Uncovered: Star Power’s Effect on Car Prices
Being rich and famous has many benefits, one of which is that everything you touch immediately becomes much more valuable. Costumes, memorabilia and even vehicles once owned by celebs often fetch huge sums when resold.
So, how much value do celebrities really add to a car? We’ve uncovered the most eye-opening examples in recent years of motors that have gone up in price by simply having been driven (or even just sat in) by a famous person.
To calculate this, we looked at the average resale value of the same model of vehicle that the celebrity was selling, in the same year of their sale, for a direct comparison of prices – finding the percentage difference between a standard motor and a celeb’s car.
Public Figures: Obama Adds More Value Than Trump
The most valuable vehicle in terms of added cost belonged to the 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama, with his 2002 Grand Jeep Cherokee hitting the auction block in 2019 for £38,440. That’s a staggering 1,207% more than the average resale value the same year – £2,940. That’s not to say Donald Trump didn’t bring in the big bucks for his 2007 Ferrari F430 Coupe, with a 151% price bump courtesy of his name being attached.
| Public Figure | Vehicle | Year Sold | Sale Price | Vehicle Resale Average (Year of Celeb Sale) | Celeb Price Increase | % Value Increase |
| Barack Obama | 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee | 2019 | £38,440 | £2,940 | £35,500 | 1207% |
| Donald Trump | 2007 Ferrari F430 Coupe | 2017 | £207,760 | £82,910 | £124,850 | 151% |
| Bill Gates | 1979 Porsche 911 | 2012 | £61,600 | £31,110 | £30,490 | 98% |
| Gordon Ramsay | 2005 Ferrari F430 | 2019 | £122,630 | £77,200 | £45,430 | 59% |
| Kris Jenner | 1956 Ford Thunderbird Convertible | 2018 | £48,480 | £30,940 | £17,540 | 57% |
| The Queen | 1955 Rolls-Royce Phantom IV | 2018 | £800,000 | £704,220 | £95,780 | 14% |
Other cars from notable public figures included Bill Gates, whose Porsche 911 brought in a laudable £30,490 over market value (a 98% bump) and star chef Gordan Ramsay’s Ferrari F340 which netted an increase of 59% (£45,430) over the same models sold in 2019 without a gourmet connection.
We also found that, in these crazy times, reality TV royalty added more value than the actual Queen of England. The fact that a Ford Thunderbird Convertible had previously been owned by Kris Jenner of Kardashians fame made it 57% more valuable while the Queen’s Rolls Royce Phantom IV only managed to add 14% over market rate.
Musicians: Ringo Increased His Motor’s Worth By More Than McCartney
While he may be the one on the receiving end of most Beatles-related jokes, Ringo Starr proved that his ability to bring in the big bucks is no laughing matter. Ringo’s 1966 Mini Cooper S brought in 355% more than comparable models the year it sold while Paul McCartney’s gained a respectable 86%. Not bad for Macca but it doesn’t quite have that Starr quality.
Sat between the Beatles is Justin Bieber who sold a Ferrari 458 Italia he claimed to have ‘forgotten that he owned’, back in 2017. Despite his blasé attitude to fancy motors, he still managed to add 162% in value for simply being associated with it.
| Musician | Vehicle | Year Sold | Sale Price | Vehicle Resale Average (Year of Celeb Sale) | Celeb Price Increase | % Value Increase |
| Madonna | 2002 Mini Cooper S | 2018 | £55,000 | £5,380 | £49,620 | 922% |
| Frank Sinatra | 1984 Rolls-Royce Corniche Convertible | 2018 | £140,630 | £30,940 | £109,690 | 355% |
| Ringo Starr | 1966 Mini Cooper ‘S’ | 2017 | £102,300 | £33,890 | £68,410 | 202% |
| Justin Bieber | 2011 Ferrari 458 Italia | 2017 | £337,300 | £128,840 | £208,460 | 162% |
| Paul McCartney | 1964 Aston Martin DB5 | 2017 | £1,345,500 | £724,550 | £620,450 | 86% |
| Jay Kay (Jamiroquai) | 1972 Ferrari 365 GTC/4 Coupe | 2019 | £219,380 | £180,820 | £38,560 | 21% |
The celeb who gained the biggest price premium was Madonna, whose 2002 Mini Cooper S was listed for an astounding £55,000 (922% over its standard 2018 resale value of £5,380) in 2018 simply due to the Queen of Pop.
