The article mentions that he drove with no license plate. But I always wondered if he possessed the plate and never attached it, keeping it inside the car just in case.
California has special rules for celebrities stemming from safety concerns.
New cars in California don't come with plates, so it's not uncommon to see cars without any plates at all, especially in the Bay Area. You get temporary plates in the mail and are responsible for affixing them yourself. As long as your registration is current, your taxes are paid, and you have insurance, getting caught without the plates is a small fine.
Apple and any of the big brands of German cars have been associated (emotionally and culturally if not officially) together quite often. Volkswagen, BMW, and Porsche especially. Except for Mr. Jobs's personal preference, there's almost no association between Apple and Mercedes-Benz ("the German car for people without a sense of humor.")
It’s from memory. Details might be incorrect.
You know, I thought the same thing. Steve doesn't drive a BMW. But I'm almost 100% sure his example in the talk was BMW. I can only guess that it was because BMW market share (which was sub-2%) fit the example, since that was Apple's market share at the time.
Steve owned at least 1 BMW in the last 10 years that I know of specifically.
The famous footage of him riding his motorcycle was, I think, a BMW motorcycle.