Since his first brush with fame, Musk has been clear that it is his personal mission to colonise Mars, and he created SpaceX with exactly that goal in mind. The billionaire believes humans need a contingency plan should Earth become non-viable, and announced in 2021 that he wants as much of his US$225 billion net worth as possible to go into the project.

Per Insider, Musk said that building a city on Mars would require “just a lot of capital” and that he wanted to “be able to contribute as much as possible”. To illustrate his seriousness about investing his fortune for “the sake of humanity”, Musk said he was eschewing material possessions, including his impressive property portfolio.

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The property portfolio that disappeared

Back in 2012, Musk made headlines when he dropped US$17 million on a 20,248 sq ft mansion in Bel Air, California. According to the Los Angeles Times, the home had a two-story library, a study, wine cellar, tennis court, seven bedrooms and 10 bathrooms. At the time, he dropped millions investing in at least five other neighbouring properties, according to Observer.

Then, in May 2020, he had a change of heart, vowing to “own no house” so as not to be seen as materialistic by his critics, and prove his dedication to his companies. According to Sky News, he then sold seven of his homes in California for a combined US$128 million. Musk’s primary home is now a US$50,000 dollar home in Boca Chica, Texas, which he rents from SpaceX.

The James Bond submarine car

According to NBC News, the car is in fact a working submarine, but one which reportedly allows the interior to fill with water, requiring the pilot to breath from an oxygen tank. In the film, however, Roger Moore who played Bond, remains completely dry. Musk said in a statement that he was disappointed the vehicle couldn’t actually transform. “What I’m going to do is upgrade it with a Tesla electric power train and try to make it transform for real,” he said.

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The most talked about jet in the world

The ultra-long-haul flagship jet grabbed headlines after Jack Sweeney, a student from Orlando, Florida, began regularly tweeting the whereabouts of the richest man on Earth. Musk enrolled in a free Federal Aviation Administration programme that allows private jet owners to conceal their locations by transmitting alternative identity codes. The hack didn’t work, however, and thanks to Sweeney, the whole world always knows where Musk, or anyone who uses his jet, is – albeit with a 24-hour delay.

Luxury cars

It’s not just the submarine car that caught his attention. Musk clearly has a thing for unusual and rare vehicles. According to Insider, over the years, he has owned a 1920 Ford Model T, a 1967 Series 1 Jaguar E-Type and a McLaren F1 that sells for an impressive US$1 million brand new.

Musk also famously sent his own 2o10 Tesla Roadster – which he used to commute to work in – up into space as part SpaceX’s February 2018 Falcon Heavy test flight. The car continues to orbit the sun.

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Spending big on Coke Light

It’s no secret that Musk used to live an unhealthy lifestyle. The confessed workaholic, who has previously spoken about clocking between 100-120 hours work a week, relied heavily on caffeine to sustain him. According to Insider, he used to drink at least eight cans of Coke Light a day, as well as several big cups of coffee.

Never in short supply of his favourite beverage, Musk continues to drop money on his habit – but has at least turned to the caffeine-free version. In a social media post in 2022, he shared an image of his bedside table which showed four cans of caffeine-free Diet Coke, two guns and various other bits and pieces.