by Gabrielle DeSantis

Celebrities have plenty of expendable income, so many amass impressive car collections. Bill Gates may not be a Hollywood star, but he’s famous for co-founding Microsoft. His net worth is an estimated $124 billion, making him one of the world’s richest people.

Gates spends some of that money on private jets, sprawling mansions, and exotic cars. Here’s a peek at some of the most famous vehicles in the multi-billionaire’s collection.

Bill Gates prefers Porsche cars

A Porsche 911 Turbo was one of Gates’ first luxury cars, purchased new in 1979, The U.S. Sun reports. This 911 Turbo had a turbocharged flat-six engine that produced 265 and 291 lb-ft of torque. It also had a four-speed manual transmission and a wheelbase of 89.4 inches, making it a blast around corners.

This Porsche also had a stylish interior, with leather sports seats and a nicely padded cabin. 911 cars from this generation were also recognizable thanks to their “whale-tail” rear spoilers. 

Bill Gates is also a fan of newer Porsche models, as evidenced by his ownership of the Taycan EV. The Porsche Taycan Turbo retails for a whopping $150,900, equipped with two electric motors and a 93-kWh battery. Its electric powertrain makes 670 hp with overboost enabled and can reach 60 mph in a clean 3.0 seconds. It also has a reported top speed of 161 mph and a healthy range of 275 miles.

The Porsche Taycan Turbo also has some extra performance boosters, like torque-vectoring steering and ceramic brakes. The leather interior features standard heated seats with memory adjustments, plus a fancy suede headliner. The Taycan Turbo comes standard with a JBL audio system and two large media display screens.

Other sports cars in his garage

Gates also has a Ferrari 348, one of the rarest models in the lineup. During the car’s six-year run, the Italian automaker procued only 8,000 units. It was also the last Ferrari to pack a V8, which made up to 316 hp depending on the model. The quickest models could reportedly reach 62 mph in 5.4 seconds.

He also purchased a Jaguar XJ6, originally produced between 1969 and 1987. This luxury sedan came with an automatic transmission and produced 180 hp, with four-wheel independent steering. The interior is also posh, complete with leather seating and walnut fascia trim.

Gates appears to own some Mercedes-Benz models as well, including the classic 500SL. It’s a two-seater convertible that makes 322 hp, which was very impressive by 1993 standards. It also had some innovative interior tech, such as power headrests and integrated seatbelts.

The billionaire has also been spotted in a Mercedes-Benz S-Class, one of the German automaker’s most luxurious examples. It features the latest in-vehicle technology, including a digital assistant and a massive OLED touchscreen spanning the dashboard. It also doesn’t skimp on power, with the most potent models producing 496 hp.

This Porsche might be Bill Gates’ favorite car

Gates certainly went through a lot of trouble to get a Porsche 959 into his garage. The automaker never offered the car for sale stateside, and the NHTSA didn’t consider it street-legal. As a result, U.S. Customs held Gates’ Porsche for more than 10 years.

He eventually persuaded the U.S. court system to let him have his beloved Porsche, with one major stipulation. It can’t have more than 2,500 miles on the odometer per year. Considering all of the other impressive automobiles at his disposal, we’re sure Bill Gates can drive those in the interim.

RELATED: Steven Spielberg’s $160 Million Yacht Can House 12 Guests

The post What Cars Does Bill Gates Have? appeared first on MotorBiscuit.

by Gabrielle DeSantis

When you’re a billionaire many times over, you get to play with expensive toys, like rare cars and private jets. Elon Musk is no exception. In fact, one of his latest acquisitions, a Gulfstream G650ER, made headlines in part because of its hefty price tag and in part because of SpaceX and Tesla’s role in the purchase. When you’re as wealthy as Elon Musk, Gulfstream jets aren’t major purchases, but his travel subsidies from Tesla made the news.

The Gulfstream G650ER bought by Elon Musk

The Gulfstream G650ER is not your typical business aircraft. For one thing, the ER holds the record for the longest range at 7,500 nm (nautical miles) – 500 nm longer than a 650 model. This added range is due to a $2 million upgrade that stores an extra two tons of fuel in the G650ER. It can soar at 652 mph when achieving maximum range capabilities and up to 709 mph when sacrificing range.

The cabin is filled with luxurious trimmings and amenities that up to 18 passengers can enjoy. Cabin monitors, lights, and temperature can all be controlled through a smartphone app. The Gulfstream G650ER also features two bathrooms and a wet galley.

At $66.5 million, not everyone can enjoy the grandeur the Gulfstream G650ER affords. That’s not to mention operating costs estimated at $3,662 an hour. According to Corporate Jet Investor, these GR650 variants are fairly rare, representing just under 2.5% of the Gulfstream fleet.

Tesla’s corporate jet subsidies

Say hi to the Gulfstream G650ER, the newest Qatar Executive jet. Watch how it was made: https://t.co/LkYnmyD4i7 pic.twitter.com/1rsaNCfV0z

— Qatar Airways (@qatarairways) December 15, 2015

Shortly before 2018’s final quarterly earnings report of the year, the public learned that SpaceX had purchased a 2015 Gulfstream G650ER for CEO/CTO Elon Musk’s use. This would not be noteworthy, except that Tesla, of which Musk is also CEO, was billed $700,000 in expenses for its use – a sum the EV-maker paid. 

The $700,000 covered 150,000 miles of flight time, with its bulk between company properties in California. However, some trips were overseas, including trips to Asia and Europe. Because Tesla, in particular, had made headlines and raised investor hackles for burning through cash while laying off large numbers of workers, news of the Gulfstream purchase caused a furor.

However, despite the controversy, a big part of SpaceX’s and Tesla’s success is Musk’s hands-on management. He would not be as effective – and by extension, neither would his companies – if he managed via video conference. While the public may raise eyebrows, Tesla investors, who are sitting on returns of nearly 9,000 percent from their IPO purchase to today, likely appreciate the face-to-face interaction with Tesla’s CEO.

Elon Musk’s road to wealth

Why Elon Musk may end up on the hook for billions https://t.co/CHMlWOMTor pic.twitter.com/RVQ1hdG64D

— Forbes (@Forbes) July 6, 2021

Musk was born in South Africa. He was the son of Errol Musk, a wealthy entrepreneur who dabbled in several businesses, including partial ownership in an emerald mine. Musk attended universities in Canada and the U.S., ending up with bachelor’s degrees in physics and economics. He helped found a startup known as Zip2, which Compaq later bought for over $300 million. However, his work on X.com, an online bank that later became part of PayPal, accelerated his path to entrepreneurial fame and fortune.

He then founded SpaceX, a company that manufactures aerospace crafts and now works closely with NASA on their space program. SpaceX is also working on space tourism efforts and has already secured multi-million dollar price tags to transport some of the world’s other billionaires into space. A subdivision of SpaceX known as Starlink is positioning itself to be the dominant player in geo orbital satellite Internet provision, which can provide more consistent and faster high-speed Internet to areas of the world with poor Internet access.

Musk is also well-known for his work at Tesla, Inc., which manufactures electric vehicles and produces clean energy products, which might seem at odds with Musk’s purchase of the Gulfstream G650ER. Tesla’s vehicles have ranked at or toward the top-selling EVs in the world. The company also produces EV charging stations and receives considerable revenue from these over-the-air software upgrades and clean energy systems.

Other projects of Musk include OpenAI, an AI nonprofit research organization, and Neuralink, which develops interfaces between the brain and computers. Furthermore, the Boring Company, which he also founded, constructs tunnels and provides other infrastructure services. His outsized stakes in these companies have provided him with his immense wealth.

RELATED: How Much of Tesla Does Elon Musk Own?

The post Elon Musk Spent $70 Million On a Gulfstream G650ER and Tesla Chipped In $700,000 appeared first on MotorBiscuit.