Bret Michaels, legendary rock star and Poison frontman, recently gave us a glimpse at one of his favorite cars. The fast-paced rock star lifestyle can often be a lot to handle for the singer/songwriter, so he uses driving as a therapeutic mechanism.
“My philosophy is that a long drive and good music is great for the soul. I drive on the good days, it makes them better, and on my bad days, it makes them great,” said Michaels. “If you listen to my music like ‘Driven’ or ‘Riding Against the Wind,’ [driving has been a part of] a lot of great things in my life—or problems I’ve had to overcome and think through… It frees my soul.” Let’s take a look at what he’s got in the garage.
“It was one of the first vehicles I ever bought, back when it was just the S500 and S600. Then I got the S550, it’s just an amazing vehicle,” says Bret. “Everything is laid out in that car like a cockpit. It’s a big car, so you can take a bunch of people with you, or you can punch it into Sport and just haul a** in it and have a great time.”
One of the biggest reasons why Michaels loves his Mercedes so much is the vehicle’s longevity. “They’re like a good-fitting pair of jeans, I can’t give them up. I buy them outright,” he explains. “I’m not one of those guys who every other day I’m trading it, I’m a long-haul guy. But this car has such good memories and I feel connected to it.” Michaels surpassed the 160,000 miles mark a while ago and continues to drive his S550 on a regular basis.
“When I say I’m a driver, I drive the bejesus out of these cars, and I love them. It’s never really let me down,” he says. “I have a place in L.A. and a ranch in Scottsdale, and I drive back and forth a lot, and I love it.”