Steve Jobs broke the mould where consumer tech was concerned, but he was also a rebel on the road, riding around in a high-powered Mercedes-Benz SL55 AMG sports car that, notoriously, never had a licence plate fitted.
Why Jobs did this and how he got away with it has baffled Apple fans for years, but iTWire thinks it has the answer to at least one of those questions, courtesy of former Apple security employee, and CTO of Entrust, Jon Callas.
Jobs managed to avoid the long nightstick of the law thanks to a little-known loophole in California legislation, according to Callas, which states anyone with a brand-new car has a maximum of six months to affix a number plate to their vehicle.
Jobs made arrangements with the company from which he'd leased the Merc to change the car every six months. Unlike most people, who might switch to a different model, or perhaps even experiment with a different colour, Steve would exchange the vehicle for another identical silver SL55 AMG every single time.
But why? Is it because Jobs thought the licence plate spoiled the aesthetics of the car? Was he exercising that famous Apple design minimalism? Perhaps he was simply 'opting out' of being identified and tracked wherever he went.
Sadly, the answer to that question (and the one about why he was so fond of using disabled parking spaces) is one the former Apple boss may have taken to his grave.
Image credit: Ranajune
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Comments 8
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anonymous 28 October, 2011 18:25
Most likely so he was never caught speeding, if America has fixed speed camera.
anonymous 28 October, 2011 21:26
was it because he was a ****?
anonymous 28 October, 2011 23:18
I thought it was because he believed he came up with the idea of law enforcement and so was above any sort of penalty?
anonymous 29 October, 2011 02:05
Really? Who cares?
anonymous 29 October, 2011 12:38
because iGod wasnt available?
Chris_Ryles 31 October, 2011 07:05
Probably because being responsible for your actions of the road wasn't hipster enough for him...
Brian Mccaig 31 October, 2011 13:51
If you think about it. A car with no number plate? this would have made Jobs' car stand out from the crowd so in theory Jobs' car would be easily recognised by everyone.It would have made him an easy target too. Stupid really.
PS just read the biography, what an awful person he was. Makes me never want to buy an Apple product.
anonymous 11 November, 2011 01:22
In California the "new car temporary plate" is a piece of paper attached to the front window. Therefore Steve had "no plates", but was legal.