Bill Gates And His Cars
As one of the richest and most influential people in the world thanks to Microsoft, Bill Gates could spend his billions on a whole lot of things. One of his most prized possessions is his often luxury, often rare car collection (plus some of his planes as a bonus). But there are some surprises.
Bill Gates's Strange Control Over His Cars
To be honest, some of Gates's collection blew our minds (others, not so much). But not in the way you might think. Gates treats his cars in a way unlike most celebrity owners: They aren't stuck in a trailer or behind a display case. Oh no, he uses them.
In fact, you might think he misuses them. Read on and decide for yourself.
World Economic Forum, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
His Massive Garage
It's also important to note that Gates doesn't generally keep his cars in a far-off place; he makes sure his enormous homes can accommodate them. One of his mansions has a garage that can fit up to 23 cars.
Let's take a look at the exotic, powerful, and other highlights from his fleet.
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His Ferrari 348
The Ferrari 348's name comes from its 3.4-liter V8 engine, and the bespoke Italian garage only made 8,000 of them. But its real claim to fame is that it was the last car designed by the great Enzo Ferrari.
For Gates, though, respect for this car came not from keeping it pristine, but from driving it into the ground.
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His Ferrari 348 (Cont'd)
Even though Ferrari 348s can go for upwards of $160,000, Gates loved taking his for a spin and burning rubber. At one point, he even drove through sand with his 348, earning it the nickname "dune buggy." That's just what you can do with a Ferrari when you're a billionaire.
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His Porsche 959 Sport
The Porsche 959 is legendary for a reason, and the beautiful, curvy, compact ride makes collectors salivate today. As well they should: There were only 345 models made. But when Gates decided he wanted one, he hit a snag money (almost) couldn't fix.
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Porsche 959 Sport (Cont'd)
In 1986, when the Porsche 959 came out, the speedy car wasn't street legal in the United States. Though this didn't matter to Gates, who paid to import it anyway, the US highway administration, the NHTSA, refused to admit it into the country. Which is when Gates showed his incredible devotion to the car.
He fought the law for 13 long years, spending endless amounts of money, until he finally won and took ownership of the car.
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His Rolls-Royce Ghost
The successor to the famous Rolls-Royce Phantom, the 2022 Ghost comes jam-packed with high-end cabin features you'd expect from a luxury sedan, especially one from Rolls-Royce. The company, after all, hand-builds everything from engine on out.
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His Rolls Royce Ghost (Cont'd)
Although Bill Gates isn't too precious about his cars, he may very well be about his Ghost. With a V12 engine that provides up to 592 horsepower, these predators go for around $340,000. Rumor is that Gates has his Ghost in the Black Badge trim.
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His 1979 Porsche 911
The 1979 Porsche 911 is a classic, and Bill Gates thought so too. It was the first luxury car he bought with his money—and he certainly put her through her paces.
Handling her like the thoroughbred she was, Gates ended up with three speeding tickets in one day while driving the 911 around the Microsoft HQ. But the trouble didn't stop there.
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His 1979 Porsche 911 (Cont'd)
After receiving that third speeding ticket, fate threw Gates a curveball. Seeing the tickets he had racked up, the third officer who pulled him over sent Bill Gates behind bars, and his Microsoft co-founder and friend Paul Allen had to bail him out.
Gates held onto the 911 for years after, though it sold at auction in 2012 for a tidy $80,000.
King Luxury, Inside Bill Gates' Insane Car Collection
His BMW 7 Series
The 2009 BMW 7 Series offers the luxury inherent in the BMW name, but adds something very special: It's the first bulletproof car, even down to its tires if the buyer so wishes. That's not the end of its incredible features, either.
King Luxury, Inside Bill Gates' Insane Car Collection
His BMW 7 Series (Cont'd)
At its highest level, the BMW 7 series is nothing short of a James Bond vehicle, which seems fitting for a tech giant like Gates. You can even shut off the ventilation and reroute fresh air in if you feel the cabin has been infiltrated. All that, and it only costs around $158,000.
King Luxury, Inside Bill Gates' Insane Car Collection
His Mercedes-Benz S-Class
If a Porsche is Bill Gates's favorite car for zooming around, he falls back on a Mercedes-Benz for his daily life. The $110,000, 2002 Mercedes-Benz S-Class sedan was a family vehicle for the billionaire, who would often take his daughter to school in it.
King Luxury, Inside Bill Gates' Insane Car Collection
His Mercedes-Benz S-Class (Cont'd)
As the "school run" usage might imply, the S-Class provides Gates with stability and comfort, but that doesn't mean it couldn't let loose if he wanted. With a V12 engine, this Mercedes can get up to 155 miles per hour.
King Luxury, Inside Bill Gates' Insane Car Collection
His Porsche Taycan Turbo S Cross Turismo
Bill Gates loves his Porsches, but the Porsche Taycan Turbo S Cross Turismo is a little different. It's an electric vehicle, and the first of its kind to come out of the illustrious Porsche garage.
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His Porsche Taycan Turbo S Cross Turismo (Cont'd)
Gates was one of the very first buyers of the Taycan, paying $185,000 for the privilege around 2019. His choice also caused controversy. Some noted that Gates, in buying the Taycan, had obviously passed on Tesla's Model X offering when it came to an electric car. Or...did he?
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His Tesla Model X
Although people noticed Gates didn't buy a Tesla Model X as his first electric car, there is evidence he added one to his collection eventually. In an interview with science fiction writer Neal Seveneves on an episode of his vlog Gates Notes, Bill is seen driving a Model X.
King Luxury, Inside Bill Gates' Insane Car Collection
His Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren
When luxury car German maker Mercedes-Benz gets together with luxury British car maker McLaren, you know the results are going to be spectacular. So it was with the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren, a chic V8 speedster that can go up to 205 miles per hour.
His Chevy Suburban
As surprising as it may be, Bill Gates does own a Chevy Suburban, a surprisingly mass-market and climate-unfriendly choice for the eco-conscious billionaire. Even the name "Suburban" doesn't sound right next to Bill Gates.
That said, there are upsides to this massive SUV.
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His Chevy Suburban (Cont'd)
In the end, the $60,000 price tag for the Suburban was probably a pittance for Gates, and he used it to drive around Seattle and Washington without attracting much attention. Sometimes, when you're a billionaire, you just need to blend in.
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His Ford Focus?
One of the humblest entries in Gates's collection is still one of the mightiest. Like the Chevy Suburban, Gates tended to use his Ford Focus for zipping around town when he needed to be incognito—and to be fair it is the perfect commuter car.
Planet Lux, Bill Gates Awesome Car Collection
His Toyota Prius
Bill Gates may have gone back on his climate-conscious principles with something like the Suburban, but he gets his credibility back with the Toyota Prius. The hybrid Prius is pretty much the gold-standard for eco-driving today, and Gates likely gets a lot of use out of his.
Alexander-93, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
His Planes: The Bombardier BD-700 Global Express
As a bonus, let's get into some of Gates's vehicles that aren't on four wheels: his impressive collection of jets.
The Bombardier BD-700 Global Express is a Canadian-built wonder. Seating up to 19 people and able to fly over 11,000 km, this is basically Gates's version of a carrier plane. But it has some special secrets.
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His Planes: The Bombardier BD-700 Global Express (Cont'd)
Although the BD-700 is very much a luxury plane, there are military varieties of the jet. It took a whole seven years of research and engineering for Bombardier to release the plane, and we wonder what top-secret perks Gates might enjoy on it...
King Luxury, Inside Bill Gates' Insane Car Collection
His Planes: The Gulfstream G650
The GulfStream G650 is a luxury plane for a luxury man. The interiors of the jet are incredibly spacious and contain the most high-end details, with the bonus ability to rearrange seating and create up to four living spaces inside the plane. Besides that, no less than Rolls-Royce designed its engines. It's got more attractions, too.
Rob Hodgkins, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
His Planes: The Gulfstream G650 (Cont'd)
The Gulfstream doesn't disappoint in the data arena, either. With just one stop, the G650 can circumnavigate the Earth—perfect for business meetings in Tokyo and breakfasts in San Francisco. More than that, the Gulfstream G650 fleet holds over 110 speed records.
King Luxury, Inside Bill Gates' Insane Car Collection
His Planes: The Cessna 208 Caravan
Cessna made its name on rugged, economical, and immensely portable planes, and Bill Gates's rumored Cessna 208 Caravan is no different. A trip-hopper, it can fly over 1,200 miles in one trip and carry 12–14 people while doing it. But that's not its best feature.
SunDawn, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
His Planes: The Cessna 208 Caravan (Cont'd)
The Cessna 208 is one of the most adaptable planes around. It can both touch down and take off from a variety of surfaces, including gravel, grass, rough fields and, of course, traditional runways. If Gates does have a Cessna, he likely uses his to take all kinds of enviable weekend trips.
JetRequest.com, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Final Thoughts?
Billionaire or not, Bill Gates is definitely one of the most "hands-on" car collectors we've ever seen, from speeding in his Porsche to turning his Ferrari into a "dune buggy". What do you think of his collection? What do you think of his habits? Let us know in the comments.
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