I first heard about the Sultan of Brunei and his fleet of cars back in 2020. I mean, what else were we doing during Covid if not spending countless hours scrolling through TikTok or YouTube. In that particular YouTube video, the subject was a rare one-of-one gold plated Rolls Royce belonging to none other than the Sultan of Brunei. The already luxurious Rolls Royce Silver Spur 2 was fitted with 24-karat gold. Safe to say that the Sultan of Brunei is obsessed with Gold. More on his gold plated Rolls Royce later, but who exactly is the Sultan of Brunei?
The Sultan of Brunei
Hassanal Bolkiah for short, popularly known as the Sultan of Brunei, is the 29th and current Yang di-Pertuan (Sultan) of Brunei, a small country in Southeast Asia. I previously said short, because the Sultans’ full name is Hassanal Bolkiah ibni Omar Ali Saifuddien III, a mouthful right? He is basically the Prime Minister of Brunei. He has held this position since they achieved independence from British rule in 1984. However, Bolkiah had been ruling Brunei since 1967 even before independence. This makes him the longest-reigning monarch after the passing of Queen Elizabeth II.
With direct access to Brunei’s oil and natural gas resources, the Sultan is the most powerful, as well as richest, man in Brunei. Referring to Bolkiah as the richest man in Brunei alone would understate his wealth. He was said to be the world’s richest man until 1980. Despite the use of the past tense ‘was’, Bolkiah is still very wealthy today. Forbes estimated his wealth to be about $20 billion USD (32 trillion naira) in 2008, which is the last drawn date of his net worth. With such an immense amount of wealth at his disposal, the Sultan of Brunei spends a sizable amount on his toys.
An Obsession for the Double-R (Rolls Royce)
By toys, I am in no way referring to one of those expensive car models Supercar Blondie talks about. I am rather referring to actual vehicles, an estimated 7000 of them owned by the Sultan. Out of all the car brands, one seems to have been the Sultan’s favourite. He is said to own about 600 of them— the Rolls Royce.
The Sultan probably has a liking for the Rolls Royce because of the brand’s association with wealth and royalty. Reports say that in the 1990s, the Bolkiah family alone accounted for nearly half of all the Rolls Royce and Bentleys sold in that decade. One out of his Rolls Royce collection was custom-made. It featured an open roof to accommodate an umbrella on top of the car. The car was also decked in gold plating from the grill to the tires and was used during one of his weddings.
More than a Dozen of a Dozen Sports Cars
If you thought the Sultan was only about obtaining luxury vehicles that he would be chauffeured in, you would be wrong. Rumour has it that when the Sultan was younger, he would race Ferraris late at night in the capital city of Brunei. To corroborate that story, the Sultan is said to own about 300 Ferraris in his collection of cars. I mean, if I owned 300 samples of the prancing horse, a brand considered to be the pinnacle of automotive engineering, I would definitely take them for a spin every now and then.
The Sultan also owns some very rare Ferraris like two samples of the 250 GTO. Noteworthy, the Ferrari 250 GTO is one of the most valuable cars in the World. It is currently worth upwards of 50 million USD (80 billion NGN). He also owns 11 Ferrari F40s, arguably the most thrilling of all Ferraris. Aside from Ferrari Sports cars, Bolkiah also owns numerous sports cars. These other sports cars are from as many vehicle manufacturers as you can possibly think of.
The One-Offs
In addition to his multiple high-end vehicles that are accessible to the general public, the Sultan also has many one-offs. These were specially commissioned by the Sultan himself or his third brother, Prince Jefri. Word is that Jefri is also a super enthusiast for things on wheels. Some of these included six Bentley Dominators, the company’s first unofficial SUV. Many believe that the Bentley Bentayga is Bentley’s first SUV, lol. The Sultan of Brunei owned Bentley SUVs 20 years before your favourite celebrity.
There was also the 1996 Bentley Buccaneer (a sporty coupé), as well as the Bentley Camelot, Phoenix, Imperial, Rapier, Pegasus, Silverstone and Spectre. If you’re unfamiliar with these nameplates, don’t worry: Bentley never officially made them. On the topic of Bentleys, the Sultan and his family own an estimated 380 of them. There were also some one-off Ferraris that include the Ferrari 456 GT Venice (a station wagon, six were commissioned by Prince Jefri), a Ferrari F90 and a Ferrari FX (the Sultan ordered six).
Other specially-commissioned vehicles include an Aston Martin Vantage ‘Special Series’, a one-off BMW Nazca M12 concept and a Bugatti EB110. The list of the Sultan’s cars goes on and on, you can check the entire list via this link.
Vehicles Hidden Away from the World
As with so many Brunei cars, they were secret projects that only came to the public’s attention when photographers got shots of these cars being loaded onto cargo planes bound for Brunei. You can view more leaked photos of the Sultans car collection on Spyscape. The estimated worth of the Sultans 7000-car collection is said to be about 5 billion USD (8 trillion NGN). If you are wondering, the complete collection is stored and serviced in five secret aircraft hangars. All the cars are maintained by specialist teams from the various manufacturers. I guess the second most lucrative job in Brunei, second to none other than being the Sultan of course, would be an auto mechanic.
Overall, it is clear that the Sultan of Brunei has one of the most expensive and impressive car collections in the world. I can only wish to have a fraction of his immense collection. What are your thoughts on his car collection, a reasonable investment or simply a waste of money? And which is your favourite of his collection?
