Chrysler Corp Vehicles Owned by Famous People
A large number of Chrysler Corporation vehicles have been owned by famous people and celebrities, even before the Viper. While Chrysler has not usually had the benefit of the kind of hype that surrounds the Mustang and Corvette, they have attracted a number of admirable and sensible people who could have any car they wanted.
The list of political figures (governors and higher)
| Person | Who Are They? | Notable Car(s) | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bob Dole | presidential candidate | Chrysler LHS or New Yorker | 4 |
| Dwight D. Eisenhower | President, general | Bought a gray and white 1958 Dodge station wagon while he was in office. The car had Presidential seals on the front doors | 10 |
| David Ben-Gurion | Israeli PM | 1963 Dodge Polara (in museum) - see Israel | 1 |
| Franklin D. Roosevelt | President | Various Plymouths - see this page | 3 |
| Golda Meir | Israeli PM | 1970s Dodge Polara or Monaco | 2 |
| Governor of Wisconsin, 2003 | Chrysler Town & Country | 4 | |
| Harriet Myers | Supreme Court nominee | Chrysler 300 | 4 |
| Harry Truman | President, 1940s | Chryslers; one Dodge Polara. In 1998, Chrysler finished a restoration of the Trumans’ 1941 Chrysler Royal Club coupe and 1941 Chrysler Windsor sedan; they are at the Truman Library. Truman drove home to Missouri in a 1953 New Yorker; his daughter Margaret went to church on her wedding day in a 1955 New Yorker |
4,5 |
| Jacqueline Kennedy | First Lady | 1960 Imperial Ghia limousine | 10 |
| John Kerry | Senator, Presidential candidate | Chrysler 300M Special (2003); used to have a LeBaron convertible | 4 |
| Michael Dukakis | Governor, Presidential candidate | 1974 Plymouth Valiant (no power steering) | 2 |
| New Brunswick (CA) Lieutenant Governor | Chrysler Concorde | 4 | |
| William Weld | Governor | Jeep Grand Cherokee | 2 |
Carrero Blanco |
Franco’s PM (Spain) | Dodge Dart (was killed by a car bomb in it) | 1 |
| General Pershing | US General | Used Dodge cars to chase Pancho Villa - cars performed flawlessly in the desert | 1 |
| Venustiano Carranza |
President of Mexico | Dodge Brothers car (was assassinated in it) | 1 |
| Mamie Eisenhower |
First Lady | 1962 Plymouth Valiant (see this external page). President Eisenhower gave a Chrysler to Mamie’s uncle. | 4 |
| Jim Douglas and Doug Racine |
Vermont governor and challenger | In the 2002 election, Douglas owned a Neon, while Racine owned a Jeep dealership. Douglas won. | 4 |
The list of show folk: musicians
| Person | Notable Car(s) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| All members of NSync | Plymouth Prowlers | 4 |
| Frank Sinatra | C300; 1981 Imperial; Imperial converted to limo; still owned by the family and is in Palm Springs. Also owned a Ghia designed/built 1957 Chrysler. | 4, 9 |
| Jim Morrison | Doors front-man drove a 1968 Dodge Charger from late 1969 to March 1971. | 4 |
| Johnny Cash | 1954 Plymouth Savoy was "the best car I ever owned." Had other Mopars. See this page for details. His family will be keeping the car. | 3 |
| Jon Schneider | 1969 "General Lee" Dodge Hemi Charger. He actually drove the close-up General Lee. " He has recently dropped in a overbored Hemi and is racing it in various amateur events. The car has a Gear Vendors overdrive unit and it averaged 152.18 mph at a recent event (not bad for a brick-like 1969 Charger) and placed second (They have been following it and its modifications in Muscle Car Review Magazine)." | 5 |
| Justin Timberlake | Viper | 4 |
| LeeAnn Rhimes | 1997 Dodge Viper | 5 |
| Richard Carpenter ("The Carpenters") | Collects Mopars - 300 letter-cars, Road Runners, Chargers, Imperials, and more | 4 |
| Waylon Jennings | 1969 "General Lee" Dodge Charger - given to him after he told the Dukes producers he loved the way it looked. | 5 |
| Funkmaster Flex | 1971 Plymouth Duster 340 and 1969 Dodge Charger R/T | 6 |
| Snoop Dog | 2004 300C | 4 |
| Alan Jackson | "Don't rock the jukebox" guy - a couple of Vipers including one sent to Hennessy Motorsports | 8 |
Show folk: actors, movie and TV folk, sports folk, writerse, and such
| Person | Notable Car(s) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Ben Affleck | Dodge Ram | 4 |
| Bob Hope | Favored Chryslers - and was often sponsored by Chrysler. "Duster's" father saw him picked up in an Imperial in 1966. | 4 |
| Charlie Sheen | Dodge Viper | 2 |
| Danny Bilson | (Viper TV show maker) 2000 Dodge Caravan | 5 |
| Don Johnson | 1971 Plymouth Hemi Cuda - he may have sold it at auction | 5 |
| Ed Sanchez | (Blair Witch filmmaker) 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee | 5 |
| Hulk Hogan | 1994 Viper and 1996 Viper GTS; was seen driving a 1968 Charger. | 4, 7 |
| Jay Leno | 1993 Viper R/T, 1996 Viper, and many others; Viper was first black one sold to the public. | 5 |
| Joe DiMaggio | According to Frank Gentile, was driving an Imperial in 1972-73 | 4 |
| Jon Schneider | 1969 "General Lee" Dodge Hemi Charger | 5 |
| Kelsey Grammer | ("Frasier") 1993 Dodge Viper R/T-10 (gift from NBC!) - he flipped it while drunk | 4, 7 |
| Kevin Smith | (director) White Neon - seen in Chasing Amy - mentioned in commentary. | 4 |
| Larry the Cable Guy | Dodge Ram Laramie | 4 |
| Michael Thomas Dunn | 1970 Plymouth Barracuda, 1973 Plymouth Duster, Daytona Turbo, SRT-4, Dakota R/T. "He won't drive a non-Mopar." | 6 |
| Paulie Teutel | ("American Chopper") Dodge Ram (his mother drives a Prowler) | 4 |
| Red Green | Dodge Viper, Ram truck | 4 |
| Tom Brady | (Patriots QB) Dodge Ram | 4 |
| David Hasselhoff | 1995 Dodge Viper R/T | 6 |
| Tom Cruise | Dodge Viper | 2 |
| Tom Hanks | 2001 PT Cruiser | 5 |
| James Garner | (Rockford Files, etc) Jeeps and AMCs; raced Jeeps offroad and paid for a successful 1970s AMC Rambler off-road racer | 4 |
| Roseanne | 1994 Viper R/T-10 | 7 |
| Burt Reynolds | 1981-83 Imperial converted to limo; seen in STICK, Canonball Run II, and Sharkey’s Machine. It was bought by a wealthy fellow, the current owner, in Scotsdale AZ, in 1985. | 9 |
| Nicolas Cage | Hennessey-modified Viper | 8 |
| Pearl S. Buck | (Writer) Imperial | 4 |
Businessmen
| Person | Who Are They? | Notable Car(s) | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lee Iaccoca | Chrysler CEO; Ford exec | Could have just about any Ford and Chrysler products he wanted; in 2000, he was driving a PT Cruiser | . |
| Howard Hughes | Businessman, flier | Imperials | 4 |
| Kirk Kerkorian | Money shuffler, greemailer, would-be rescuer of Chrysler | His MGM Grand had a fleet of emerald first-generation Chrysler LHS limousines; he used them when in town | 4 |
| Carl and Margaret Karcher | Founders of Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr. | Took out a loan on their 1941 Plymouth to get $311 to start a hot-dog cart (in 1945). | 3 |
Others
| Person | Who Are They? | Notable Car(s) | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buzz Aldrin | Astronaut | Hennessey-modified Viper | 8 |
| Edward Teller | Fusion bomb leader | Picked up physicist Leo Szilard in his Plymouth when Szilard arrived in the US | 4 |
| Douglas MacArthur | General in World War II and Korea | 1950 Imperial 8 passenger limo | 4 |
Thanks to:
- James Hale.
- Scott B.
- Jim Benjaminson.
- E8502, Duster, magnum4.7, pentastarfan, 69SE383, kerryman, voyager_expresso, valiant67, jeff2kpatriotblue, johnb300m, freelantz, archdyzn, Mark Schmidt, Steve Landon , John Daigle, Thomas Elkins, “yoda,” Curtis Redgap, Steve, Mopar Ernie, J.M. Charbin, others
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- Rick Rogers
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