When you’re learning to drive, getting your first set of wheels is the immediate goal, but everyone also has a ‘dream car’ that they would love to own.
But imagine having enough money to fill an entire garage with any car that you wish! For most of us, that fantasy will likely always remain a fantasy, but for the richest people in the world, dropping six figures on a car is small change.
Whether it’s the latest supercars or rare, vintage classics that cost a small fortune, celebrities are fortunate enough to own some incredible cars, but which have the most expensive garages, and which are the most talked about?
The most valuable celebrity car collections
- Hassanal Bolkiah – £4bn
Better known as the current Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah is the owner of the largest car collection in the world, boasting over 7,000 vehicles that are worth an estimated $5bn (£4bn).
Of particular note are the Sultan’s collections of rare Ferrari F40s, McLaren F1s and Rolls-Royces, although it’s long been rumoured that after landing in financial troubles, he and his family were forced to sell many of the vehicles, with many other rumoured to have been left abandoned.
- Ralph Lauren – £265m
As well as being a fashion industry icon, Ralph Lauren is also known for his extensive collection of automobiles, with about 100 different vehicles, ranging from exotic hypercars to vintage race cars.
In total, it’s estimated that his collection is worth $350m (£265m), not just due to its sheer size, but also the presence of a number of rare models, including a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO, McLaren F1 LM, 1929 “Blower Bentley” 4½ Litre, a 1930 Mercedes-Benz SSK “Count Trossi” (aka “The Black Prince”), and a Lamborghini Reventón Roadster, to name a few.
- Lawrence Stroll – £140m
Another name you might not be immediately familiar with is Lawrence Stroll, who is a Canadian billionaire who also co-owns the Aston Martin Formula One team and owns a significant collection of vintage Ferraris.
Stroll’s collection contains many different Ferraris from throughout history, as well as a handful of other models such as McLarens and a Ford GT, and is estimated to be worth £140m.
The most desired celebrity car collections
- Jay Leno – 175,500 annual searches
While he just misses out on the top three in terms of the value of his car collection, US TV host Jay Leno’s car collection is the most searched for on the web, with over 175,500 Google searches in the last year!
Leno owns around 286 vehicles, including both cars and motorbikes and also has his own TV show called Jay Leno’s Garage. His collection includes some of the last remaining models of vehicles such as the Duesenberg Model X and Chrysler Turbine Car.
- Cristiano Ronaldo – 112,000 annual searches
Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the richest footballers in the world, and he has a stunning car collection to match.
The Manchester United player recently purchased a Bentley Flying Spur to add to his collection which includes the likes of three Ferraris, two Lamborghini, two Bugatti, two McLaren, two Rolls-Royce, a Porsche 911 Turbo S, a Koenigsegg CCX, a Bentley Continental GT Speed, a Range Rover Sport SVR, along with several Audi and Mercedes-AMGs.
- Elon Musk – 49,200 annual searches
Billionaire Elon Musk is of course known for being a pioneer of electric cars, but his garage isn’t just filled with wall to wall Teslas.
In fact, he has one of the more interesting car collections in the world, including a copy of the first-ever mass-produced car, the Ford Model T and the “Wet Nellie” Lotus Esprit from The Spy Who Loved Me, although unfortunately, it doesn’t actually drive underwater like in the film!
Methodology
Estimated figures for the values of each celebrity’s car collection were sourced from a number of news articles and sources. Note that these figures are estimates only and figures were not available for all celebrities, as the specific details of many collections are kept private.
Search data shows the number of annual Google searches made for the celebrity’s name followed by the term ‘car collection’ made globally between December 2020 and November 2021, sourced via Google Ads Keyword Planner.
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