Most investments begin with spreadsheets and financial models. But for a handful of billionaires, the story is often more layered — combining rigorous financial analysis with a long-standing fascination for a particular car brand, where passion and investment logic reinforce each other over time. Over the past few years, the collectible car market has continued to attract growing investor interest, turning this passion into not only a hobby but also a well-founded investment strategy.

According to the Knight Frank Wealth Report, collectible cars rank among the top five best-performing alternative asset classes in Europe, delivering average annual returns of 24–26%. That is higher than many stock market indices and even real estate, while the market also shows relatively low correlation with traditional asset classes.

Lawrence Stroll: A $200–350 Million Collection That Led to Aston Martin

Lawrence Stroll is a Canadian businessman who built his fortune by helping fashion brands such as Tommy Hilfiger and Michael Kors expand globally before becoming Executive Chairman of Aston Martin and owner of the Aston Martin Formula 1 Team.

According to various estimates, his personal car collection is worth between $200 million and $350 million. This places him among the world's largest private car collectors.

His collection includes a 1963 Ferrari 250 GTO, one of the most valuable cars in the world, a 1996 McLaren F1, and the Ferrari LaFerrari hypercar. In total, he owns around 30 Ferraris, including the legendary 250 GTO, of which only 36 were ever built.

In the early 2000s, Stroll was already buying Ferrari dealerships and classic Ferrari models. Later, when he shifted his focus to Aston Martin, he sold a significant part of his Ferrari collection to concentrate both his capital and attention on the new project.

According to CNBC, since 2020, when the Yew Tree Consortium first invested in Aston Martin, Stroll has personally invested around $775 million in the company, while the consortium's total investment has exceeded approximately $878 million, equivalent to £650 million.

At the same time, he owns the Aston Martin Aramco Formula 1 Team, showing how the same capital and the same passion for the brand support both the automotive business and motorsport.

Lawrence Stroll
Lawrence Stroll

From Freddie Mercury's Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow to Spyker Co-Ownership: Volodymyr Nosov's 150-Car Collection

Volodymyr Nosov, founder and president of W Group — a global fintech ecosystem best known for the WhiteBIT cryptocurrency exchange — has been collecting rare cars for almost ten years. He says he does it not only because of his passion for automobiles, but also as part of a diversified investment portfolio.

According to Resident magazine, his private collection now includes around 150, making it one of the largest private car collections in Europe.

One example he often highlights in his video series WBT Garage is the Mercedes-Benz SL73 AMG. He bought the car for around $300,000, and today it is worth nearly three times as much. Only 35 examples were produced, instead of the originally planned 85.

His collection also includes a historically significant 1974 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow that once belonged to Freddie Mercury. The proceeds from the Sotheby's auction were donated to support humanitarian efforts in Ukraine.

In June 2026, this long-standing passion entered a new chapter. Nosov acquired a significant stake in the Dutch luxury hypercars manufacturer Spyker, becoming one of its co-owners, while the brand itself became part of the W Group ecosystem.

According to Financial Times, citing the Financial Times, Nosov's shareholding is valued at several hundred million euros.

"For many years, I have invested in rare automobiles and have always admired Spyker's unique design language and extraordinary heritage," Nosov said, adding that the decision was both personal and strategic.

The companies have already launched Spyker Digital, an innovative company founded by Volodymyr Nosov that will develop solutions at the intersection of blockchain and the automotive industry.

The first product showcasing this partnership is the new Spyker C8 Preliator XXV. Powered by an 800-horsepower twin-turbo V8, the car has a claimed top speed of 350 km/h and will make its world debut at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance on August 16, 2026.

With Volodymyr Nosov's involvement, Spyker also made its return to Le Mans Classic in 2026 — another symbolic step in the revival of the legendary Dutch marque.

At this pace of revival, one question naturally comes to mind: how soon could Spyker find its way back to Formula 1?

Volodymyr Nosov
Volodymyr Nosov

Ferdinand Piëch: How His Son's Toy Car Changed Bugatti's Future

Ferdinand Piëch, the grandson of Ferdinand Porsche and an engineer by training, served as CEO and later Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Volkswagen Group from 1993 to 2015. During his leadership, Volkswagen brought together brands including Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, Škoda, SEAT, Scania, and Ducati.

The decision to acquire Bugatti, rather than Bentley or Rolls-Royce, came from a very personal moment. During the Easter holidays in 1997, Piëch's son, Gregor, insisted on buying a model of the Bugatti Type 57 SC Atlantic. Inspired by his son's enthusiasm for the legendary marque, Piëch decided that Bugatti was the right brand for Volkswagen.

Piëch himself owned two Bugatti Veyrons, which he regularly drove with his wife. His vision for the brand was simple: a Bugatti should be able to reach 400 km/h in the morning and still provide a comfortable drive to the opera in the evening.

That philosophy led to the creation of the Bugatti Veyron 16.4, which became the fastest production car of its time, with a top speed of 407 km/h.

According to industry estimates, the cost of Piëch's personal passion was measured not by the value of his own collection but by Volkswagen's losses. The company reportedly lost around $6 million on every Bugatti Veyron sold, yet continued producing the car because, for Piëch, engineering excellence mattered more than short-term profits.

Ferdinand Piëch
Ferdinand Piëch

James Glickenhaus: The Investment Banker Who Bought Andy Warhol's Ferrari for $6,000 and Built His Own Car Brand

James Glickenhaus is the managing partner of the Wall Street investment firm Glickenhaus & Co. and one of the world's most dedicated private collectors of racing Ferraris.

According to Glickenhaus himself, one of the best examples of the investment potential of collectible cars is his Ferrari 275 GTB. The car was purchased in 1971 for $6,000 from Andy Warhol and is now valued at around $2.5 million—a return of more than 415 times the original investment.

Glickenhaus jokingly points out that even this impressive return is still smaller than what early investors in companies such as Amazon or Microsoft could have earned.

His passion for Ferrari eventually became much more than a hobby. In 2005, Andrea Pininfarina asked him what kind of car he would build if he had complete freedom. Glickenhaus commissioned a unique one-off based on the last available Ferrari Enzo he had purchased. The result was the Ferrari P4/5 by Pininfarina, a project worth around $4 million.

After a disagreement with Ferrari over using the brand on the racing version of the car, Glickenhaus removed every Ferrari badge and founded his own company, Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus (SCG).

In 2022, the company's SCG 007 became the first American sports car in 53 years to finish on the overall podium at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

James Glickenhaus
James Glickenhaus

Jassem Al Zaabi: Abu Dhabi's Sovereign Capital and McLaren's New Beginning

A personal passion for cars is not always driven by an individual collector. Sometimes it is backed by institutional capital that speaks about its investment in almost personal terms.

In April 2025, Abu Dhabi-based CYVN Holdings completed the acquisition of McLaren Automotive and a minority stake in McLaren Racing.

According to Sportcal, McLaren Racing, valued at £560 million in 2020, had grown to $5 billion by 2025—an increase of more than six times. The Financial Times also reported that in January 2026, CYVN committed more than $2 billion to help McLaren expand its product portfolio.

Jassem Al Zaabi, Chairman of the new McLaren Group Holdings, describes the fund's approach as more than a financial investment:

"I'm personally committed to making this vision a reality. It isn't just about investing—it is about shaping the future of McLaren as a brand."

McLaren CEO Nick Collins has said that he speaks with Al Zaabi on a daily basis and that the fund is not looking for short-term results—a rare approach for an institutional investor of this size.

Why This Is More Than Just a Story About Billionaires' Hobby

That is why, after these five powerful stories, the idea of "due diligence" almost feels too weak to describe what is really happening. For these billionaires, owning a rare sports car was never the end goal. It was the beginning of a much deeper relationship with the brands they admired.

They were not simply buying another collectible piece for a garage, they were buying a way to step inside the story, to move from observer to participant, and ultimately to help shape the future of the legendary marques they had followed for years.