Quite surprisingly, the world’s richest person today, Warren Buffet with an estimated worth of $62 Billion, drives a relatively simple car, the 2006 Cadillac DTS which is sold for something in the region of $50,000. Admittedly, it is expensive for the common man but for a person with enough money to buy more than million Cadillacs, it does seem a bit thrifty. Interestingly, his previous car, a 2001 Lincoln Town Car Signature Series, once again costing around $50,000 had a number plate which read ‘THRIFTY’.
Buffet's Lincoln with the signature number plate.
Infact, a number of billionaires drive quite simple cars. I guess when you’ve become that rich, you cant really be bothered to drive the fanciest and most expensive cars but would be happy with something that is simple and comfortable.
There are several examples of such billionaires including, Ingvar Kamprad, the founder of Ikea, worth 31$ Billion, who drives a 15 year old 1993 Volvo 240GL. The vehicle apprently reflects his style rather than this wealth. Jim Walton, son of the Sam Walton, founder of the Fortune 500 topping company Wal-Mart, drives a 2002 Dodge Dakota. And the list goes on with Sergey Brin who drives Toyota Prius, Steve Ballmer who drives a 1998 Lincoln Continental, so on and so forth.
Bill Gates who remained the richest man on earth for 13 consecutive years and is currently worth $58 BIllion, drives a 1988 Porsche 959 Coupe of which only 230 were ever manufactured. However, the emissions of 959 were doubtful and it a federal law passed by President Bill Clinton to allow to the car to be street legal. But enough of these, lets move on to the cars with the power, pride and costing a hell a lot of money.
The most expensive car money can buy today is the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 with a list price of approximately 1.5 Million Dollars. The car is handcrafted in France and about 130 have been produced since its introduction in 2005. With a top speed of 407kmph (253mph), the car can accelerate from 0-100kmph (62mph) in 2.5 seconds making it the fastest acceleration speed of any production car in history. The mechanics of the Veyron are very interesting and those who wish to give it a read can do so here.
The Bugatti Veyron
And for those people who are wondering if it is even possible to handle such amount of power, it probably isnt always possible as shown by Ajay Soni who smashed the car after losing control of it near his $6 Million home in Surrey, England. And to add to the pain, the car was not owned by the driver but by his brother, Businessman Kumar Soni who must have lost his mind at the sight of the wreck. You can see pictures and more details of the crash here.
But if you want the fastest car in the world, the car for you is the SSC Ultimate Aero TT which has a top speed of 413 kmph (257 mph) and is recognised by the Guinness World Records as the fastest production car in the world. Very few have been sold to date even though it is less than half the price of the Veyron.
However, some Billionaires prefer comfort to speed like Mukesh Ambani who spent a million dollars (including 120% Indian import duty) on his Maybach 62. Mukesh Ambani is the 5th richest man in the world with a net worth of $43 Billion. The Maybach may not have the raw power of the Veyron but it is more luxurious than the average person’s house, with fully reclining rear seats, automatic closing doors, Bose Surround Sound Speaker System, Dual Control Air Suspension, an air conditioner capable of cooling it to 15 degrees below the outside temperature and a lot more. You can also include the option of a panoramic translucent electroluminescent sunroof for another $12,000. A more detailed description of the features can be found here.
The luxurious Maybach 62
And just in case, you like luxury and speed, you can opt for the Brabus tuned version of the Maybach which increases its top speed to 300kmph and can accelerate 0-100kmph in 4.9 seconds making it the the fastest super-luxury motorcar in the world.
But sometimes the most expensive isnt expensive enough. New Yorker James Glickenhaus had Ferrari custom build a car for him and tailor made to his body dimensions so that it would be a perfect fit for him. And the cost of this customisation? A mere $4 Million. The car was customized over the chassis of an Enzo Ferrari by Pininfarina.
The classic Rolls Royce is always a favourite as shown by Donald Trump who is only worth $3 Billion and owns a 2007 Model of the Rolls Royce Phantom. Gambling Billionaire, Sheldon Adelson, worth $28 Billion owns a 1991 Rolls-Royce Silver Spur which probably isnt the most flashy car but as we’ve seen above, they richest of the crowd prefer to keep a low profile.
Rolls Royce Phantom
Okay, so you’ve bought your fancy car but dont know where to push it to its limits? Fear not, for there is a 4 mile track at the Monticello Motor Club only 90 minutes away from Manhattan which is there to serve the purpose for you to drive as you please. The entry fee? $125,000 with a yearly membership fee of $7,500. The exclusive private club includes members such as Jerry Seinfeld, and James Glickenhaus along with his $4 Million Ferrari.
And there you have it, the most expensive and fastest cars in the world all waiting to be bought by you and me. Personally, I’d be quite happy with a Pagani Zonda C12F.
What cars would you buy if you were a billionaire? Would you splurge your money on the best or save it up and buy a simple car? Please leave your valued comments.
Sources - Forbes Autos, The Super Cars and Wikipedia.
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
