Best Rides for Billionaires

[oliver1013]

This September, Rolls-Royce will start delivering what could be the hottest new status symbol for billionaires: the $412,000 Phantom Drophead convertible.

But a fat wallet does not an owner make.

"No matter how much money you have, you're just not going to be able to decide that you want one at the drop of a hat," says Rolls spokesman Bob Austin. "It's sold out almost two years in advance. If you're a billionaire and you decide you've got to have one, you have to get in line--and there are few things that billionaires get in line for."
In Pictures: Best Rides for Billionaires

Since "everybody wants to be the first" to own the car, adds Austin, the company solved the problem by auctioning the first U.S.-bound Phantom Drophead on Jan. 27 at Florida's Naples Winter Wine Festival.

Local resident Raymond Lutgert, an 87-year-old real estate developer who has owned 61 other Rolls and Bentley automobiles, placed the winning bid: $2 million. He should get his Phantom Drophead in August--a month before other car lovers.

Wheels For The Wealthy
Let's say Warren Buffett decides that he absolutely must have a Phantom Drophead. Surely he can pull some strings to get one right away?

Not quite. Currently, around 300 people are on the waiting list for Phantom Dropheads.

"The only thing he could do is try to buy someone else's place in line," says Austin. "That does happen from time to time."

Buffett, though, is not likely to want the Rolls. He is a special kind of billionaire who is famously frugal and down to earth, living in a house that cost him $30,000. For a while, his ride was a Lincoln Town Car from Ford Motor (nyse: F - news - people )--not exactly a typical billionaire's car, since it costs (at the moment) $43,000 and is as common as a taxi in Queens and the Bronx.

But in mid-2006, Buffett showed support for financially troubled General Motors (nyse: GM - news - people ) by becoming a Cadillac man.

"It was right in the midst of the worst of the worst news," says Cadillac spokesman Kevin Smith (GM saw a $3.2 billion net loss in 2006's second quarter alone). "He said, 'I think GM builds good products, I like Cadillacs and I bought a DTS.' It was kind of tied to the fact that we weren't doing so well, and he wanted to do his part to help us do better."

An old-school sedan, yes. But not the one to spring to mind when thinking "billionaire."

Deluxe Drives
The mogul happy to have all eyes upon him will no doubt want to settle in behind the wheel of this ride-- Bugatti's $1.2 million Veyron 16.4 supercar, which has 1,001-horsepower, a top speed of 253 mph and a zero-to-60 time of under 2.5 seconds.

Another billionaire-friendly set of wheels is DaimlerChrysler's (nyse: DCX - news - people ) $453,000 Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren supercar, a street-legal racecar with a top speed of 207 mph. It's perfect for the adrenaline-junkie eager to go for a spin down the Autobahn then escort his sweetie to dinner hours later.

But not all billionaires desire sportscars. Some, after a long day of deal-making, want to relax in an ultra-luxury sedan, like a Maybach or a Bentley. Some want models with exotic, alternative technology. The ride of choice for that type of billionaire? Monaco's $392,000 Venturi Fétish--possibly the world's most glamorous electric car.

Others want a car that can take them anywhere--to a racetrack, and then across a desert later that afternoon, if the mood strikes. For them we suggest the exotic Spyker D12 Peking-to-Paris, a Dutch-built half-supercar, half-SUV.

For the billionaire who wants what he can't have, there is the $112,000 Cayenne Turbo S SUV. Last available as a 2006 model, the vehicle had world-class off-roading capabilities, but could also eat up racetracks with its 520-horsepower engine and zero-to-60 time of 4.8 seconds (the SUV had more power than some Ferraris).

This month, Porsche began selling a modified Cayenne range (the cars are 2008 models), and at this point it does not include a Cayenne Turbo S model. Turbo S models may be available on a dealer-by-dealer basis, depending on inventory, but Porsche's headquarters cannot estimate the number of Turbo S models that might still be on lots.

But even if the Porsche or, for that matter, the Phantom Drophead aren't available, there are plenty of other cars available for billionaires looking for the right kind of ride.

source:
www.forbes.com

Heheh Lufet ng Rolls, pinapapila yung bilyunaryo

[bbt]

lupit ni raymond lutgert, 61 rolls royces and bentleys!

[Horsepower]

panget. I'd rather get the Veyron and cruise at 300kmh and do sprints of 400kmh. hhehehe.

[empy]

blah, rolls royce will always be super overrated in my book because of its poor reliability and bad fit and finish by modern standards. the whole "100% hand built" hype is wonderful for those beautiful wood veneers and custom interiors, but no person can match the precision and accuracy of robots in painting, bodywork and mechanical tolerances.

anyway, bttt...you know you're a true billionaire when you really dont care what car you have - yachts and private planes na ang laruan ng mga yan

[jjmichaels]

Pag nakakaintindi Bugatti ang kukunin.

[Horsepower]

M54: actually, ok naman yung Phantom. it's practically a BMW 7-series with another set of clothes. V12 Engine, Transmission, Body, Interior is all BMW. The only contribution of Rolls Royce England is to nail the whole thing together. hehe


It can go 0-100kmh in around 5secs.

[mazdamazda]

blah, rolls royce will always be super overrated in my book because of its poor reliability and bad fit and finish by modern standards. the whole "100% hand built" hype is wonderful for those beautiful wood veneers and custom interiors, but no person can match the precision and accuracy of robots in painting, bodywork and mechanical tolerances.

anyway, bttt...you know you're a true billionaire when you really dont care what car you have - yachts and private planes na ang laruan ng mga yan

Simon Cowell would disagree with you.

In an interview, he is always trying to find a fault with his Phantom but couldn't find one.