Tina Turner wasn’t just a rock legend, she was a car lover

Tina Turner was known for many things: her unmistakable raspy voice, her unrivaled on-stage energy, and her ability to overcome whatever life threw her way. Did you know she was also an avid an auto enthusiast?

The Queen of Rock ’n’ Roll, who died on May 24 at the age of 83, loved the freedom that cars provided. They represented a blessed escape for the musical superstar, who couldn’t go anywhere in public without being recognized. Perhaps that inescapable cost of fame was part of the reason she lived out her later years in Switzerland, rather than the United States.

Turner always found solace in automobiles, most notably her white Jaguar XJ6, which she received as a gift from Sammy Davis Jr. in 1970. She also had a silver E-Type, given to her in 1973 by then-husband Ike Turner.

According to Turner’s 2018 autobiography, My Love Story, Davis originally wanted to gift her a Mercedes-Benz, but her assistant suggested a Jaguar instead because the singer “was into English cars.” Turner admitted the Jag “awakened my passion for fast cars.”

“It may sound silly,” Turner wrote, “but one of my favorite escapes, and a secret pleasure, was driving my Jaguar. I loved it because it was something I could do by myself, one of the few times I could be alone and free.”

The 12-time Grammy Award winner experienced similar joy in the Jaguar XKE.

“I’ll never forget the moment I got behind the wheel and pulled out of the dealership,” she wrote. “It was late and a little misty when I drove the sleek silver Jaguar on Wilshire Boulevard. As far as I was concerned, there was no one else on the road—just me, driving with the windows down, looking and feeling fabulous. I can still hear the sound of the motor, the vroom that signaled it was ready to take me anywhere I wanted to go.”

RIP to the great Tina Turner, here with her 1973 Jaguar XKE. pic.twitter.com/pVTVA9sc6L

— David Burge (@iowahawkblog) May 24, 2023

In 1978, she nearly lost both cars in a contentious divorce from Ike, whose mental and physical abuse is well documented. Ultimately, the judge sided with Tina.

With the success of Turner’s 1984 comeback album, Private Dancer, she treated herself to a new Lamborghini LM002. Turner and German record producer Erwin Bach, who would become her husband in 2013, had it customized to Tina’s liking. The biggest change to the bespoke Lambo was swapping the LM002’s V-12 engine and manual transmission for a V-8 and automatic gearbox from a Mercedes-Benz 500E. Turner sold it in 2008.

Even if you didn’t know about those vehicles, Turner offered plenty of clues that she appreciated automobiles, most notably when she did a series of television commercials for the 1990 Plymouth lineup.

In one ad for the new Acclaim, Turner walks past the driver’s side door and gets into the back seat. Running her hand over the car’s plush interior, she says, “Mmmm. Now, this car is built for comfort. Wonder what else we have in common?”

Before getting behind the wheel of a Laser, Turner suggests she’s ready for a drive, and confirms what we already knew about her flamboyant personality.

“Sometimes you get to know someone so well that they kind of get … predictable. Well, not this time. This is the new Laser by Plymouth. That’s right: Plymouth. And no matter what you thought about it before, my friend, I promise you: This is not for wallflowers.”

Spoken like a true rock goddess … and, as it turns out, a car lover too.

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