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The world’s biggest car collection – an estimated 7,000 cars worth more than $5bn – is owned by the secretive Sultan of Brunei.
It’s private, so unless you’re a friend of the absolute ruler of this tiny oil-rich state on the north coast of the island of Borneo, you’ll never see his cars. It’s a shame because there are some amazing machines, including many one-offs, specially commissioned by the Sultan or his equally car-mad younger brother, Prince Jefri.
He’s such an important car collector and car buyer that it’s thought he kept Rolls-Royce and Bentley afloat during their darkest days. About half of all Rolls-Royces and Bentleys sold in the early and mid-1990s went to the Sultan and his family. Many were bespoke.
Secrets of the Sultan
Cars commissioned specially by the Sultan included six Bentley Dominators, the company’s first SUV (20 years before the Bentayga). As with so many Brunei cars, it was a secret project, only coming to public notice when a photographer snapped a shot of the car being loaded onto a cargo plane destined for Brunei.
There was also the 1996 Bentley Buccaneer (a sporty coupé) plus Bentley Camelot, Phoenix, Imperial, Rapier, Pegasus, Silverstone and Spectre. If you’re unfamiliar with these nameplates, don't worry: Bentley never officially made them. They were bespoke and confidential coach-built commissions. The odd photo and nugget have leaked, but they remain mysterious. The Sultan and his family own an estimated 380 Bentleys.
His biggest collection is of Rolls-Royces. His 600-car Rolls-Royce fleet includes bespoke and secret vehicles such as the Rolls-Royce Royale, Majestic and Cloudesque all big and extravagant limousines. We only really know details thanks to some Southeast Asia paparazzi and to the odd tourist who encounters the royal family out motoring. One Rolls-Royce that was more widely seen was the Silver Spur II used on the Sultan’s wedding day. It wasn’t any normal Silver Spur, though. This one was 24-carat gold plated.
Other noteworthy cars include specially commissioned Ferraris – among them the 456 GT Venice (a station wagon, six were commissioned by Prince Jefri), a F90 supercar commissioned in 1988 and the 1995 FX (the Sultan ordered six). Rare but not bespoke Ferraris include the 250 GTO, most valuable of all Ferraris (he owns two) and the F40, arguably the most exciting of all Ferraris. He owns 11.
Brunei's Bugatti
If you’re lucky enough to get an invitation, you’ll also see auto gems such as the McLaren F1 (the Brunei royal family originally bought 10 - some have been sold but apparently seven remain in the collection), Jaguar XJ220, a unique Brunei-commissioned Aston Martin Vantage ‘Special Series’, a one-off BMW Nazca M12 concept and a Bugatti EB110. Plus thousands of other wonderful cars, all garaged in a vast automotive palace with separate wings for the most important marques.
The Sultan's Bentley Buccaneer
The Sultan himself – real name Hassanal Bolkiah – lives in what is thought to be the world’s largest palace (1,788 rooms including 57 bathrooms) and is the second longest-reigning monarch after Queen Elizabeth II. He was formerly the richest man in the world, before losing this crown to Bill Gates.
He became Sultan in 1967 and started accumulating his car collection soon after ascending to the throne.
Cars aren’t his only extravagance. He has his own private zoo complete with 30 Bengal tigers, paid $70m for a Renoir painting and supposedly flies a barber out from The Dorchester hotel in London (which he owns) to cut his hair. He also got Jack Nicklaus to design his personal and private golf course.
The world's biggest car collection – an estimated 7,000 cars worth more than $5bn – is owned by the secretive Sultan of Brunei. It's private, so unless you're a friend of the absolute ruler of this tiny oil-rich state on the north coast of the island of Borneo, you'll never see his cars.
It has been reported that much of the collection actually belongs to the Sultan's 3rd brother, Prince Jefri, and various nephews and that most of the collection is unused and decaying. Other trivia has it that the staff has a Rolls-Royce in the driveway, always running, 24/7.
Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei's automobile collection, valued at an estimated US$5 billion and consisting of over 7,000 cars, is often regarded as the largest private car collection in the world.
According to reports, Sultan Bolkiah possesses the world's largest collection of rare automobiles and owns an impressive array of approximately 7,000 vehicles, with an estimated total value exceeding 5 billion dollars.
The world's biggest car collection – an estimated 7,000 cars worth more than $5bn – is owned by the secretive Sultan of Brunei. It's private, so unless you're a friend of the absolute ruler of this tiny oil-rich state on the north coast of the island of Borneo, you'll never see his cars.
Roles in Government. Under Brunei's 1959 constitution, the sultan is the head of state with full executive authority, including emergency powers since 1962. On 9 March 2006, the Sultan was reported to have amended Brunei's constitution to make himself infallible under Bruneian law.
Who owns the most expensive car in the world? Only three people own the Rolls-Royce Boat Tail. According to Daily Mail, one is owned by music power couple Jay-Z and Beyoncé. The second is owned by Mauro Icardi, Argentine footballer and Galatasaray striker.
Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei is believed to have a private collection of around 500 Rolls-Royces - the largest collection of its kind in the world.
The largest car collection in the world belongs to Hassanal Bolkiah, the Sultan of Brunei Darussalam since 1967. At 76, the sultan is the longest-reigning monarch after the late Queen Elizabeth II and has spent a chunk of his estimated $30 billion fortune amassing a unique selection of luxury cars.
Bezos also owns a car collection reportedly worth around $20 million. His collection includes several high-end vehicles such as a Cadillac Escalade, Land Rover Range Rover, Mercedes-Benz S450, Ferrari Pininfarina Sergio, W Motors' Lykan HyperSport, Bugatti Veyron Mansory and Koenigsegg CCXR Trevita.
Woods' personal car collection over the years has included a Lamborghini Murciélago, the last model of which was produced in 2011, and a Porsche Carrera.
He's been seen in a black Acura TSX, a Volkswagen Golf GTI hatchback, and a Honda Fit — all of which are valued at or under $30,000 — and recently posted a photo on Instagram of two refurbished Ford Broncos, captioned "his and hers."
What Kind of Vehicle Does Warren Buffett Drive? Warren Buffett drives a Cadillac XTS, a car that is far from the flashy, high-end luxury vehicles that one might expect a billionaire to own. Consistent with his down-to-earth lifestyle, Buffett's choice of vehicle is practical, reliable, and understated.
The Sultan of Brunei purchased ten of the 106 McLaren F1s produced, and these included five road cars, three F1 LMs, one F1 GT, and one F1 GTR. Despite Gordon Murray's desire for all F1 LMs to be completed in Historic Orange, out of all three F1 LMs first requested, two of them are done in a unique livery.
The Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah has a Ginnies World Record with over Rs 4,000 crore worth of cars. The King's car collection is private and has many one-offs and specially commissioned machines. According to reports, almost half of Rolls Royce and Bentley bought in the mid-1990s went to Sultan and his family.
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