Keeping up with the Jones’: the Wheels of the Society’s Elite

Has it ever been your dream to cruise down the street in a Porsche or an Aston Martin? How about showing up to work in a Bentley Continental, zooming the streets in a Range Rover Sport with amazing performance, or parking at a social function in a luxury-class Benz?

For the rich and famous in our society, bringing a classy pair of wheels onto the street is a day to day affair – after all, with massive amounts of money, sponsorship and social status comes the ability to afford some pretty fancy toys!
 
 
Michael Dell
Michael Dell, better known as the owner of the amazingly successful Dell computer company, travels around in a 2004 Porsche Boxter, valued at around $80,000 if bought off the factory line.

While this car might not seem overly expensive, it’s Porsche branding makes its luxury status clear and anyone who’s anyone knows that someone who drives a Porsche is out to make a statement about their status and style.

Carlos Slim Helu
As the man who up until 2013 was considered to be the world’s richest, Carlos Slim Helu wants his lucrative corporate ventures in Mexico to be understood by those who see him. With a personal net-worth of around $69 billion dollars, there isn’t a car out there that Carlos couldn’t afford. Although, perhaps surprisingly, Carlos takes to driving himself to work rather than relying on a chauffeur, the car he drives in makes a real splash: a Bentley Continental Flying Spur, valued at around $300,000, is the Mexican mogul’s choice of ride.

 
Bill Gates
Of course it shouldn’t come as any surprise that Bill Gates has a plush ride – after all, he is currently the richest man in the world and, in no insulting way, probably has more money than he knows what to do with. It’s good then that he’s given so much of it to charity, showing that that there are squillionaires out there who really do give back to their community in a big way.

Getting back to cars, it’s been confirmed that Bill gets around in a Porsche 959 Coupe, one of only 230 ever made. The little gem cost $225,000 when it was first released, and since then has increased in value to being worth over $400,000.

Michael Bloomberg
Michael Bloomberg, or Mayor Bloomberg as he’s more commonly known, serves his public diligently with the assistance of some very nice wheels. With all the infrastructural, culturally and socially transformative work he’s done over the years, Michael deserves a little luxury at least! His car is an Audi R8, and it clocks 0 to 110km/h in under four seconds – which is pretty damn fast! In retail the car goes for $120,000, making it not too cheap but not too expensive either on the ritzy car price-ladder. All in all, it’s a solid effort by New York City’s no. 1 honcho.

Kanye West
Over the years since his College Drop Out album blew up on the charts, old Yeezy has made no secret of his obsession with material items and their status, the man loves his Gucci and his Louis Vuitton and cars of course are no exception. Kanye reportedly gets around in a $500,000 Mercedes SLR McLaren, which he has lent to partner Kim Kardashian in the past when she wants to get about town. The price tag and flashiness of items is, as Kanye himself admits, always a big thing in the star’s mind, and his cash splash on the Mercedes proves the point to a T.

Larry Ellison
Larry Ellison, of Oracle fame, has made his fortune of computers and hardware systems and ploughed it straight into his choice of wheels. The picky billionaire is in fact the owner of several vehicles, but chief among them is his prized McLaren Formula 1. Production on the Formula 1 both began and ended in 1998, and at that time it was found to be the fastest car on the planet.

Today, the Formula 1 sells for over 4 million dollars per unit, meaning that Larry is in possession of some seriously fast (and ridiculously expensive) motorized hardware!

Image courtesy of winnond / FreeDigitalPhotos.net