Published By: Sayan Paul

PM Modi's Visit To Brunei: Exploring The Sultan Of Brunei's Phenomenal Car Collection, Valued At Over $5 Billion

 The Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah, owns the world's largest private car collection, valued at an estimated $5 billion.

As part of his two-nation (Brunei and Singapore) visit this week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is currently in Brunei, aiming to strengthen India's ties with the Southeast Asian nation. This is a landmark tour as it marks the first-ever bilateral trip of an Indian Prime Minister to Brunei. Besides the primary agenda, it also commemorates the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two nations. During his visit, Modi will hold meetings with Brunei's top officials, discussing everything from trades to bilateral relationships to the possibility of future collaborations and more.

Well, Brunei is smaller (in size) than Indian states like Sikkim and Tripura. However, the kind of wealth (thanks to oil and natural gas reserves) it has is unprecedented in the truest sense of the term. PM Modi is there at the invitation of the Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah, who is one of the world's richest persons - with a net worth of $30 billion. He is the second-longest reigning monarch (since 1967) in the world and is one of the few remaining absolute monarchs today. Also, he has been serving as the Prime Minister of Brunei since independence from the United Kingdom in 1984.

Credit: Narendra Modi

PM Modi received a grand welcome on his arrival there and is being hosted at Sultan Bolkiah's lavish palace. Meanwhile, let's have a look at what the Sultan is best known for worldwide - his out-of-the-world car collection comprising over 7000 luxurious cars! And - please hold your breath - his car collection is worth an estimated $5 billion.

The Sultan of Brunei's Phenomenal Car Collection

Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah owns the largest private car collection (according to the Guinness Book of World Records) in the world with more than 450 Ferraris, 600 Rolls-Royces, and 380 Bentleys. The list also includes Porsches, Lamborghinis, Maybachs, Jaguars, BMWs, and McLarens among others.

According to reports, more than half of all Rolls-Royces and Bentleys sold in the early and mid-1990s went to the Sultan. Besides, his collection includes many that are rare, and truly priceless.

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Speaking about the most notable cars from Sultan's garage, the Ferrari F40 series would surely come atop the list. He reportedly bought 11 Ferrari F40s, several of which underwent cosmetic and performance modifications. Also, he purchased ten of the 106 McLaren F1s - five road cars, three F1 LMs, one F1 GT, and one F1 GTR. There are a few Bugatti EB 110 as well, manufactured from 1991 to 1995. And his Rolls-Royce collection includes Phantom VI, Silver Spur II, and more.

Credit: Motor Car Tidbits

BMW Nazca M12 Concept, Bentley Dominator, Bentley Java, Bentley Buccaneer, Mercedes-Benz S73 T AMG Wagon, and Aston Martin V8 Vantage Special Series II among others are also there in his collection.

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Notably, in 2007, he purchased a custom gold-coated Rolls-Royce for his daughter Princess Majededah's wedding.

Beyond Cars –A Sneak Peek Into The Sultan's Lavish Lifestyle

While the Sultan is best known for his car collection, there's obviously much more to him.

His residence, Istana Nurul Iman Palace, holds the Guinness World Record for being the largest residential palace in the world. Spanning over an area of two million square feet, the palace has 1,700 bedrooms (each adorned with gold), 257 baths, 110 garages, five swimming pools, and more. Also, there's a private zoo that houses 30 Bengal tigers and various bird species.

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He has an extensive collection of private jets as well. He owns a Boeing 747-400, a Boeing 767-200, and an Airbus A340-200 jet along with the gold-plated Boeing 747-400 (aka the "flying palace").

Some Interesting Facts To Know

The Sultan was the world's richest person during the 80s and 90s (later overtaken by Bill Gates).

According to a report by The Times, he spends $20,000 regularly on flying his designated barber from London to Brunei for his grooming requirements.

It's also worth noting that the Sultan spends a huge amount of his money on philanthropic causes. He runs the Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Foundation which is dedicated to societal welfare. Also, there's a scholarship program (Sultan's Scholar) to help needy students.

Credit: Zem TV