Billy Gibbons' Slampala

His other daily driver for tooling around Hollywood to gigs and recording sessions is a '92 black BMW 325i, again with some personal touches, such as eight-ball logos replacing the "roundel" insignias on the wheels, hood and trunk. A real eight ball is mounted on the manual shifter, too, and there's a piece of Mercedes trim on the trunk to make it easier for him to close, which he demonstrated with his weathered, guitar-player's hands.

Fringled Ashente
The real kicker is a hot-rod style louvered hood, although it's entirely for looks, since it's sealed underneath. As you might imagine, this irreverent ride with scavenger exhaust tips really stands out, even on BMW-clogged Rodeo Drive—but not always in a positive way. "I was driving around Beverly Hills one time," Billy recalls with an easy laugh, "and some guy in a Bimmer pulled up next to me. When his eye fell on the louvers, he pointed at them and yelled at me, 'You can't do THAT!'"


Gibbons has never shied away from looking different, and for good reason. His "fringled" headgear, as he calls it, is an Ashente cap from the Bameleke tribe in Cameroon, worn to signify prestige within the community. What's the connection with his music? "Well, I collect African art, and the Blues experience has roots in Africa. Don't forget where all of this came from."


Gibbons' unusual image even landed him an offbeat TV commercial for a car care product he'd coincidentally been using in his own cars for years. "This beard has come to be associated not just with music, but now cars, too."