For decades now, America has had a fascination with Jerry Seinfeld. He’s not just a famous stand-up comedian, but also known for being the star of a self-titled sitcom. He’s a household name in the industry which is part of the reason Wealthy Gorilla estimates his net worth at $950 million. With all that wealth comes an extensive amount of rare vehicles. Even his closest fans might not know everything there is to know about the Jerry Seinfeld car collection.
In our years of bringing you the best car news, we’ve shared many famous car collections with you. You’ve seen the Tom Brady car collection, Donald Trump’s vehicles, and the highest priced Floyd Mayweather cars. In all this time, we haven’t given you the Jerry Seinfeld car collection yet.
Because Seinfeld remains a private person, getting all the information is often difficult. That’s why we don’t know the exact value of his collection nor are we aware of every car he owns. Despite that, we’ve pulled together ten facts you probably weren’t aware of.
1. He Shares The Collection on Netflix
Seinfeld wanted a talk show without the traditional format. That’s when he created a show where he takes a special guest on a ride in one of his cars from the collection. They drive to a local restaurant while chatting over food and coffee. Initially, the show was only broadcast on Crackle. Then, after nine seasons, Netflix picked him up. It’s become a popular series for the streaming service.
In his series, he’s hosted many well-known stars. Some of the most recent include Ellen DeGeneres, Chris Rock, and Dave Chappelle. This show wouldn’t seem like it would be a hit; watching two people chat, but it seems to work. Fans love watching for the next car and they enjoy the peek into the life of celebrities during a casual encounter.
2. Porsche is Jerry’s Favorite Car Brand
Okay, you might have already known this. Most of the cars in the Jerry Seinfeld car collection over the years were Porsches. He’s had a wide range of options from the classic and antique to more modern sports cars as well.
When many people discuss the Jerry Seinfeld car collection, what they’re really talking about is the Jerry Seinfeld Porsche collection. Some of his Porsche collection over the years included a 959, the 1955 550 Spyder, and the first 1963 911 ever made. He seems to like the classic over the modern, but you occasionally find him in a newer model as well.
3. Jerry Seinfeld Car Collection Garage is Worth $1.4 Million
Jerry Seinfeld doesn’t house his extensive collection just anywhere. You’ll find his cars in a $1.4 million garage located in Manhattan. What’s interesting about this three-story space is that it’s subterranean and features four unique areas. There’s even a dedicated fleet management team on-site, which we’ll discuss more in a minute.
The garage is so large it requires the use of an elevator. There’s also an 850-square foot living space included. This area features a club room and a pool table, plus an office, bathroom, and kitchenette. If Seinfeld desires to check on his cars at any time, he simply accesses a link to the live feed on his smartphone. From here, he can view the exterior and interior of his garage night or day.
4. Jerry Seinfeld Sold $22 Million Worth of Cars in 2016
It’s no secret that Jerry Seinfeld is in love with his car collection. With that said, there are still times he needs to get rid of some and make room for some new beauties. In 2016, he did just that when he sold off $22 million worth of his collection.
They went up for auction through Gooding and Company. In total, he ended up saying goodbye to 18 cars from the collection. This included two Volkswagen models and another 16 Porsches. That’s right; he parted ways with some beloved Porsche models.
During the auction, he sold a 1973 Porsche 917/30 Can-Am Spyder which brought him $3 million. Another hot ticket item was the 1975 911 Carrera 3.0 IROC RSR which fetched $2.3 million.
5. Dedicated Fleet Management Team for the Jerry Seinfeld Car Collection
It makes complete sense for Jerry Seinfeld to have his own team of mechanics to watch after his vehicles. They are like babies to him, so he wants someone to maintain them daily. Not only do they handle larger tasks on the cars, but they also oversee all preventative maintenance.
We don’t know a lot about the fleet management team itself; Jerry Seinfeld does a good job of keeping wraps on that information. What we do know is that the garage is amazing, which we told you about before. Anyone working there probably has a pretty exciting job. We can’t imagine too many mechanics turning down the opportunity to surround themselves in so many rare vehicles at once. If they did, they probably weren’t car enthusiasts at all.
6. His Collection Won’t Contain a Lexus
Ask anyone what Jerry’s favorite car is and they’ll tell you it’s a Porsche, but most people don’t know the brand he despises. Since he isn’t a fan of Lexus, we don’t ever expect that there will be one in the Jerry Seinfeld car collection.
If you think it’s possible that Seinfeld might have a Lexus one day, we refer you to a quote he’s known for. He said that Lexus, “perfected the idea of a coffin on wheels.” He’s even gone on the record to state that the Lexus lineups make him “very upset and angry.” Ouch! If he hadn’t attacked their brand enough, there are even times he’s discussed his displeasure with the company’s logo. We think he’s pretty passionate about this distaste, to say the least.
When Jerry was filming an episode of his show with Jay Leno, a Lexus pulled up next to them and blew his engine. That just further proved to Seinfeld why he wouldn’t want to own one. In all fairness, we don’t think Seinfeld is a Lexus kind of guy anyway.
7. He Restored an Old Car for a Long Time
If there’s one quality Seinfeld has, it must be patience. You can see that clearly when you look at the time it takes to restore some of his classic cars. For example, the 1964 Porsche 911 in his collection was purchased in 1996. As a quick side note, this vehicle was also owned by Ferry Porsche who was the son of the founder plus an engineer and designer.
He spent $400,000 to purchase the car even though it needed a major restoration job. After the purchase, he set his mind to complete the task. He even sent the car back to Germany to receive work from Cavaglieri Restorations. In total, it took him five years to complete the task. On top of that, the total restoration bill came to $250,000. After five years and $650,000, he finally had the 911 he wanted.
8. Jerry Seinfeld Car Collection Houses a Dangerous Porsche
Inside the Jerry Seinfeld car collection, you’ll also find the 2000 Porsche Carrera GT. That vehicle should ring a few bells in your mind. The company planned to create a race car that was street legal. This super sports car sucked in a lot of celebrities, most notably, Paul Walker. You know him from the Fast and the Furious movies.
If you don’t remember, it’s also the same car that killed Walker in 2013. In relation to the prototype that Seinfeld owns, there were only two models manufactured and he has one. Surprisingly, he attempted to sell it during that 2016 auction, but no one bought it.
9. A $700,000 Porsche in the Collection is Illegal to Drive
The Jerry Seinfeld car collection contains a vehicle that’s not allowed on U.S. roads. The 1983 959 was supposed to showcase the Porsche designers’ mechanical expertise. To fulfill legal obligations to Germany, they needed to produce 200 units of this model. All of the 959s they built had been purchased by enthusiasts before they left the line. That meant they couldn’t turn four of them over to the United States for emissions and safety tests. Because of that, the United States won’t allow them on the road.
Even Bill Gates attempted to smuggle one into California and had his impounded. Eventually, enough people lobbied to allow cars like these to be brought to the United States as long as they weren’t driven. They are considered part of the “show and display” that’s now in effect. Opposite Lock contains an extensive list of vehicles that are now part of this law, and the Porsche 959 is listed on page two.
10. Jay Leno Helped the Jerry Seinfeld Car Collection
Jerry Seinfeld is good friends with Jay Leno, another car enthusiast. But few people know that Leno helped the Jerry Seinfeld car collection by finding a 1959 Porsche Carrera. This isn’t your typical Porsche, but rather a supercar back from sixty years ago.
The story behind the car is simple; Jay Leno received a call from the owner when it went on sale. Since Leno was fully aware of Seinfeld’s obsession with vehicles such as these, he gave Jerry a call. The rest is history.
We do know a little about the Porsche that made its way into the Jerry Seinfeld car collection. It features a driver’s side Speedster seat, RSK brakes, plus a unique air intake. When it was purchased, it only had 13,000 miles on its odometer as well. We wonder how many more miles have been put on since Jerry took ownership.
5 Rare Cars in the Jerry Seinfeld Car Collection
Hopefully, you’ve learned something new and exciting through our facts about the Jerry Seinfeld car collection. We couldn’t leave you hanging so we’ve also put together a short guide on the rarest vehicles in the Jerry Seinfeld car collection for your viewing pleasure.
These vehicles boost the Jerry Seinfeld car collection value and are what all of us gearheads dream about owning one day.
1. 1964 Volkswagen Camper “EZ Camper” conversion
This camper isn’t the typical vehicle you would think to look for in Seinfeld’s car collection. It’s a classic camper van that’s entirely different from his standard sports car vision. This is one of the vehicles he also sold at the 2016 auction and it fetched almost $100,000.
Looking at this camper, you are instantly transported back in time. It featured a 1,493 cc flat four-cylinder air-cooled engine and a four-speed manual transmission. It also came with four-wheel drum brakes and only 19,000 miles on the odometer. This van was picture perfect and would have been ideal for a museum showroom.
While a typical van from this time will only gain the seller about $6,000, Seinfeld’s van clearly went for much more. With that said, despite raking in $100,000 at the auction, it was the lowest-priced vehicle to sell.
2. 1957 Fiat 500
Jerry also holds Fiat with high esteem. Maybe it’s because he has a fondness for Italian cars or it could just be that they are minimalistic in design. One of his models made history. In fact, the 1957 Fiat 500 was the first city car built, according to many car enthusiasts. It featured a modest top speed of only 53 mph, but it was still successful on the race track.
3. 1958 Porsche 356A Speedster
When you talk about vintage Porsches, you may just find some in the Jerry Seinfeld car collection that remained unrestored. Take for example his 1958 Porsche 356A Speedster. Jerry was proud to show it off during an episode of Jay Leno’s Garage. Even though it wasn’t restored, he was proud of what he had in front of him.
This car was built to compete with Triumphs and MGs. It is a four-speed manual convertible with a 99 mph top speed. In fact, it takes 15.3 seconds for it to go from 0 to 60 mph. It was an affordable car back when it was first produced, but now they are worth good money.
When Jerry’s been questioned about why he purchased this car, his answer is simply that it runs strong even though it has 99,000 miles on it.
4. 1964 Aston Martin DB5 Coupe
It’s possible you saw this car during his ride with Julia Louis-Dreyfus on his show. They rode around in this original Bond-mobile. It’s currently worth more than $1.2 million. This all-aluminum 280-horsepower car was made famous when Sean Connery drove it during Goldfinger. This classic features a straight-six engine and is something we would all love to take for a spin.
5. 1955 Porsche 550 RS
Only 70 of these were produced that year and this is the same model that James Dean was driving when he was fatally injured. Is it just us or does Seinfeld like to drive vehicles that kill movie stars? Either way, Seinfeld displayed his during the 2008 Los Angeles Auto Show.
Originally, it was produced for the 1954 Mille Miglia race in Italy. That’s because this beauty features a top speed of 140 mph. If you find one on the market today, they sell for up to $3 million. Of course, this was also one of the models that made its way to the auction a few years ago.
Final Thoughts
While we don’t know what the Jerry Seinfeld car collection is worth, it’s estimated that he currently has around 150 cars in that Manhattan garage. While many of us would love to own just one of them, we can’t help but find ourselves bitten by the jealousy bug every time we see him behind the wheel. No one can deny that he has great taste in automobiles.
