Neil Ellwood Peart was born in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada on September 12th, 1952. Neil grew up on a farm in Hagersville, but his family later moved to St. Catharines, where he was reared with three younger brothers. Peart grew interested in music as he approached his teen years after listening to the latest mainstream music on a transistor radio. Neil began by playing the piano but eventually switched to drumming.
Neil began taking classes at a nearby music conservatory after his parents purchased him drum equipment. Neil was soon on stage, performing in front of other high school kids. Peart was a member of a number of local bands during his late adolescent years. Neil moved to London, England after graduating from high school with the intention of pursuing a career as a professional musician. This was unsuccessful, and after 18 months, Peart returned to Canada.
The world-renowned rock drummer and lyricist Neil Peart’s collection of historic cars
(June 24, 2021) — Santa Monica, California — will be offered at Gooding & Company’s 17th annual Pebble Beach Auctions, the official auction house of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance®. The company’s two-day sale on August 13 and 14, 2021, will provide an excellent opportunity to bid on these extraordinary historic cars, called the “Silver Surfers” by the iconic performer.
Neil Peart, the late percussionist, and lyricist for the trailblazing band Rush, coming from Toronto, Canada, was widely regarded as one of the best rock drummers of all time. Rush has achieved enormous global success and developed a legacy as a sound pioneer since its early days, an achievement no doubt made possible by Peart’s musical genius. Peart inspired enormous numbers of other rock artists and ambitious young musicians over the course of his famous career, which spanned nearly five decades. In 2013, he and his bandmates were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and he was awarded the Order of Canada, the country’s highest civilian honor.
Neil also possessed a great mind, which he demonstrated through his lyrics, books, and numerous articles for various journals. He was a prolific writer who spent his free time away from the band honing his skills. Fans dubbed him “The Professor” because of his insightful lyrics based on literature, science, philosophy, and his own life experiences. Certain reoccurring themes such as alienation, the pain of growing up, and the loneliness of being an outsider truly resonated with a generation of teenage fans, and he was admired as much for his lyrics as for his drumming.
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Peart had a lifetime fascination with autos, and his thirst for knowledge included knowing everything there is to know about them, inside and out. For many years, he dreamed of owning a classic automobile, and when he finally got his first, a 1964 Aston Martin DB5, he screamed that he had wanted one since he was a child. When he was finally able to afford old cars of this caliber, he went about collecting them one by one until his ideal collection, the “Silver Surfers,” was complete. Mr. Peart passed away on January 7, 2020, after a heroic three-and-a-half-year battle with brain cancer.
Neil Peart’s Net Worth
Neil Peart was a musician and novelist from Canada who had a net worth of $42 million when he died. He is best known for his contributions to the rock band Rush today. Neil served as the band’s drummer and major lyricist for decades after joining in the mid-’70s. In 1983, he was elected to the “Modern Drummer Readers Poll Hall of Fame.” Neil Peart was regarded as one of the best drummers of his period for his technical talents and amazing live performances.
Peart also authored a number of books outside of music. Many of his writings were memoirs of his many adventures across the world, as well as other topics including science fiction and philosophy. Neil published seven nonfiction books in all.
Neil declared his retirement from the music industry in 2015, while numerous sources close to Peart stated he was simply taking a sabbatical. He announced in 2018 that he was retiring permanently owing to health difficulties. Neil went away in 2020 at the age of 67. Glioblastoma was the official cause of death, and he had been battling the severe form of cancer for more than three years.
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Peart wrote about the naming of his collection:
“While driving the DB5 up and down the Pacific Ocean, I came up with the name ‘Silver Surfers’ for my collection of automobiles. The concept that I was just one of the wave riders felt appropriate to me, I guess.
In 2000, I moved from Toronto to Los Angeles (Cherchez la femme), and I frequently traveled out that way and up into the Santa Monica Mountains in quest of natural tranquility. I’d zigzag between desolate slopes of rock and plants past Malibu and into Ventura County, the ocean always on one side. The marine layer would mist some days, while the sun would blaze through a clear sky on others. The waves churned out a forceful, rolling pattern, or they were calm and gently…
It was during one of these journeys that it suddenly came to me that the ocean’s color had impacted the collection’s silver palette. In a blue photograph, what other color appears as good? Silver, not black or white. Silver frames are also a fortunate risk for the framers’ work.”
David Gooding, President and Founder of Gooding & Company, says, “We are beyond honored and humbled to be entrusted with the sale of Mr. Peart’s prized collection of historic cars.” “Through his revolutionary career in music, Neil Peart touched the lives of so many people, including my own, and we are convinced that his personal selection of classic cars will resonate with devoted collectors, finding them new homes with the same appreciation for them as the icon himself.”
Aston Martin DB5 (Estimate: $650,000 – $725,000) from 1964
The Aston Martin DB5 is one of the most recognizable and admired grand touring automobiles of all time. The DB5, which is as athletic as it is exquisite, has become synonymous with cool, thanks to Sir Sean Connery’s portrayal of the ever-charming international agent James Bond.
Mr. Peart’s 1964 Aston Martin DB5, chassis DB5/1690/R, was purchased by the consignor in 2009 and is one of just over 1,000 manufactured. It has a five-speed ZF transmission and period-correct alloy-rimmed Borrani wire wheels, as well as a stunning Silver Birch metallic finish over a navy blue leather interior.
(Estimate: $900,000 – $1,000,000) 1964 Shelby Cobra 289
Mr. Peart purchased this superb 1964 Shelby Cobra 289, chassis CSX2234, in 2015 to serve as the centerpiece of his incredible collection. It had had a thorough restoration in the mid-2000s and was said to be an exceptionally well-preserved example prior to the treatment.
CSX2234 is completed in full black livery with chrome wire wheels and a side exhaust and was built with the desired Ford 289 V-8 engine and rack-and-pinion steering from the factory. Mr. Peart’s Cobra is the pride of his collection of legendary sports vehicles, as one of the most famous, capable, and desirable sports cars ever manufactured.
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Lamborghini Miura P400 S, 1970 (estimate $1,200,000 – $1,500,000)
Ferruccio Lamborghini’s reality-defying Miura was the fastest production automobile of all time when it was released in 1966, and is often considered to be the world’s first true supercar. Marcello Gandini of Gruppo Bertone created the Miura’s spectacular coachwork, which hides a mid-mounted transverse V-12 engine with an incredibly low overall height of just over 41 inches.
Some people consider the Miura to be the most beautiful production automobile ever created. Mr. Peart’s estate’s Lamborghini Miura P400 S, chassis 4042, is completed totally in his favorite silver livery and features a black interior. Air conditioning and strongly styled Campagnolo cast alloy wheels to complete the outstanding sports car.
Maserati Mistral Spider (Estimate: $575,000 – $650,000) from 1965
Maserati upgraded their famous 3500 GT with an entirely new vehicle for the 1963 model year: the Mistral. With stylish and futuristic lines conceived by the renowned Pietro Frua, the firm manufactured a total of 953 Mistrals throughout an eight-year production cycle, with only 125 finished as Spider convertibles.
Mr. Peart’s Maserati Mistral Spider, chassis AM109/S049, was produced in 1965 and sold through New York City’s renowned exotic automobile importer Hoffman Motors. While the car was in Mr. Peart’s possession, Ken Lovejoy of Boulder Creek, California completed a detailed restoration. This Mistral 3500 Spider appears to be in excellent condition, with a stunning silver metallic exterior and an oxblood leather inside.
Jaguar E-Type Series I 3.8-Litre Coupe, 1964 (Estimate: $140,000–$160,000)
The exterior of this two-seat 1964 Jaguar E-Type Series I 3.8-Litre Coupe, chassis 890630, is done in Opalescent Silver with a red leather interior. It has a Tremec five-speed transmission, a lightweight flywheel, Wilwood disc brakes, and upgraded suspension components, among other improvements. Certainly one of the most elegantly styled road-going Jaguars ever.
(Estimate: $250,000 – $300,000) 1973 Maserati Ghibli 4.9 SS Coupe
The Ghibli was designed by renowned automotive stylist Giorgetto Giugiaro and is regarded as one of his best works, with angular lines, hidden headlamps, a long hood, and a steeply sloping roofline. This 1973 Maserati Ghibli 4.9 SS Coupe, chassis AM 115 49 2428, is one of only 425 made and features silver metallic paint over a tan leather interior.
Mr. Peart’s particular Ghibli has correct Campagnolo center-lock alloy wheels and was added to his amazing group of “Silver Surfers” in 2013 when it was imported from Europe.
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Chevrolet Corvette Split-Window Coupe, 1963 (Estimate: $150,000 – $180,000)
Mr. Peart’s Chevrolet Corvette Split-Window Coupe is a 1963 model with a 327/340 horsepower engine and the characteristic split back window. Chassis 30837S109652 is finished in silver with a red vinyl interior and comes with a four-speed manual transmission.
Before joining the Peart collection in 2011, the elegant and unusual coupe underwent a thorough restoration. The C2 Corvette coupe’s proportions, posture, and design features make it among General Motors’ best design triumphs.