car when not in use. It was equipped with a forward radar that warned the driver of objects in front of the car - an idea ahead of its time, like today's forward collision warning system.

Sources: Autoweek, Mercedes Blog and Motor1.