Home » The Most Secretive Car Collection In The World Just Leaked And It’s Truly Insane

The Most Secretive Car Collection In The World Just Leaked And It’s Truly Insane

Sultan Of Brunei Ts 2hats
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It’s almost hard to believe that approximately 7,000 rare cars are simply rotting away in a tropical climate, but that’s essentially the story of the world’s biggest car collection, belonging to the 29th Sultan of Brunei. It’s a notoriously secretive automotive candyland, like Wonka’s chocolate factory for fans of ’90s exotic machinery.

Technically amassed by Prince Jefri Bolkiah and his son, these cars ended up the property of the state thanks to settling over an embezzlement scheme. However, beyond that, it’s hard to know exactly what happened to the bulk of the collection. We do know there are several one-off Ferraris and Bentleys in it, but that’s about it.

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Vidframe Min Bottom

Well, while we don’t know much about the collection in its current state, allegedly 23-year-old photos of the collection have recently surfaced on Instagram thanks to account @stopthegatekeepingloris, and the mix of cars is both weirder and more glorious than you could ever imagine.

Let’s start things off with something that’s familiar to a lot of us — a Suburban, GM’s full-sized family hauler. However, this isn’t just any Chevrolet Suburban because it sports Pininfarina badges on its fenders. Yes, that Pininfarina, the styling house historically responsible for most Ferraris. Yes, beneath the camouflaged exterior, you’ll find a cabin trimmed entirely in chocolate and sage leather, but that’s only where the insanity starts.

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Brunei Pininfarina Suburban

See, this Suburban is right-hand-drive, but the dashboard isn’t shared at all with the Holden Suburban sold in Australia. Also, despite being a GMT400, it has a floor-mounted shifter. What’s more, the controls are all kinds of weird. The climate control panel is straight out of an early model, meaning this could very well be a heavily worked-over pre-facelift GMT400 Suburban. Needless to say, this is a Holy Grail, and it’s far from the only one in the Brunei collection.

Brunei Ferrari 456 Night Vision

Speaking of weird, let’s talk about this Ferrari 456. The Royal Family was known to be a good client of Ferrari’s, but this grey automatic grand tourer doesn’t seem that much different than any other 456, apart from a weird protrusion from the roof. Is this a V12 coupe with a periscope? Well, not quite.

Brunei Ferrari 456 Night Vision Trunk

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Popping the trunk only raises more questions. It’s safe to say that luggage space is now essentially nonexistent, and that we’re looking at an absolute buttload of cables, but what do all the computers in the trunk actually do? Maybe a look in the cabin will help.

Brunei Ferrari 456 Night Vision Dashboard

Wow, that’s a whole litany of screens. In case you haven’t worked it out, this Ferrari 456 has full-on night vision. Crazier still? It’s one of two 456s photographed in the collection to be equipped with night vision, and both are relatively normal as far as Brunei 456s go.

Brunei Ferrari 456 Gt Sedan

How about a Ferrari 456 sedan? The collection has at least three of these coachbuilt four-door Ferraris, one in red, and two in green. Oh, and if that isn’t practical enough for you, how about a Ferrari 456 GT wagon?

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Brunei Ferrari 456 Gt Wagon Yellow

While the silver Ferrari 456 GT Venice has been released out in the wild, this yellow one, along with a black one and a green one, are likely still locked up in the Royal Family’s collection. It’s the sort of coachbuilding that kept the exotic car industry afloat in the 1990s, but the customized 456s didn’t stop at just sedans, wagons, and tweaked coupes.

Brunei Ferrari 456 Spyder

That’s because directly beside that yellow 456 wagon, at least in these pictures, sits a 456 Spyder. While not the most elegant Ferrari ever produced, the Brunei Royal Family evidently liked it enough to order at least four of them, one in yellow, one in red, one in silver, and one in green.

Brunei White And Silver F40s

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By now, it seems that unusual colors is a common theme of this collection, such as these F40s in white and silver. Photos also exist of a matte black F40 with comfy Testarossa seats and a green F40 in the same complex, but that’s not nearly as wild as what happens when the Sultan went bowling with the bumpers down.

Brunei Ferrari F90

You’ve heard of F40s and F50s, but what about F90s? Targa-topped creations on Testarossa mechanicals with faired-in rear wheels, creations for the Royal Family alone. These are all a case of letting Pininfarina run wild and pitch a rejected concept car to the Sultan, which makes you wonder, what concept car actually made the motor show stand?

Brunei Purple Ferrari Mythos

Ah yes, the Ferrari Mythos, a Testarossa-based drop-top built for the 1989 Tokyo Motor Show. The Sultan is known to have commissioned three Mythos examples, one in red, one in black, and one in purple, and they’re all accounted for in this leak. Of course, this purple one doesn’t appear to be a cabriolet, judging by the glossy sheen of its roof, which makes it all the more interesting.

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Brunei Ferrari Fx Yellow

Oh, and then there’s the Ferrari FX, another Testarossa-based creation, featuring the engine from the F512M and a seven-speed sequential transmission from Williams. You know, the F1 team. While six are said to have been delivered to the Royal Family, four are accounted for in this leak including this bold yellow example.

Brunei Ferrari 288 Gto Evoluzione

However, the wildest Ferrari in the entire collection is this, the 288 GTO Evoluzione. Officially one of six cars, this was to be Ferrari’s entry in Group B rallying before the series was canned for being too deadly, too fast, too out-of-control.

Brunei Bentley Silverstone Red

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Alright, that’s more than enough supercars, let’s move on to something truly jaw-dropping: The Bentley Silverstone. Specifically, some of the best photos we’ve ever had of the Bentley Silverstone. Several of these coachbuilt hardtop convertibles were made for the Royal Family, but nobody’s been able to get a truly clear rear three-quarter shot. Until now.

Brunei Bentley Silverstone Rear

Wow, that’s certainly something. The most striking thing here is just how massive the trunk lid is. It’s huge! You could throw a picnic on its horizontal surface, complete with six different types of sandwiches and fancy biscuits. Oh, and if the Silverstone isn’t your kind of specialty Bentley, don’t worry. There’s a whole lot more where this came from.

Brunei Bentley Albatross Interior

Alright, what the hell is going on in here? This is the cabin of something badged as the Bentley Albatross 4WD, which looks pretty much identical to a Turbo R sedan except for the claim of four-wheel-drive. Anyway, I guess montage-of-golfers veneer fits with a green-and-white interior, but wow, what a surprise.

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Brunei Bentley Albatross 4wd

Anyway, I still have so many questions here. Is this thing actually all-wheel-drive? Did Bentley itself do the conversion? Did Bentley itself do the veneers? It’s just so gloriously weird, but rest assured, some of the other Bentleys in the collection make the Albatross look positively normal. Are you ready?

Brunei Bentley Imperial

Say hello to the Bentley Imperial, a swoopy coachbuilt coupe based on the old, blocky Continental. Sure, the headlights look a little Buick and the gills look a bit Range Rover, but this really does feel like the missing link between the ’90s Continental and the Continental GT we know today. Crazier still, photos of this silver one just aren’t out there, so this really does feel like a glimpse of something new.

Brunei Bentley Big Mac

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Oh, and this is a Bentley station wagon badged as a Big Mac, for obvious reasons. Yellow paint with a yellow-and-red interior is certainly a choice, but for what it’s worth, this Bentley estate looks properly coachbuilt. It feels like the sort of thing you could’ve bought from the showroom, which makes you wonder why Bentley didn’t offer it on a more than atelier basis.

Brunei Aston Martin Vantage

Alright, time for another really weird one. This is the Aston Martin Vantage Special Series I, and while it’s based on the burly old Vantage of the ’90s, it adopts DB-like looks, albeit almost as a caricature. There are definitely some Mitsuoka-esque vibes going on here, but when you’re throwing around this much money, why not, right?

Brunei Clenet

Actually, speaking of neoclassics, here’s a Clenet! With Italian walnut dashboards and crystal ashtrays, these machines stood for American excess during the golden age of nose beers and grot. Talk about a weird machine. Each one was built to order, and I bet these roadsters were interesting to drive, seeing as how most used an MG Midget tub for the passenger compartment, but perched atop a full-sized American luxury sedan’s mechanicals.

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Brunei Di Napoli

I must say, the Clenet is more elegant than the Di Napoli, one of possibly seven ever produced. These were essentially Buick Regals turned into neoclassics, and my word, were they ever weird. There isn’t much information out there on these things, but it’s both odd and weirdly unsurprising to see one in the Brunei collection.

Brunei Jeep Grand Cherokee

On the other end of the spectrum, here’s a Jeep Grand Cherokee. It’s not some crazy coachbuilt creation rumored to cost seven figures in 1990s dollars, but instead just upper-middle-class family transportation for Americans in the 1990s. Obviously, this photo is old, but if not much has happened to this Grand Cherokee in the years since, it could be one of the lowest-mileage examples out there.

Brunei Boxster Tiptronic

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While we’re on the subject of cars in the Brunei collection that aren’t unobtanium, here’s an early Porsche Boxster. Not only is it on the base 16-inch wheels, it’s a Tiptronic automatic car, a rather weird spec. Also, this is the second car the greater Autopian fleet and the Royal Family’s collection have in common, which is certainly something.

Brunei Dauer Porsche 962

Alright, back to insanity. This is a Dauer Porsche 962, one of several Dauer Porsche 962s in the Brunei collection. It’s essentially a sports prototype racing car, but with indicators and luggage space and side markers and all the stuff it needs to earn licence plates. Yes, this thing’s street-legal. Wild.

Brunei Italdesign Nazca

In a similar vein of insanity, here’s an Italdesign Nazca M12. Featuring a carbon tub, the V12 from a BMW 850i, and plenty of BMW switchgear, this was never technically more than a concept car, but yet, here’s an example. Weirdly, it’s not the only Italdesign Nazca M12 to somehow make it out of the ether — a blue one with a blue interior surfaced for sale more than a decade ago. Could they be the same car? It’s possible, but an extensive retrim would’ve been needed to go from the black leather interior seen in this photo set to the blue leather on the car that came up for sale in 2011.

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Brunei Hobbycar

Speaking of weird, how about a Hobbycar B612? Matter of fact, how about two? These amphibious four-seaters definitely made a splash at the 1992 Paris Motor Show, but they didn’t exactly shed their waterwings from a sales perspective. Only 52 were ever made, and at one point, three resided in Brunei.

Brunei W140 Amg Wagon Red

While we’re talking about the collection, we need to bring up the litany of AMGs, such as this red-on-red W140 S-Class wagon conversion with a 7.2-liter V12. We saw a tribute car go up for auction earlier this year, but this is the real deal, a properly insane AMG wagon that’s just one of several in the Brunei collection.

Brunei Amg T1 N

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If that’s not roomy enough for you, here’s an AMG van, specifically a pre-facelift T1N Sprinter decked out in all manner of AMG decor. This one pre-dates the first Sprinters to make it to America, and the existence of this in the Brunei collection offers compelling evidence that the wealthy have been using decked-out vans for a long, long time.

Brunei Multicolor Bugatti Eb110 Ss

Another car of note is this rather stripey Bugatti EB 110 SS, one of four EB 110s in this photo set. Considering that only 139 of these were built, holding four of them is a considerable number, but this one’s more special than most. Not only does it sport a fantastic set of stripes, it has an absolutely insane interior. We’re talking full-on United Colors of Benetton in here.

Brunei Multicolor Eb110 Ss Interior

Of course, given the age of these photos, it’s hard to pin down what still resides in the Royal Family’s collection, or what state they’re in. For instance, the gallery includes photos of McLaren F1 chassis number 060, which sold in 2017. However, with varying accounts of how functional the cars in the collection are, the fact that operational examples pop up for sale every now and then, and a handful of pretty moldy interiors in some of these photo sets, I wouldn’t be surprised if conditions vary. Still, for models that have been kept indoors, Brunei seems like a kinder environment to cars than the rust belt, so who knows? Maybe more of this collection will eventually surface.

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(Photo credits: Instagram/stopthegatekeepingloris)

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Parker Kligerman
Parker Kligerman
1 month ago

I kept thinking I would stop scrolling but never did. Also a sucker for anything 456, particularly love the sedan. What an epic creation

Fiji ST
Fiji ST
1 month ago

Don’t forget the wagons too. Ultimate dad car!

I would love that red/red sedan though. *Chef’s kiss*

Last edited 1 month ago by Fiji ST
GirchyGirchy
GirchyGirchy
24 days ago
Reply to  Fiji ST

I think the body design really lends itself to a shooting brake. It’s a fantastic look.

Industrial_design_guy
Industrial_design_guy
1 month ago

That yellow 456 wagon is perhaps the only sexy 456 I’ve ever seen

EricTheViking
EricTheViking
1 month ago

“Oh, and this is a Bentley station wagon badged as a Big Mac…”

Actually, it was Robert Jankel Design who converted the Bentley into the estates with all-wheel-drive system. They were called Val d’Isère. The Sultan allegedly ordered eleven of them, but some of them were sold to other customers, including one left-hand-drive example in metallic salmon colour.

About the all-wheel-drive system, it was a custom system developed by Robert Jankel. Similar in set-up as Ferrari FF, GTC4Lusso, and Purosangue, Mr Jankel used the hydraulic-driven motors to turn the front wheels. They were powered by the hydraulic pump connected to the gearbox by toothed belt. The system could be operated only in first or reverse gear and up to 30 mph.

EricTheViking
EricTheViking
1 month ago

“Sure, the headlights look a little Buick…”

The headlamps on Bentley Imperial are from the European Ford Mondeo (1993–1997, pre-facelifted version). The headlamps have unmistakably optic “biscuit” (that often turned yellowish from heat) behind the clear lens cover.

Box Rocket
Box Rocket
29 days ago
Reply to  EricTheViking

That looks like the inspiration for Infiniti’s design language for the G37 and onwards. Yikes.

Auto Peon
Auto Peon
1 month ago

I know hardly any oil-rich country’s money gets evenly distributed but it’s a shame that this money didn’t go to Borneo orangutans or something. And where would northern Italy be like without this customer?

Loren
Loren
1 month ago

My 25 vehicles are more interesting

Edit: Whoops, meant to put that after the shitboxes comment…

Last edited 1 month ago by Loren
NosrednaNod
NosrednaNod
1 month ago

What, no Youabian Puma? Lame.

Industrial_design_guy
Industrial_design_guy
1 month ago
Reply to  NosrednaNod

No collection is really complete without one

Cam.man67
Cam.man67
1 month ago

I’d be more impressed if it was a 7000-car collection of rusty, barely-running shitboxes.

Roofless
Roofless
1 month ago
Reply to  Cam.man67

As I understand it, the cars haven’t been taken care of as well as you’d think, so, not as far off as you’d expect for a room full of coachbuilt exotics.

Balloondoggle
Balloondoggle
1 month ago
Reply to  Roofless

Turn it all over to Leno for safekeeping.

Camelman
Camelman
1 month ago
Reply to  Cam.man67

100% agreed! Would love to learn of some guy named Fred who’s been collecting Fieros and Grand Ams for the last 40 years with 7000 RUNNING examples in various states of decay. That is the definition of “collector” we all need a story on!

Cam.man67
Cam.man67
29 days ago
Reply to  Camelman

Exactly what I’m talking about! Rather than ooh’in and aah’ing at this sort of dilapidated decadence, us Autopians could be celebrating some old guy with the world’s largest collection of 1st-gen Ford Tempos.

Amateur-Lapsed Member
Amateur-Lapsed Member
28 days ago
Reply to  Camelman

…collecting Fieros and Grand Ams…

AKA Pontiac Ranch

LMCorvairFan
LMCorvairFan
1 month ago

So this is an example of one of the I’m sure of one of the many decadent things
unlimited money let’s one do.

Andreas8088
Andreas8088
1 month ago

What is a “gatekeeping loris”?

Jonathan Hendry
Jonathan Hendry
1 month ago
Reply to  Andreas8088

The small venomous primate that says you’re too uncool to get into the club.

Andreas8088
Andreas8088
1 month ago

Well jeez…. I don’t need a loris to tell me that.

TheCoryJihad
TheCoryJihad
1 month ago

The headlights off that Bentley Imperial are directly lifted from a post facelift Lincoln Mark VIII, although with sealed beams versus the clear lenses that most left the factory with.

This whole collection is just…….that. A hole.

EricTheViking
EricTheViking
1 month ago
Reply to  TheCoryJihad

No, you’re wrong. They’re from the European Ford Mondeo (1993–1997, pre-facelifted version). The headlamps have unmistakably optic “biscuit” (that often turned yellowish from heat) behind the clear lens cover.

Lincoln never made the export version of Mark VIII without the side running lamps and retroreflective markers in amber colour.

TheCoryJihad
TheCoryJihad
29 days ago
Reply to  EricTheViking

Well goddamn.

At least I got the FoMoCo part of it right.

Nsane In The MembraNe
Nsane In The MembraNe
1 month ago

I remember watching a Donut video on this collection a few years ago when Donut was still making pretty decent content. It’s honestly hard to wrap your ahead around this level of consumption and excess. I agree with most of the takes here-even if I could afford to do something this utterly insane I wouldn’t have any desire to. There is something very different (and wrong!) in the brains of the 1% that drives this sort of absurdity.

There’s no way the sultan drove more than a small handful himself, but I think at a certain point with these lizard people everything becomes a competition and a scoreboard, and that’s how this crime against humanity came to be. With that out of the way, this car uncanny valley is absolutely fascinating and even a little unsettling?

It’s just so weird and makes me wonder-is this a thing these companies just do for obscenely wealthy people? Are there all sorts bizarre custom built cars for these ghouls that we don’t know about? I need ANSWERS!!!!

Waremon0
Waremon0
1 month ago

With unlimited money, comes unlimited possibilities. I wonder how much it would cost to commission a S2000 with the current Type-R 2.0.

Oooh.. This is a fun game. What would you have custom built from any automaker?

Limits: Must use a current or one generation old chassis as the underpinnings, must use a modern engine from the same make or a classic that is still on offer. I believe you can buy a RB26 from Nissan? etc.

Nsane In The MembraNe
Nsane In The MembraNe
1 month ago
Reply to  Waremon0

I would simply have GM put the LT1 V8 in the CT4V Blackwing as god intended

Ramaswamy Narayanaswamy
Ramaswamy Narayanaswamy
1 month ago

I read something bad recently about them….some posters have mentioned a few engine failures, all under warranty (I tried searching YT – no results came up surprisingly). Given how little CT5 BWs they produced, I doubt the failure rate is high- and recalling a handbuilt engine is not an easy task….

Nsane In The MembraNe
Nsane In The MembraNe
1 month ago

GM’s V6s are not as reliable as their small block V8s, and when you had forced induction to the equation it gets even worse. Going with that turbo V6 set up helped them meet emissions regulations in Europe but resulted in a somehow less fuel efficient AND less reliable powertrain than their 6.2 liter V8. GENIUS!!!!

Ramaswamy Narayanaswamy
Ramaswamy Narayanaswamy
1 month ago

I was referring to the 6.2 V8….LT4.

As for the turbo V6, well…they have their own issues like any car, even teething pains. When did they start?

Last edited 1 month ago by Ramaswamy Narayanaswamy
NebraskaStig
NebraskaStig
1 month ago
Reply to  Waremon0

S660 widened to accept a K20C (I’d rather have a F20C for the NA song behind my ears, but sticking to your rules)

6th Gen Prelude with a K20C (or 5th Gen given the new one isn’t out yet)

Renault Clio V6 RS with GT-R motor

Alpine A110 with GT-R motor

All must be kept to look as stock as possible to maintain sleeper status (although paint colors may be changed, but must be historical to the brand)

Waremon0
Waremon0
29 days ago
Reply to  NebraskaStig

Ohoho I didn’t even think about the cross-brand Mash-em-ups we could create!

Jonathan Hendry
Jonathan Hendry
1 month ago
Reply to  Waremon0

What if you provide a donor chassis of an older generation rather than requiring them to start from scratch to remake one?

Waremon0
Waremon0
29 days ago

Everything is made up and the points don’t matter. Go wild

Morgan Thomas
Morgan Thomas
1 month ago
Reply to  Waremon0

I’d get a Suzuki Cappucino and have Suzuki fit the drivetrain that they had planned for their C2 model that never made production – a front engine/rear drive 1.6 litre turbocharged V8 – 187kW at 7000rpm, in a car that weighed under 850kg.

Lava5.0
Lava5.0
1 month ago
Reply to  Waremon0

I’ve always said that if I had “F*** you” levels of money, i would build things just to piss off the internet. I’m thinking along the lines of of an FD RX-7 powered by a 2-JZ. Stick a viper motor in a Miata, and put the RX-7 motor in the Viper. You know… basically be drunk with power.

CanyonCarver
CanyonCarver
29 days ago
Reply to  Lava5.0

So basically pull a Rob Dahm and put a rotary in a Corvette?

Justin Thiel
Justin Thiel
1 month ago
Reply to  Waremon0

I have always wanted a 1987 Grand Wagoneer with whatever the hell underpins modern pickups. I know you can get these from some guy in Texas, but 200k just isn’t happening.

If i had Sultan money – a Lancia Delta. but like .25% larger. just bigger than a real one, so my giant ass could fit in there and enjoy it.

Waremon0
Waremon0
29 days ago
Reply to  Justin Thiel

You could body swap a GW with a 392 Jeep for stupid, but not F-You, levels of money.

Box Rocket
Box Rocket
29 days ago
Reply to  Waremon0

First choice? McLaren P1 with the W1’s powertrain and interior updates, with some Speedtail touches on the interior. Probably in yellow (with a mostly-tan interior) because that’s the color it’s best known for, though papaya orange is very compelling, and the brand’s signature color.
If the P1 is too old then just the Speedtail with the W1 powertrain. But that would need to be in a more subtle color to match the design. A light blue or green, probably.

Second, more affordable choice? Lincoln Aviator Black Label with a Raptor R powertrain. Green with brown interior.

Third even more affordable choice? Mazda CX-50 Meridian but with the HUD from the top-spec model. And with a proper paint color like a green or non-grayed blue. Maybe yellow or orange from the Mazdaspeed days.

Last edited 29 days ago by Box Rocket
Waremon0
Waremon0
29 days ago
Reply to  Box Rocket

Affordable? Where we’re going, we don’t need affordable.

And the only acceptable modern Mazda color choice is Soul Red.

Nicklab
Nicklab
24 days ago
Reply to  Waremon0

I like the Polymetal Grey, but only because it compliments the red interior of the 3 Carbon so well. Otherwise, it’s Soul Red all the way.

Box Rocket
Box Rocket
22 days ago
Reply to  Waremon0

They have GREEN!!! available on non-hybrid and non-Meridian CX-50s for 2025. Mmmmmm…

Cerberus
Cerberus
29 days ago
Reply to  Waremon0

Restricting it to newer cars limits my interest, but I’d have a GR86 with body colored T-tops and a Lexus LC500 V8 with a manual. Also, a Morgan Super Trike with a sliding 2-piece bubble canopy that has a fixed rear portion.

Jonathan Hendry
Jonathan Hendry
1 month ago

I mean it’d be cool to have enough money that you can call up Lotus and ask them to work with a coachbuilder of their choice to build an S1 Esprit four door with reclining rear seats with footrests. And have them say yes, even as Colin Chapman hits redline in his coffin.

Or for that matter call Aston Martin up and ask for an 80s style wedge Lagonda LWB with reclining rear seats, a V12, and modern dashboard with CarPlay. (Basically the same thing as the Esprit, really, with a bigger engine.)

Last edited 1 month ago by Jonathan Hendry
Box Rocket
Box Rocket
29 days ago

It’s not just the 1%, though. How many questionable vehicles have we seen modified by the bottom half of the income equation, like kit-car body Fieros and the GM truck with the Pontiac front grafted on, and countless ute-conversions to sedans, wagons, and vans?

Dogisbadob
Dogisbadob
1 month ago

Too bad that Benetton interior’s dash is still boring black and not real colors too 🙁

Also, the companies shouldn’t sell to the Sultan of Brunei.

Black Peter
Black Peter
23 days ago
Reply to  Dogisbadob

This, the Sultan (and family) was a horrible person and you can’t tell me the companies didn’t know this. Plausible deniability can’t work as there was I’m sure a close relationship with the company “salesmen”.

Grippy Caballeros
Grippy Caballeros
1 month ago

Nuke the site from orbit, just to send a message about the accumulation of obscene wealth…

Last edited 1 month ago by Grippy Caballeros
Col Lingus
Col Lingus
1 month ago

I imagine the dreaded Jewish Space Laser can take care of this situation. No problem…

Yeah, I said it again. One day we may live in a world where the Jewish Space Laser is no longer needed. Right?

This turd is the reason most of us can’t have nice things.

Last edited 1 month ago by Col Lingus
Jonathan Hendry
Jonathan Hendry
1 month ago
Reply to  Col Lingus

Jewish Weather Control Lasers are why the ambient air is constantly moist.

No, it’s not because it’s in the tropics. Shush.

Jonathan Hendry
Jonathan Hendry
1 month ago

I wonder if he has a building full of car brand jackets and caps and gloves and posters and merch.

Jonathan Hendry
Jonathan Hendry
1 month ago

Needless to say, this is a Holy Grail”

You must mean in the “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” sense.

Sam Gross
Sam Gross
1 month ago

They have top men maintaining these cars in storage.

Col Lingus
Col Lingus
1 month ago
Reply to  Sam Gross

I don’t trust that NAZI guy one bit.

Jonathan Hendry
Jonathan Hendry
29 days ago
Reply to  Col Lingus

Clearly the true grail is the Jeep Grand Cherokee.

Mr. Fusion
Mr. Fusion
1 month ago

“Sultans. I hate these guys.”

B P
B P
1 month ago

Unique =/= Holy Grail…

StillNotATony
StillNotATony
1 month ago

“It’s essentially a sports prototype racing car, but with indicators and luggage space and side markers and all the stuff it needs to earn licence plates. Yes, this thing’s street-legal.”

I would imagine that in Brunei, if the Sultan walks into the DMV, and says “Hey, I need plates for my latest acquisition.”, woe unto the bureaucrat who demands a full check of safety equipment before handing over the plates. And does royalty, as essentially the head of state, have to pay TT&L?

Sam Gross
Sam Gross
1 month ago
Reply to  StillNotATony

And does royalty, as essentially the head of state, have to pay TT&L?

Fun fact: This is actually settled law (at least in the EU) and the answer is no. Royalty, being the personification of the state, does not owe taxes on cars bought by the royal house — just like the government does not pay to register more pedestrian sedans for minor functionaries.

Cars bought by individuals and owned as part of their personal assets do need to have taxes paid. But if you’re royalty, it only matters if you think you’re going to be disinherited.

Jonathan Hendry
Jonathan Hendry
1 month ago
Reply to  StillNotATony

If he wants to drive across the border into Malaysia it might complicate things. Not that much as he probably has diplomatic immunity or something. But a little. Plates he drew in crayon on napkins would probably result in being pulled over, which is annoying.

Sklooner
Sklooner
1 month ago

That Aston looks like it was designed by the person who did the Thunderbird revival

Waremon0
Waremon0
1 month ago
Reply to  Sklooner

I was reminded of that on more than one occasion scrolling through the gallery. Though my reference was the pink 8-wheeled thunderbird from a TV show that James May drove on an older episode of TG.

Mr. Fusion
Mr. Fusion
1 month ago
Reply to  Waremon0

That 8-wheeled pink Thunderbird was from the 2004 Thunderbirds movie.

There was apparently some consternation from O.G. Thunderbirds fans that Lady Penelope was driving a Ford in the movie instead of a Rolls-Royce. And I remember a BBC radio interview with director Jonathan Frakes (yes, Riker directed that movie), who said that R-R flat-out refused to participate in the production. But then Ford approached them and bent over backwards to provide cars for the movie, including that coach-built pink Thunderbird.

(Jac Nasser was really big on product placement, if nothing else.)

Last edited 1 month ago by Mr. Fusion
Red865
Red865
29 days ago
Reply to  Mr. Fusion

This car is currently at the British Motor Musuem in Warwick UK, along with several other TV/Movie vehicles. Was just there a couple of months ago. Nice museum…lots of Jags in adjacent bldg.

Last edited 29 days ago by Red865
EmotionalSupportBMW
EmotionalSupportBMW
1 month ago

I’m a man with 15 road bikes spread across various households from coast to coast, so maybe the pot calling the kettle a hoarder. But, how in the absolute hell do you acquire 7,000 cars? I get money is no object with our friend the Sultan. But, just humans ability to stay interested in a single thing knows no income bracket. This is one car a day for over 19 years. If your only job was to acquire a car everyday M-F, you’d be looking at retirement at 7k. Does the guy even like care anymore after like 3k? Is his boy like “You’d know what would be sick-night vision Ferrari”, and he’s just kinda like “sure, whatever.” What would even get him excited anymore? There’s only 3,260 listed car brands on Earth. What is motivating him? Send someone to Brunei and ask this guy “Dude, why?”

Jonathan Hendry
Jonathan Hendry
1 month ago

Maybe he buys them as a life-size Matchbox collection?

DysLexus
DysLexus
1 month ago

I absolutely agree with you.
At some point the marginal increase of enjoyment with each new car reaches absolute zero.

Sultan delegating would then have to hire a team of people who has a sole job to enjoy each car individually and write a summary report back to Sultan telling him how much fun they are.

LMCorvairFan
LMCorvairFan
1 month ago

He could do something useful with all that dosh and send a couple of thousand deserving but poor kids to college? Or many build a bunch of hospitals in places that need them? Or buy Haiti and make it better.

ADDvanced
ADDvanced
1 month ago

He’s chasing the dragon, man! I currently have 12 which is way too many for me to drive and keep maintained, so I’m thinning the herd this spring, but man…. sometimes I still see deals and I’m like jeez if I had the space…

Vic Vinegar
Vic Vinegar
1 month ago

It was almost like he just wanted to spend money on *something*.

I mean who needs like 5 of the same car in different colors? I believe the Sultan did that a number of times.

The custom one-offs are cool. More than one F40….OK, I’ll give you that. Beyond that, it is just hoarding at some point.

Freelivin2713
Freelivin2713
29 days ago
Reply to  Vic Vinegar

“who needs like 5 of the same car in different colors?”

Mercedes Streeter?

Frankencamry
Frankencamry
1 month ago

In one story it was explained that if he liked a concept it was faster to order one of each than go through the options to pick one. He would frequently have all of a certain model pulled out and drive whichever he thougyt was prettiest that day. It’s a perverse way to value time more than money.

Urban Runabout
Urban Runabout
1 month ago

Um – This isn’t exactly breaking news.
We received details about this collection in articles 23 years ago.

Here’s merely one article from 2011:
https://ferraris-online.com/a-princely-collection-of-rotting-cars/

Oh look – an article from 2015:
https://www.drivespark.com/off-beat/sultan-of-brunei-car-collection-012785.html

More articles that date way back:
https://www.motorauthority.com/news/sultan-of-brunei

I recall reading a site which had photos of the cars rotting away in the 3-4 large garage buildings. Wish I could find it.

Sam Gross
Sam Gross
1 month ago
Reply to  Urban Runabout

What’s new isn’t the news of the collection — it’s the photos taken inside the storage buildings, which are new. Many of these cars have been written about but there are no publicly available photographs of them.

As an example, the Bentley Dominator only had a few very blurry photos online, and none of the exterior other than a few taken when it was being loaded on a 747 freighter in Manchester.

Urban Runabout
Urban Runabout
1 month ago
Reply to  Sam Gross

That article I read about it years ago had tons of photos – I just can’t seem to find it because of all the “Everything is new!” cluttering the search results.

Anoos
Anoos
1 month ago

I wouldn’t worry that much about the condition of the cars. If Jay Leno can afford to hire people to keep his collection in good shape, this guy certainly can (even if he chose to pay them and not just steal their passports and force them to work).

Red865
Red865
29 days ago
Reply to  Anoos

Difference is Jay cares about his cars. These are just disposable toys to the Sultan.

Anoos
Anoos
29 days ago
Reply to  Red865

I’m sure he shows them to people to impress them every now and then. They’re more impressive when shiny.

Icouldntfindaclevername
Icouldntfindaclevername
1 month ago

Money, lots and lots of money. Jealousy sets in 🙁

DriveSheSaid
DriveSheSaid
1 month ago

Carcubines?

Autonerdery
Autonerdery
1 month ago

As long as we’re playing guessing games about the origins of the Bentley Imperial’s headlights, my money’s on an early Ford Mondeo.

Nsane In The MembraNe
Nsane In The MembraNe
1 month ago
Reply to  Autonerdery

LOOK, HERE COMES A FORD MONDEO!

ISN’T HE MR INCONSPICUOUS?

Vic Vinegar
Vic Vinegar
1 month ago

As a kid reading Car and Driver religiously in the 90’s, every now and then you’d get a bit of information about the legendary Sultan of Brunei’s car collection. The 456 wagon and other one-off custom Ferraris were something I remember getting a decent amount of print.

Chris D
Chris D
1 month ago
Reply to  Vic Vinegar

They need to replace the tires on three cars every day of the year just to keep them from getting too far out of date to safely drive.
They would have to top up the air in the tires on a hundred cars a day just to keep them from going flat.
They would have to do 27 oil changes every day, M-F, with no vacations, just to make sure each car gets fresh oil once a year. And about five full brake fluid flushes so that each car gets one every five years or so.
I’m guessing that they just get dusted off and the mousetraps get emptied once every two weeks or so.

Phil Layshio
Phil Layshio
1 month ago
Reply to  Chris D

I imagine if the family wants to drive something they pull it out and service it LOL.

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