Before his untimely passing in October of 2011 at the age of 56, Steve Jobs and Apple contributed unimaginably to technology integrated into our daily lives as we know it today. Making computer technology user-friendly and accessible to the masses, Jobs turned computers and technology from tools for commercial use into objects of art and aesthetic design, showing that a product conceived to make communication and organization more efficient can also be intuitive, user-friendly, and beautiful. Steve Jobs endeavored to â€œThink Different;â€ so did Apple, and thanks to them, many other organizations and individuals did as well. The iPhone, in particular, upon release surpassed not only the transformation of the mobile phone, but proved to be virtually magical from the standpoint of both users and the industry.
While not known to be a car enthusiast per se, Steve Jobs did have a penchant for German automobiles and design, owning BMW motorcycles, as well as Mercedes-Benz SLs. 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, reflective of Steveâ€™s own products and psyche.
Jobsâ€™ Z8 was well suited to his signature, minimalist style, finished in Titanium over a Black leather interior. With a production date of April 1, 2000, this early example was delivered to him on October 6th of that year. Within the recorded production of Z8s, this makes his car the 85th Z8 produced for the first year of U.S.-specification production and the 67th customer car. Jobsâ€™ ownership is documented through several service invoices accompanying the car, as well as a copy of the all-important California â€œpink slipâ€ registration in his name and at his personal residence. This is significant because Jobs famously rarely registered his cars to protect his anonymity (and also perhaps because of his anti-authoritarian streak!).
Jobs kept the car until 2003 before it was sold to the Los Angeles-based current owner. This individual subsequently kept the car for about one year, driving it regularly during that time, before deciding to sell the car onto its third owner, unsurprisingly a Bay Area tech executive in September of 2004. Almost immediately regretting his decision to sell and missing the car after about eighteen months, the current owner contacted his buyer from San Francisco and convinced him to sell the car back, and he did. In April of 2006, the car returned to its current (now second and fourth) owner and it has remained with him ever since.
Rather than leave the Z8 dormant as a museum piece, he opted to drive the car regularly. Over the course of the last seventeen years, the car has been driven just 15,200 miles from new, averaging less than 1,000 miles a year. As one would expect, it remains in exemplary condition throughout, and has always been serviced and maintained as necessary on a regular basis by its current custodian.
Even today in the new millennium six years after his untimely passing it is difficult to think of anyone more iconic or influential to our modern culture than Steve Jobs, speaking to not only his superior intellect and entrepreneurial spirit, but also the quality of his products and reputation of Apple within the market, which has evolved into the worldâ€™s most valuable public company, bar none.
Without a doubt, BMWs most iconic car of the 21st century, upon its launch the Z8 was the pinnacle of BMW design and technology, and it is not surprising that the car attracted the attention of someone like Steve Jobs. To the general public, Jobsâ€™ legacy and influence in technology is unquestionably tangible and highly accessible, with over one billion iPhones sold to date, not to even mention Appleâ€™s computers which brought high concept design and intuitive functionality to the masses.
However, Jobs only owned only one Z8. This is that car.
I honestly lost track of how many times I rolled my eyes when reading that ad copy. The lengths the author went to that try to give this Z8 some sort of tie in to Steve Jobs’ life or whatever else they were shooting for is actually impressive. The bottom line is that this is a car. Jobs bought this car and drove it for a little. He didn’t design it, he didn’t build it, he has nothing to do with this car besides getting it in and driving it. I highly doubt it held some special meaning in his life or inspiration for the iPhone or some other Apple product. To jump to some kind of assumption that the Motorola flip phone in this car was hated by Jobs is ridiculous. He probably didn’t even think about this Z8 all that much because when you are CEO of Apple, you probably have a bunch of other things on your mind. It’s just a car, owned by a guy who co-founded a really successful company.
RM Sotheby’s has this Z8 booked for somewhere between $300,000 to $400,000. Just as a refresher, a regular Z8 with relatively low mileage can be had for $150,000 up to about $200,000 for super low mile cars. The Z8 Alpinas are being listed around the $250,000 mark and for good reason as they are much more desirable and rare. So the fine people at Sotheby’s think that Jobs owning this car adds over $100,000. I’d love to know how these conversations go when coming up with these figures. Are a couple of guys sitting in a room and saying ”Well, Steve Jobs did own this car. How does $100,000 in increased value sound?” Then someone replies ”Hmm, we better make it $150,000 or maybe even $200,000.” I get it, auction companies inflate prices as much as they can to pad their bottom line on every car. But to just make up an arbitrary number of over six-figures just because they guy who spearheaded the iPhone owned it for a little is where I get off this ride. I just have a hard time swallowing that every other Z8 out there for sale is worth X but this Z8 is worth X plus $150,000 because it was owned by a famous guy. Maybe it’s just me.
Tagged 2000, Apple, BMW, E52, iPhone, S62, Steve Jobs, V8, Z8.
I heard that Steve Jobs was driving this car when he simultaneously saved the whales and fed the world’s hungry.