Previewed at WWDC, launching in the fall.
BMW Z8 Owned by Steve Jobs Estimated to Fetch Up to $400,000 at Auction Next Month
A luxurious, 400 horsepower BMW Z8 owned by late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs is headed to auction next month at Sotheby's in New York. The winning bid is estimated to reach between $300,000 and $400,000.
Jobs' ownership is documented through several service invoices accompanying the car, as well as a copy of a California registration or so-called "pink slip" in his name and at his personal residence, according to the listing.
"According to legend, Jobs was convinced to buy the Z8 by Larry Ellison the iconoclastic CEO of Oracle, who enthused to Jobs that the car was a paragon of modern automotive engineering and ergonomics," the listing says.
The roadster has a production date of April 1, 2000, and it was delivered to him in October of that year, according to Sotheby's. Jobs reportedly sold the car in 2003 to its current owner in Los Angeles.
Over the course of the last 17 years, the car has been driven just 15,200 miles from new, averaging less than 1,000 miles a year, the listing states. It is said to remain in "exemplary condition."
The silver-over-black car is equipped with several accessories, including its original BMW-branded Motorola flip phone that Jobs supposedly hated. The JOBS Z8 license plate was registered by the current owner.
BMW built just over 5,700 Z8s between 1999 and 2003. The car had a suggested price of $128,000 before options in the United States, and used models typically sell for anywhere between $165,000 and over $200,000.
The auction begins December 6 at Sotheby's "Icons" event, featuring supercars from Lamborghini, Ferrari, Jaguar, and other marques. The listing was brought to our attention by BMWBLOG.com.
(Thanks, Chris!)
Jobs' ownership is documented through several service invoices accompanying the car, as well as a copy of a California registration or so-called "pink slip" in his name and at his personal residence, according to the listing.
"According to legend, Jobs was convinced to buy the Z8 by Larry Ellison the iconoclastic CEO of Oracle, who enthused to Jobs that the car was a paragon of modern automotive engineering and ergonomics," the listing says.
The roadster has a production date of April 1, 2000, and it was delivered to him in October of that year, according to Sotheby's. Jobs reportedly sold the car in 2003 to its current owner in Los Angeles.
Over the course of the last 17 years, the car has been driven just 15,200 miles from new, averaging less than 1,000 miles a year, the listing states. It is said to remain in "exemplary condition."
The silver-over-black car is equipped with several accessories, including its original BMW-branded Motorola flip phone that Jobs supposedly hated. The JOBS Z8 license plate was registered by the current owner.
BMW built just over 5,700 Z8s between 1999 and 2003. The car had a suggested price of $128,000 before options in the United States, and used models typically sell for anywhere between $165,000 and over $200,000.
The auction begins December 6 at Sotheby's "Icons" event, featuring supercars from Lamborghini, Ferrari, Jaguar, and other marques. The listing was brought to our attention by BMWBLOG.com.
(Thanks, Chris!)
[ 144 comments ]
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9 months ago
I have always wondered why Americans drive European cars... :)
Probably the same reason Europeans use the American-designed iPhone.
9 months ago
The current JOBS Z8 license plate belongs to the current owner.
Steve Jobs wouldn't have used a license plate.
9 months ago
Steve Jobs wouldn't have used a license plate.
You brought up a good point.
If I remember correctly, I read an article that Steve Jobs never licensed his cars because California has a law that cars can go six months before needing to be licensed. Because of that, he traded his in every six months.
Am I correct?
9 months ago
Can you imagine driving around in a Car driven and owned by Steve Jobs? What a story piece that would be.
9 months ago
They are nice cars and handle good, but not very impressive compared to new cars today (like most classics are).
I actually recall the opposite. While a very beautiful car, a lot of reviews criticized its handling, so I'm not sure it handled all that well.
[doublepost=1509330039][/doublepost]
I'd rather have James Bond's car.
9 months ago
Can you imagine driving around in a Car driven and owned by Steve Jobs? What a story piece that would be.
Honestly, I can...I just don't see that it would feel any different than driving any other Z8.
9 months ago
I remember carrying around a Motorola Startac phone also. That was an expensive and very sought after piece of technology back then.
Remember that? When a cell phone was judged by how tiny it was? The StarTac made my Nokia 6061 look like a brick phone. Now, the iPhones and various Android slabs make the StarTac look like a 25 cent prize from a claw game in a Shoney's lobby.
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