Billy Joel Never Bought That Cadillac-ac-ac-ac, But His Actual Collection Is Pretty Unusual

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I don't mean to connote that this article is an excuse to stock that meme of nan Cadillac motion flickering pinch Billy Joel singing "Cadilac-ac-ac-ac" from "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)" overtop. I mean to opportunity that explicitly. That meme is perfection. 

Oh, besides there's a rumor that Joel owns a 1959 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz acknowledgment to a blog from Octagon Insurance, which likewise claims Joel owns a Porsche 911 Turbo, a Lexus LS 600hL, a Range Rover, and a Ford Model A. While it's an awesome "What Should Be In Your Five-Car Garage" argument, I couldn't find corroborating sources. 

So I emailed nan female who's been Joel's publicist for nan longest time, Claire Mercuri, to inquire if it was accurate. She responded, "I checked pinch Billy, and he said: Most of this article is incorrect. He ne'er owned a 1959 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz. Thanks for fact-checking, Paul." I kid-squealed, knowing that I was straight responsible for personification rousting Billy Joel retired of his well-deserved respite conscionable to inquire him astir his car collection. Then I looked into nan existent cars he owns.

(On a sad note, Joel suffers from a encephalon upset called normal unit hydrocephalus (NPH), which forced the closure of Billy Joel's 20th Century Cycles. Thankfully, NPH is reversible erstwhile caught early and Joel's daughter, Alexa Ray Joel, told USA Today he's "sharp arsenic a tack.")

Now, I didn't hound Joel's publicist further because he should beryllium near successful peace, but arsenic acold arsenic I tin tell, he still has his beautiful huntsman greenish 1962 Jaguar Mark II. In a video connected Discovery Turbo Latinamerica's YouTube transmission (seen above), Alex Puls, nan head of 20th Century Cycles, goes complete nan sound strategy upgrade Will Castro and his squad were installing. It's a fascinating dive into this Jaguar's innards and really group spell astir modernizing classical cars, arsenic agelong arsenic you don't mind listening to nan astir stilted AI translator ever.

When Joel was connected "Jay Leno's Garage," he showed disconnected nan Jaguar, and they took it for a ride. Perhaps Leno was starstruck and wanted to inquire astir Joel's life aliases nan CNBC editor was asked to usage definite clips, but nan only 30 seconds connected YouTube of nan 2 successful nan car features nary speech astir nan Jaguar they were in.

So we'll talk astir it. Jaguar Mark IIs are soulmates with the stupendous E28 BMW M5. Just arsenic nan first M5 sedan shared its motor pinch nan M1 sports car, nan Jaguar Mark II shared its motor pinch nan E-Type (for nan astir part). In E-Types, nan 3.8 had 3 SU carbs and made 265 hp, while nan Mark II had 2 SU carbs and made 220 hp. That horsepower, and complementing 240 pound-feet of torque, was still plentifulness of oomph to get nan Mark II up to 126 mph.

As agelong arsenic we're talking astir rumors, there's a persistent 1 that nan Audi Fox inspired Ford to create nan "Fox" platform on which nan Fairmont and Mustang rode. But, for illustration nan truth that 2 different comic strips called Dennis nan Menace debuted nan aforesaid time successful 1951, it's conscionable a coincidence. As for why Billy Joel bought an Audi Fox, he told Jay Leno, "I thought it was, like, a overseas car, you know? I thought it was a sexy small car, and it was easy to drive." 

And why did Joel bargain a 1973 model? Well, that was nan twelvemonth "Piano Man" came retired and he was really starting to make money successful music. 1971's "Cold Spring Harbor" was a monolithic flop and there's nary measurement 1970's "Attila" made him immoderate money (Joel's set Attila really rocks, by nan way, and you tin listen to nan full medium connected YouTube).

The Fox (or nan 80 arsenic it was known successful Europe) is much important than its position arsenic a trivia footnote, though, because you tin squarely convey it for each water-cooled, front-engined, front-wheel thrust car that Audi genitor institution Volkswagen produced afterward. Also, Billy Joel was right, it was a sexy small car. We deliberation nan Audi 80/Fox is one of nan champion looking Audis ever produced. And Car and Driver gushed complete it erstwhile reviewing a GTI type of nan car successful 1978, writing, "Five years later, it's still up of its time." 

Like his Audi Fox, Billy Joel's Volkswagen Beetle is simply a 1973 model. However, this was a overmuch later acquisition than nan Audi. In 2008, Joel was in Des Moines, Iowa to execute a concert. While he was sightseeing, he popped into American Dream Machines, a vintage car dealer. He near pinch a Beetle. Old Cars Weekly reported that according to nan dealer's owner, Doug Klein, Joel "just wanted a cool ol' bug to spell down to nan beach." And, because Billy Joel rules, he gave Klein and his unit 8 tickets to nan concert.

In lawsuit you're unfamiliar pinch nan longest-produced car successful history, Beetles were erstwhile arsenic large a woody arsenic The Beatles. By 1973, complete 17 cardinal had been crafted, outselling moreover nan Ford Model T. As for unique features of nan '73 models, the instrumentality spats of vintage Volkswagen Beetles were agelong gone, arsenic were nan divided and oval rear windows. The windshield opening was made larger successful '73, truthful that's a plus. 

1971 was nan twelvemonth nan mild-mannered, glasses-wearing Beetle transformed into nan Super Beetle, defender of truth, justice, and nan economical way. The beforehand suspension was redesigned to enlarge nan beforehand trunk. Displacement accrued to 1,600 cubic centimeters successful 1970, and heads gained 3 valves per cylinder successful '71, upping horsepower to a stonking 60. Hardly a Hellcat (maybe a Hellcat starter motor), but it was amended than nan 40 hp Beetles had successful 1963, 10 years earlier Joel's car was built.

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The Citroën Deux Chevaux deserves to beryllium connected a Mount Rushmore of tiny cars alongside nan Volkswagen Beetle, Austin Mini, and Dodge Neon. Apparently, Billy Joel agrees, because he bought 1 successful 1990 for his then-wife, Christie Brinkley. Is it a measurement down from nan Ferrari 308 she drove successful "National Lampoon's Vacation"? That depends connected your perspective.

Over its production, 2CV flat-twins displaced betwixt 375 ccs and 602 ccs and made anyplace from 9 hp to a zero-turn-mower-rivaling 33 hp. Supposedly an electrical Citroën 2CV revival is coming successful nan adjacent future, too.

GQ says Joel collapsed it successful 2004 during a tally to get pizza. Evidently it was repaired, because it sold connected Bring a Trailer this July for $21,500. Or did it? The listing says, "This 1967 Citroen 2CV has spent nan past 29 years successful nan attraction of its existent owner, and it was purchased successful nan mid-1990s from exemplary and entrepreneur Christie Brinkley." Not saying nan Bring a Trailer listing is untrue aliases GQ is wrong, conscionable that timelines are odd.

If you were expecting a bunch of puns and references to Billy Joel songs successful this article, sorry, but I don't request to do that to consciousness for illustration a Big Shot. I deliberation Honesty is nan champion argumentation successful My Life. Don't Ask Me Why, but I conscionable consciousness Pressure while penning these articles because I Go To Extremes, staying awake ... successful nan mediate of nan night.