The Top 5 Most Expensive Cars Owned By Bruce Springsteen

Bruce Springsteen is perhaps the most iconic American musician to ever take the stage. The Boss has made a name for himself as both a solo artist and with the legendary E Street Band by his side. As Bruce and company kick off a brand new tour in the U.S. and Europe to start 2023 (for the first time since 2017), what better way might there be to celebrate the magic of Springsteen than to dive into his car collection. After all, the tour announcements themselves used one of his classic automobiles as a centerpiece (via Bruce Springsteen).

From the crooning of Bruce's youthful voice on "Mary Queen of Arkansas" and "Blinded by the Light" in his 1973 debut, his lyrics have always yearned for movement and the freedom of something beyond. Cars have therefore taken center stage on many occasions. "Darkness," "Racing in the Street" (which talks of one of his characters who races a '69 Chevy), and even the cover of the 2016 companion album "Chapter and Verse" that went along with his autobiography have featured classic automotive imagery.

Bruce Springsteen isn't a typical celebrity car collector, though. His automotive choices revolve around classic muscle. The Boss enjoys a net worth of roughly $650 million (via Celebrity Net Worth), but his choice of cars reflects a dedication to craft and substance over flashy price tags and high end luxuries.

Speaking of "Racing in the Street," Bruce Springsteen's 1978 "Darkness on the Edge of Town" character drives what might be an amalgamation of The Boss' soon-to-be collection of classic muscle cars. In the song, our hero races in a "sixty-nine Chevy with a 396 / Fuelie heads and a Hurst on the floor." 

A Reddit poster notes that this car can't possess both a 396 engine and fuelie heads, but this doesn't take away from the overall electricity of the tune. Similarly, one of Springsteen's famous Chevys is a 1969 Camaro SS with a soft top convertible and a 350 engine (via Tunnel Ram). Tunnel Ram also notes that an earlier version of the lyrics noted a vehicle that could support both features.

Springsteen's '69 Camaro recently turned heads in his hometown, Asbury Park, as the powder blue ride was seen around town in flying form (via Asbury Park Press). The Camaro even made it into the press images for his newest release "Only the Strong Survive," and the tour that kicks off to start February 2023 (via The New York Times). This makes it a great place to begin any voyage through Springsteen's car collection. CarHP values the Chevy at $92,800, and notes that the vehicle sports a 4-speed manual transmission (perhaps the Hurst featured in his racing ballad). It enjoys a 4.9L V8 engine and produces 290 horsepower.

The Chevrolet Bel Air is another iconic ride that Bruce Springsteen has enjoyed for many years. CarHP reports that the vehicle is priced at $67,300, and Motor1 reported in December 2016 that the vehicle — eventually repainted yellow with flames added around the hood and body — sold at auction for $350,000. 

To make things even more dramatic, the singer purchased the Bel Air in a convertible configuration, of course, as his first motor for $2,000 after releasing "Born to Run." Funny enough, GQ notes that in his memoir, he says "that summer I bought my first set of wheels ... a '57 Chevy with dual, four-barrel carbs, a Hurst on the floor..." The car, GQ notes, featured a fuel-injected 4.6L V8 with 283 brake horsepower. The same model starred alongside Harrison Ford in 1973's classic, "American Graffiti."

One of Springsteen's most often overlooked auditory characters is thought to exist in two renditions of brothers and bridges: In "Brothers Under the Bridges" and the "Tom Joad." In the first appearance, his narrator is a teenager looking forward to getting his license and first set of wheels. "Me and Tommy we was just fourteen, didn't have our licenses yet / Our walls were covered with pictures of cars we'd get," he sings. 

One can easily imagine a similarly bright-eyed Springsteen finally taking the wheel of his own vehicle — this '57 Bel Air — after singing about so many other cars in the years before.

One of his less expensive models, the Ford F100 remains a classic pickup and a favorite in Bruce Springsteen's garage. His personal 1970 F100 is likely a priceless piece of Americana, but another of the same variety would fetch roughly $25,500, according to CarHP. Bruce's model isn't considered a collector's piece, he says instead: "They're what I call drivers. A small collection of older American vehicles that I get in and drive once in a while" (via GQ). 

On Twitter, Springsteen once featured his Ford with the caption "In my white Ford pickup that served me so well." It's clear that this piece of American trucking history is indescribably special to the artist. While Springsteen typically sings about muscle cars like his Camaro, Corvette, and others, this classic is clearly a firm favorite when hitting the road to think or just enjoy the breeze.

The truck offers a driver 165 horsepower, a 3-speed manual transmission and a 4.0L Inline-6 engine (via CarHP). What's more, the Ford F100 is styled with iconic bodywork. Car and Driver notes that Icon's Restored (a company that has reintroduced a variety of vintage models with modern gear) has tried its hand with these trailblazers as well. The customized F100 ride will set you back a whopping $400,000, though.

The Chevrolet C1 Corvette in Bruce Springsteen's garage is one of his favorite rides of all time. The 1960 convertible is so beloved by the singer that it graces the cover of his 2016 autobiography "Born to Run." It's a fitting tribute to the album that really saw Springsteen and E Street explode. 

He purchased the C1 Corvette in 1977 after the album had been out for a little over a year, according to GQ. He said, "'Born to Run' had earned me a Steinway baby grand piano and a 1960 Chevrolet Corvette I bought for six grand from a kid behind the counter."

The stories that Springsteen recounts in his autobiography and with interviewers often revolve around the dynamics of a purchase, or the emotions that were at play. It's obvious, then, why most of the vehicles listed here are old and trusted favorites in his stable, and why he still owns a great many of them. CarHP prices the C1 Corvette at $116,000 and notes its 4.6L V8, 4-speed transmission (manual, of course), and 283 horsepower.

Finally, Bruce Springsteen's 1963 Chevrolet Impala Convertible deserves a mention. Driving notes that the vehicle was purchased for Springsteen by Gary U.S. Bonds after his 1981 song "This Little Girl" (which was written by Springsteen) reached the 11 spot in the charts. Bonds had been waning in popularity at the time, and the hit give his career a new burst of life. It's only fitting then that he thank Bruce with something near and dear to the rocker's heart. 

This reiterates the lasting impact that Bruce has had on the music industry more broadly, and how that reach overlaps with his own love of automobiles. Indeed, Springsteen has written hundreds of songs that have been covered over and over again (via SecondHandSongs), and penned a number of jams specifically for other artists.

GQ reports that Springsteen's Impala puts out 409 brake horsepower with the help of a 408 cubic inch, 6.7L engine. His impala is a stunning piece of automotive machinery, made all the more classic and fun to drive with the help of a soft top convertible roof.