Although she earned $53 million last year, and she's ranked at No. 4 on Forbes' list of The World's Most Powerful Celebrities, Beyoncé Knowles has proven she's just like us.
She loves to feel the wind in her hair. In early August, the "Single Ladies" chanteuse biked from her lush Manhattan apartment to Barclays Center in Brooklyn for her concert. To commemorate her trip, Beyonce, 32, snapped several photos of her two-wheeler and the Brooklyn Bridge and shared them on her Instagram account.
She loves the open road. As much as she enjoys biking, Beyoncé is also fond of driving her luxury whips. In 2010, her husband and frequent collaborator Jay Z taught her to drive. According to a source, the couple went for morning commutes in the Big Apple. Their timing was perfect—they managed to avoid rush hour and eschew the paparazzi. Their bodyguards always came with, but they rode in separate vehicles.
In the following year, Queen Bey swapped her flashy Maybach for a more practical Mercedes van in preparation for the birth of her first child. For the ultimate in luxury, she shelled out an estimated $1 million on upgrades and customizations. The opulent auto has Italian leather seating and a fully-functional bathroom that comes with its own shower, sink and toilet. To make those extra-long road trips more bearable, the van has a $150,000 sound system, satellite television and Wi-Fi.
The artist formerly known as Sasha Fierce on stage snuck away to The Hamptons for a short vacay after her final performance at Barclays Center. On the journey back home, the pop diva was photographed in the driver's seat of a powder blue 1959 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud II convertible. What a mouthful! The Knowles-Carter clan apparently left their chauffeur back in NYC because Jay Z, 43, was spotted in the passenger's seat, and the twosome's daughter Blue Ivy was in the backseat with a couple of family friends. Jay Z gave the vintage vehicle to Beyoncé for her 25th birthday. By the looks of it, the classic car was definitely the "Best Thing [She] Never Had." According to some reports, the vehicle had a "Reserved for Mrs. Carter" sign in the driver's chair when it was delivered.
She loves to give. For her man's 41st birthday celebration, Bey wanted to do something extra special, so she got him a car. A Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport, to be exact. At the time, it held the record for being the most expensive street-legal car in the world. With a titanic price tag of $2 million, it has a top speed of 255 mph and a 16.4-liter engine. Its massive horsepower allows it to go from zero to 60 mph in just 2.7 seconds. Other notable owners of the Bugatti Veyron include film star Tom Cruise, fashion designer Ralph Lauren, former American Idol judge Simon Cowell and hip hop producer and rapper Lil Wayne.
A source who's close to the so-called King and Queen of Hip Hop said, "Jay Z has one of the most enviable collections of bling motors in the world—but even for him, the Bugatti is special. Obviously, the money isn't a factor for Beyoncé, but Jay will be touched that out of everything she could have bought him, she chose something he'll treasure for years. He's in for the ride of his life."
In addition to the Bugatti Veyron, Jay Z also has a Range Rover, a Jeep Wrangler, a luxury Mercedes-Benz S-Class and a Maybach 57S.
* Beyonce Mercedes image courtesy of Daily Mail
* Beyonce Rolls-Royce image courtesy of Daily News
