Who Has the Largest Car Collection in the World?
Isabel Armiento
· 5 min read
For most people, owning more than two cars is considered a lot—but not for some
car collectors
, whose collections boast of hundreds of rare and classic cars. Collecting cars is one of the most expensive hobbies a person could have, which is why it’s largely the domain of celebrities. So it makes sense that one of the world’s largest privately owned collections belongs to the Sultan of Brunei, who was once one of the world's richest men.
The Sultan of Brunei: one of the world’s largest car collections
The Sultan of Brunei’s collection of cars is truly a behemoth. A culmination of the most expensive classic and sports cars that money can buy, this collection is home to literally thousands of vehicles. Rumor has it that if you were to line up every car, it would go on for almost 20 miles.
More specifically, the collection includes several rare Ferrari F40s, a Lamborghini Urraco, two Ferrari Mythos concept cars, an F50, and a BMW Nazca M12 concept car, among many others.
Many years ago, the sultan, as well as his family, was hit by financial trouble, and he could no longer afford to maintain this luxurious collection. Air conditioning, detailing, maintenance, staffing: these all cost money that the sultan no longer had.
The Sultan was forced to give up his collection, and it has been collecting dust in an abandoned warehouse for the past 18 years. The costs of revitalizing the cars would be sweeping, but maybe an uber-rich car enthusiast will take on this Herculean task.
According to Hot Cars, the “wildest” car that the Sultan of Brunei owned was a Bentley SUV, which he commissioned in the 1990s. Called the “Bentley Dominator,” this SUV was tailored specifically to the sultan’s requests and was the first off-road ultra-luxury SUV.
The sultan had six of these beauties commissioned, with some painted red and others, yellow. The interior was lovingly built with the finest leather and wood, and each individual vehicle cost the sultan millions of dollars—a staggering price to pay for a car, but par for the course for the Sultan of Brunei.
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Harold LeMay: an even bigger collection
MORE: See the Largest Collection of James Bond’s Cars—Just in Time for the New Movie
An even more enormous car collection was curated by Harold “Lucky” LeMay. This collection includes over 3,000 vehicles, including a truck driven by Robin Williams in the movie Toys and a car shaped like a stiletto heel, according to
KING 5
. During LeMay’s life, the collection was privately owned. However, upon the car fanatic’s death in 2000, his wife decided to make it public. You can view the massive collection at LeMay-America’s Car Museum in Tacoma,
Washington
. The collection will be interesting to more than just auto lovers, as it features around 70 motorcycles, 400 motor boats, and 300 radios alongside its thousands of automobiles.
The museum is also home to an old military academy, where now, classic car fans can take Model T driving lessons.
A few more of the largest car collections worldwide
There are many more individuals with unbelievable car collections of their own.
Hot Cars
has documented several of these top car collectors worldwide. For example, Manny Khoshbin, a real estate mogul-turned-YouTuber, is one such collector. His collection includes a 1/1 Hermes edition Bugatti Chiron, a Mercedes-AMG ONE, a McLaren Speedtail, and a Ford GT. Khoshbin’s car-centric YouTube channel rakes in millions of viewers per month.
Another iconic collector is Jay Leno, who has everything from a McLaren F1 to a classic 1937 Fiat Topolino. Though many of these cars have skyrocketed in value since he purchased them, Leno doesn’t seem to want to sell them.
Jay Kay is another collector and the proud owner of over 100 rare and exotic cars. His collection includes a Porsche Carrera GT, a Ferrari 275, a Lamborghini Miura SV, and a Volvo 850T estate. Unlike most collectors, Kay actually drives the cars he collects, and his auto expertise has landed him on shows such as Top Gear.
Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason has a passion for more than just music. With a collection that includes the Ferrari 250 GTO, the Ferrari Enzo, a McLaren F1 GTR, and a Maserati 250F, Mason’s love of cars is clear—as well as his knowledge of them, as he, too, has been on Top Gear.
Ralph Lauren is another person whose second love is cars. Unsurprisingly, the iconic fashion designer’s collection of 70 cars is very stylish. It includes a Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic Drophead Coupe and a Ferrari 250 GTO, both of which are valued at tens of millions of dollars.
