Alice Cooper and The KGB Spy Car

Ever heard the story of Alice Cooper and the KGB spy car that he owns? Oh it’s real (I've got to get some of Alice's cars here for the Detroit Auto Show next year). Alice has an amazing collection of classic cars, and for years he was looking for a Studebaker Avanti to own…and oh did he find one!

Alice Cooper: Finally found one in Portland, Oregon, and I had it sent down. I bought it. They sent it down, and they’re putting a radiator in it, right? And there’s an old man standing there, kind of looking at the car, and he goes, “Whose car is this?”

Jim O’Brien: [Laughs]

Alice Cooper: The guy said, “It’s Alice Cooper’s.” And he says, “FBI.”

Jim O’Brien: What?

Alice Cooper: And we all went, “What?” The guy says, “No, no, no. I’m retired.” He says, “Can I look at the VIN number on this car?” He looked at the VIN number, and he takes out a little book. Then he goes, “1966. I busted a Soviet spy in this car.”

Jim O’Brien: No way.

Alice Cooper: And we went, “What?” The guy’s name was Markov. He was KGB, and they were looking for him. The guy was stupid enough to be driving around in a car that everybody was looking at. And they said, “We had to.” He said, “Roll the window down.” He rolled the window down, and I put the gun up to his head and said, “FBI. Let’s go, Markov.”

Jim O’Brien: That’s incredible.

Alice Cooper: So no, I can never get rid of that car. No, never.

Jim O’Brien: No, you can’t.

Alice Cooper: So, I sent it to The Count in Vegas, and I said, “I want everything original except, you know, since it’s a spy car, there should be a little button that I press, and a panel comes out with a Walther PPK with a silencer on it.”

Jim O’Brien: [Laughing] Did they actually do it?

Alice Cooper: And he says, “Yeah, I think so too.”

Jim O’Brien: So, has it got it?

Alice Cooper: Oh, yeah. Oh, it’s there.

Jim O’Brien: The rock star.

Alice Cooper: In Arizona, you’re allowed to have that. Ted Nugent and I are allowed to have that. I figure that would make sense.

Jim O’Brien: So, I was thinking about you, and I was thinking about, like, you know, running with Keith Moon and all the rockers that you hung out with, Alice. Keith obviously wasn’t much of a gearhead. Everything I would hear, he would drive cars through windows and places. Were there people—

Alice Cooper: But there’s a but here. But yes, he had a 1925 Rolls Royce limousine. He had all the seats taken out and had a throne put in the back. He had the roof modified so that it opened up, and he could drive down Sunset Boulevard dressed in full drag as the Queen of England, stand up, and wave to people.

Jim O’Brien: [Laughing] No!

Alice Cooper: I’m not kidding.

Jim O’Brien: Did you ever ride with him in it?

Alice Cooper: Oh, yeah. I mean, I saw the car. I never rode with him because, you know, that was a Tuesday for him. You know what I mean? Every day was something like that. But he had that car. I do have a picture of both of us sitting on our Rolls Royces, drinking beer.