Inside Ralph Lauren's Insane Car Collection

Rolling Stone

Robb Report recently took an exclusive tour around Ralph Lauren's private garage. Here are six of our favorite cars from the famed designer's incredible collection.

Transcript

00:00 Ralph Lauren needs no introduction. As a designer, visionary, or philanthropist.

00:06 For over 50 years he's been selling the American dream through as many clothing

00:10 lines, watches, fragrances, and homeware. But he also has one of the most stylish

00:16 automotive collections in the world. And Rob Report recently took an exclusive

00:20 tour around his private garage. Here are six of our favorite vehicles, owned and

00:26 treasured by Ralph Lauren.

00:29 [Music]

00:37 As collectors try to guess which car might be the next Ferrari 250 GTO in

00:42 both value and stature, many are pointing to the groundbreaking McLaren F1

00:47 introduced in 1992.

00:51 [Music]

00:53 The British marks first production car carries a 620 horsepower, 6.1 liter

00:59 V12 that delivers a top speed of 240 miles per hour and the ability to go 0

01:04 to 60 in 3.2 seconds. The output was so great the engine bay had to be lined

01:10 with gold to dissipate the heat. Like all of the cars in Ralph Lauren's

01:15 collection, the McLaren F1 LM is a rare beast. It's a more track focused version,

01:21 though still street legal, made to commemorate that year's win at Le Mans.

01:25 Six examples were built, one to honor each of the five cars in the race, plus a

01:30 prototype. The Sultan of Brunei ordered three. Mr. Lauren acquired his at auction

01:36 in 2004.

01:39 [Music]

01:51 Arguably the most eye-catching automobile ever built, this extraordinary

01:55 Bugatti is likely also the car most associated with Ralph Lauren. The

02:00 vehicle's breathtaking lines are matched by its performance, thanks to a 3.3 liter

02:05 straight-8 engine that allows for a top speed of more than 124 miles per hour.

02:12 Designed by founder Ettore Bugatti's son, Jean, only four examples were made.

02:19 Jean's own car disappeared 85 years ago, and another has been rebuilt with a

02:25 number of new components after an accident. This one, chassis number 57591,

02:31 is among the two remaining in original form. And what a form it is.

02:37 [Music]

02:41 Ferrari's LaFerrari was a new automotive benchmark when it debuted in 2013. The

02:47 950 horsepower model not only had more power than any production car Maranello

02:52 had built before it, but it was the automaker's first to use hybrid

02:56 technology. Its powertrain was developed from Formula One and includes a 161

03:02 horsepower electric motor, along with the 789 horses from the naturally aspirated

03:08 V12, all managed by a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. That translates

03:13 to hitting 60 miles per hour in 2.4 seconds, on the way to a top speed of 217

03:19 miles per hour. Each of LaFerrari's 499 examples, priced around 1.5 million when

03:26 new, were offered on an invite-only basis to select clients. Ferraris feature

03:32 heavily in Loren's collection, but in the sea of red prancing horses in his garage,

03:37 this black-on-black 2015 LaFerrari stands out in every possible way.

03:41 As its name suggests, Jaguar's XK120 has a top speed of 120 miles per hour, which

03:50 meant it left every other road car in the dust when it came on the scene in

03:53 1948. This was made possible by the car's dual overhead cam 3.4 liter straight-six,

03:59 paired with a four-speed manual gearbox, that sent the roadster from 0 to 60

04:03 miles per hour in 10 seconds. Extremely quick for the time, but that output was

04:08 arguably eclipsed by the elegant, athletic bodywork penned by Jaguar

04:12 founder Sir William Lyons. One of the things that marks Ralph Loren's

04:16 collection is the level of personalization that he adds to his cars.

04:19 This works roadster from 1950, for example, was originally red, but Ralph had

04:24 other ideas. He created his own shade of green for the car, using more olive than

04:29 the traditional racing green. Loren has always been inspired by film and the

04:33 golden age of Hollywood, so maybe the fact that both Clark Gable and Humphrey

04:37 Bogart owned XK120s had something to do with why Loren picked this one up in

04:41 1985. Or maybe it was just that it's one of the most gorgeous cars in the world.

04:47 This is the last model that Enzo Ferrari lived to see released. The F40 not only

04:53 celebrated his mark's 40th anniversary, but was also the fastest production car

04:58 in the world at the time. Featuring a tubular steel chassis draped in 11

05:02 composite body panels, the 80s era supercar housed a mid-mounted twin

05:06 turbo V8 with 471 horsepower and 426 pound-feet of torque. With that brawn, the

05:13 F40 punches from 0 to 62 miles per hour in 4.1 seconds and tops out at 201 miles

05:20 per hour. Not surprisingly, when it came on the market in 1987, the F40 was

05:26 Ferrari's most expensive model to date. Unlike many of the cars in Loren's

05:30 collection, he purchased this particular one brand new in 1991. Rumor has it that

05:35 at one point he considered selling it, but his kids persuaded him not to. If

05:39 that's true, it's not just Loren Sr. who has an eye for an appreciating asset.

05:45 Part roadster, part Batmobile, part automotive art form, this Mercedes is a

05:59 spectacular piece of engineering by Ferdinand Porsche. Yes, that Porsche, and

06:05 was one of 33 manufactured from 1928 through 1932.

06:10 The model's short wheelbase and supercharged 7-liter straight-six engine

06:18 made it a favorite in early motorsport. The car's sweeping Art Deco coachwork was

06:23 the vision of Count Carlo Felice Trussi, a famed racer of the early 20th century

06:28 who drove for the likes of Alfa Romeo under Enzo Ferrari and Mercedes-Benz.

06:33 Exquisite in both form and function, his automotive namesake has been in Loren's

06:38 collection since 1988, and has subsequently earned best-of-show at

06:42 Villa d'Este and Pebble Beach.

06:47 you

06:49 (dramatic music)

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