Billionaires like to go from A to B in supreme comfort and style, and think nothing of splurging on the finest and most exclusive modes of transport imaginable.
Read on to see the private jets, opulent trains, prestige cars, and magnificent megayachts of the planet's richest people.
While he is famed for his thrifty ways, Bill Gates does allow himself the occasional splurge and calls the Bombardier BD-700 Global Express private jet he bought in 1997 his “guilty pleasure”. According to the New York Times, the Microsoft co-founder paid $21 million for the plane, which can seat up to 19 people. Gates actually owns three more planes, including two Gulfstream G650ERs, and a collection of helicopters.
Sir Richard Branson has plenty of planes at his disposal but for routes his Virgin Atlantic airline doesn't cover, and short-haul trips to and from his private Caribbean island Necker, the British billionaire travels in his Dassault Falcon 50EX private jet. A relatively affordable option, the aircraft can be picked up for just several million dollars.
In 2005, Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin spent $15 million on a Boeing 767-200, which they acquired from Australian airline Qantas. The pair then spent an additional $10 million redesigning the interiors to make it into a private jet suitable for 50 passengers. Together with ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt, the tech titans own a formidable fleet of aircraft including a Boeing 757 and two Gulfstream Vs, and even have their very own private terminal at San Jose airport in California.
Hot on the heels of gifting his wife a tricked-out private jet complete with a bar, master bedroom, games consoles and more, Mukesh Ambani treated himself to a $73 million Boeing Business Jet 2. India's richest person opted for a luxe custom interior boasting everything from a sweeping business suite to a full-sized bath tub. But Ambani has reportedly more than one plane, and his fleet also includes a Falcon 900EX jet and an Airbus 319.
Jeff Bezos is the proud owner of not just one but two Gulfstream G650ER private jets. The first was delivered in 2015 while the second was snapped up in 2019. Together the planes are worth up to $150 million, small change for the world's wealthiest individual. Other billionaire Gulfstream G650ER owners include the aforementioned Larry Ellison and Bill Gates, as well as Elon Musk and British retail tycoon Sir Philip Green.
Donald Trump bagged the second-hand aircraft dubbed 'Trump Force One' in 2011 from the late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, who first got the plane in 1995. The future president spared no expense revamping the plane in suitably blingy style, pimping out the $100 million jet with plush cream leather seating, a cinema, gold silk-upholstered master bedroom with a double bed and a spacious bathroom featuring a shower and 24-carat gold sink. However, it is currently sat, minus one engine, at Stewart Airport in New York, where it went to be stored during his presidency.
Equally ostentatious is the Sultan of Brunei's Boeing 747-430. The autocratic ruler purchased the jumbo jet for $100 million and dropped an additional $120 million customizing the interior. Super-extravagant, the plane wows with 24-carat gold accents, Lalique crystal fixtures and sumptuous leather sofas.
Now for some classic and supercar eye candy. First up is Donald Trump's 2015 Rolls-Royce Phantom, for which he is likely to have paid something in the region of $500,000. The vehicle of choice for the billionaire who values old-school elegance, the grand car is the priciest in Trump's collection.
Elon Musk just couldn't resist splurging more than $926,000 in 2013 on James Bond's 1976 Lotus Esprit S1 Submarine car that featured in The Spy Who Loved Me. Nicknamed 'Wet Nellie', the submersible was built specially for the 007 movie at a cost of around $100,000 and clad in a Lotus Esprit S1 bodyshell.
Reality star and make-up mogul Kylie Jenner has no shortage of sensational supercars to choose from. They range from a custom Rolls-Royce and orange Lamborghini Aventador to this fantastic $1.4 million Ferrari LaFerrari Aperta which, like the Aventador, features Back to the Future-esque scissor doors.
That fabulous Ferrari LaFerrari Aperta isn't actually Kylie Jenner's priciest car – far from it in fact. The former world's youngest self-made billionaire has a monochrome Bugatti Chiron tucked away in her garage. Jenner bought the to-die-for supercar for $3 million in October 2019 and posted a video of her new buy on social media, but later deleted it after receiving criticism for showing off her wealth.
Suspected Saudi royal Turki Bin Abdullah took the UK capital by storm in 2016 when he imported his wow-factor collection of gold supercars and cruised around central London's streets in the eye-catching vehicles. They include two Lamborghinis, a Mercedes AMG off-roader, Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupe and Bentley Flying Spur, which together were reportedly worth more than $2 million. He spends thousands having his vehicles coated in gold, his favorite color.
Along with his private jet, Bill Gates has a penchant for Porsche supercars, which he considers his other rare indulgence. Gates bought his first Porsche, a 911 Turbo, in 1979, and then went on to purchase a rare 959 in 1987. Now worth up to $2 million, the supercar was impounded by US customs for 13 years and Gates, who recently acquired an electric Porsche Taycan, actually helped pass a law to make the model road-legal.
Walmart heir Rob Walton has built up an astonishing collection of classic cars, having spent millions of dollars in the process. Among his many exceedingly valuable models is a sublime 1957 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa that Walton purchased for $12.1 million in 2009, but the vintage vehicle could now be worth up to $40 million.
Bugatti snatched the accolade in 2019 with its one-off La Voiture Noire ('The Black Car'). The $18.7 million masterpiece, which draws inspiration from the classic Type 57 SC Atlantic, was custom-made for an unnamed billionaire client. Rumors, which later turned out to be untrue, had suggested that the car had been commissioned by soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo. Since then it's been topped by Rolls-Royce...
When Rolls-Royce unveiled its Boat Tail car, it called it "the most ambitious motor car ever created." The four-seater car is shaped like a yacht deck at the back and measures almost 19 feet in length. The vehicle, which is rumored to have a price tag of around $28 million and is therefore the most expensive new car created, is part of Rolls-Royce's new Coachbuild program where high-profile clients are invited to design their own unique cars. There are three Boat Tails being made, each personalized to its owner, Jay-Z and Beyoncé are thought to be among the buyers.
Drum roll please, the most expensive car ever sold is this 1963 Ferrari 250 GTO. The holy grail of sportcars, the legendary silver Ferrari, which features French tricolore stripes, was bought in 2018 by David MacNeil, the billionaire founder of the WeatherTech car floor mats company, for an eye-watering $80 million.
A man clearly accustomed to the finer things in life, it’s perhaps a given that a slither of Bernard Arnault’s $173 billion fortune would go towards purchasing and maintaining an exquisite yacht. In 2015 this tastemaker purchased Symphony, a 333-foot vessel with eco-friendly credentials, including fuel consumption 30% lower than average, for a price of $150 million. Onboard facilities include a state-of-the-art kitchen designed to produce the finest French haute cuisine, and lavish entertainment suites.
Spielberg's Seven Seas superyacht has plenty of places to unwind, including a swimming pool on a partially-covered 2,700-square-foot deck. The area has sun loungers for swimmers to relax on, as well as a bar and a dining area that seats 22 people. Either side of the pool are steps down to a swim deck. But the yacht also has a private deck and spa pool, a fitness room and spa with a massage room, sauna and steam room.
It also has a main living space the size of a ballroom and, unsurprisingly, the acclaimed movie director's custom boat has a film screening room. The large room has tiered, cinema-style sofas, a full bar and even a baby grand piano for live music moments.
Owner of the Dallas Cowboys NFL team, Jerry Jones travels to games in style and is often snapped mooring up in his 357-foot superyacht Bravo Eugenia – that’s the length of the Cowboys’ home field at AT&T Stadium. Once a game’s finished, Jones’ yacht makes for the perfect after party venue, with capacity to accommodate 14 passengers and 20 members of crew, all of whom can easily be delivered onboard thanks to the vessel’s helipad. Designed by Italian firm Nuvolari Lenard, this extraordinary vessel is rumored to have cost more than $250 million back in 2019.
The 377-foot Lurssen-built Pelorus was bought by Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich in 2004. His ex-wife Irina was given the yacht in 2009 as part of the divorce settlement, and she sold it on to Dreamworks co-founder David Geffen in 2011. The vessel changed hands again later that year when it was bought by the royal family of Abu Dhabi for a reported $296 million and it was finally acquired by Chinese billionaire Samuel Tak Lee in 2016. We're sure he wasn't disappointed with his purchase – the wonder vessel has everything from multiple swimming pools to two helipads.
Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison enjoys competitive sailing and the tech titan combined work and pleasure in 2000 when he founded a racing team called Oracle Team USA, which has made multiple successful appearances at the America’s Cup tournament since 2003. In 2005 Ellison commissioned a 454-foot yacht called Rising Sun, which reportedly boasted an incredible 82 rooms, a wine cellar and a basketball court. Rising Sun was then sold to David Geffen for an alleged $300 million in 2010, and Ellison replaced the epic yacht with a 288-foot vessel called Musashi, which he bought in 2013.
The 439-foot Serene was built in 2011 for Russian vodka billionaire Yuri Scheffler. Serene can comfortably accommodate up to 24 guests in 12 cabins, along with 62 members of crew to keep this incredible yacht afloat and provide that luxury experience. Formerly one of the most expensive yacht rentals in the world, the Serene was the go-to megayacht charter for the mega-rich, including the likes of Bill Gates, before it was taken off the market. In 2015, Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia bought it for approximately $562 million.
The founder of Amazon is the richest person on the planet, so it’s only logical that he owns one of the largest yachts in the world. The billionaire, who has a current net worth of just under $200 billion, has commissioned a 417-foot gigayacht set to be “one of the finest sailing yachts in existence”, according to the book Amazon Unbound by journalist Brad Stone.
It will be so enormous in fact that a second smaller yacht has been commissioned as its support vessel with its own helipad. Built by Dutch shipyard Oceanco, project Y721 will be the largest sailing yacht ever built in the Netherlands and will likely cost upwards of $500 million. It's so big in fact it will reportedly require the historic Koningshaven bridge in Rotterdam to be removed and then rebuilt so it can sail out to sea.
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