> Top 10 Vehicles Owned by Billionaires(2006 Forbes list)

Top 10 Vehicles Owned by Billionaires

If your pockets were as deep as Bill Gates’ what would you drive? A new Porsche or a seven-year-old one? Each year, Forbes magazine compiles a list of the world’s wealthiest people. Now, ForbesAutos.com gives you a look at the vehicles driven by the billionaires at the top of the 2006 list.

• William Gates III
• Warren Buffett
• Ingvar Kamprad
• Paul Allen
• Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Alsaud
• Michael Dell
• Lawrence Ellison
• Jim Walton
• Alice Walton
• Steven Ballmer

The cars and trucks driven by those in the Top 10 of the 2006 Forbes list was, in short, shocking. You won’t find a Bugatti, Ferrari or BMW driven by these billionaires. But you will find a Lincoln, a Mazda, even a Dodge and a Ford. It seems that for the super-rich, a vehicle is seen not as a status symbol, but as a means to an end in which to get from point A to point B. Status is something that these billionaires need not prove to others. In many cases, the people on our list prefer to live inconspicuously, avoiding the limelight at all costs. This might explain why many of their vehicles cost less than your own daily driver.


William Gates III

Attachment 108


Rank on Forbes.com 2006 World’s Billionaires List: 1
Net Worth: $50 billion
Vehicles Owned: 1999 Porsche 911 Convertible (pictured above); 1988 Porsche 959 Coupe
Source: State of Washington Department of Licensing

Microsoft founder, philanthropist and self-proclaimed “nerd” William Gates III vents his software stress behind the wheel of two Porsches. His daily driver, a 1999 Porsche 911 Convertible, is ripe for replacement, especially considering that Porsche totally redesigned the latest 911, the 997, for 2005. Now, after waiting some 10 years, Gates can finally enjoy his other favorite Porsche: a rare (1 of 230) 1988 Porsche 959 Coupe. In fact, due to the 959’s questionable emissions and unknown crash ratings, it took a federal law signed by President Clinton for Bill Gates to legally drive his 959 on American roads. Rumor has it that Bill Gates and Paul Allen employed Microsoft engineers to write a computer program that could simulate the 959’s crashworthiness, which helped in the bill’s passage.


Warren Buffett

Attachment 110


Rank on Forbes.com 2006 World’s Billionaires List: 2
Net Worth: $42 billion
Vehicles Owned: 2001 Lincoln Town Car Signature Series
Source: Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles

With a license plate that reads “THRIFTY,” it could belong to no one other than billionaire investor Warren Buffett. The car behind the license plate is also relatively thrifty: a 2001 Lincoln Town Car Signature Series. Despite his license plate, one can only wonder why the billionaire splurged on the Signature Series Lincoln Town Car with its stylish half-length vinyl top instead of saving a few thousand dollars on a Ford Crown Victoria. Regardless, Buffett prefers the Lincoln’s wide bench seats and will take an American Town Car over a Cadillac or Lexus any day.

Ingvar Kamprad

Attachment 111


Rank on Forbes.com 2006 World’s Billionaires List: 4
Net Worth: $28 billion
Vehicles Owned: 1993 Volvo 240 GL
Source: Financial Times

Founder of the Swedish furniture and home goods company IKEA, Ingvar Kamprad is the proud owner of a 13-year-old Volvo 240 GL. Though he may own a Volvo, Kamprad still takes the bus and even uses his pensioners’ discount card, as he explained in a rare 1999 interview. Despite being a double-digit billionaire, Kamprad also still flies economy class and avoids luxury hotels. In fact, in his self-scribed 1976 bible, A Furniture Dealer's Testament, Kamprad decries that “IKEA people do not drive flashy cars or stay at luxury hotels.” Indeed, Ingvar Kamprad practices what he preaches.

Paul Allen

Attachment 107


Rank on Forbes.com 2006 World’s Billionaires List: 6
Net Worth: $22 billion
Vehicles Owned: 1988 Porsche 959 Coupe (pictured above); 1988 Mazda B-Series Pickup
Source: State of Washington Department of Licensing

When not sitting at the captain’s chair of his 413-foot yacht, Octopus, Allen can be found cruising the autobahn in his 1988 Porsche 959 Coupe. Originally, the Microsofe co-founder planned to drive his Porsche on American soil, but stringent emissions standards and crash-test ratings kept his and Bill Gates’ 959s impounded in customs. Frustrated, Allen gave up and decided to ship his 959 back to Europe, where he enjoys driving it today. When he is in Seattle, Allen has a 1988 Mazda B-Series Pickup that he uses to get around.

Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Alsaud

Attachment 109


Rank on Forbes.com 2006 World’s Billionaires List: 8
Net Worth: $20 billion
Vehicles Owned: Infiniti FX45; Hummer H1; Volvo XC90; Rolls-Royce Phantom (pictured above); Daewoo Matiz
Source: French news magazine program, “Zone Interdite” on broadcasting network M6

As the nephew of Saudi King Abdullah, Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Alsaud is no stranger to the finer things in life. His free-spending attitude is easily seen in his garage, where he always buys a duplicate of every one of his vehicles. Two Infiniti FX45s, two Hummer H1s and two Volvo XC90s all take up residency inside the Prince’s lavish garage. The reason for such excess? The Prince buys one vehicle for himself and an exact duplicate for his body guards. A glimpse inside the Prince’s garage also reveals a vehicular absurdity: Parked next to two Daewoo Matizs are two Rolls-Royce Phantoms. The reason for such an odd placement? The Prince holds a significant stake in Daewoo, the Korean car company now controlled by GM.


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