Who are the Automotive Super Powers?

Rich List 2008
By Dan Read

Billionaires are a rare breed, and we're here to offer you a look into their exotic world. You've already seen the Aston One-77. It's the sort of thing they like to put in their garages. And it shows you how they like to spend their money. These people buy beautiful cars like we buy milk. Weekly.

To these guys, the credit crunch is a type of breakfast cereal.

And while the rest of us go cap-in-hand to the bank, worrying about where the next tank of fuel will come from, the world's super rich just get richer.

Which brings us to the first ever Top Gear Rich List. It's our guide to some of the richest people in the world of cars. Some of them are royalty. Some of them are entrepreneurs. Many are airhead celebrities. But one thing unites them: an unabashed love for fast things on four wheels. And a shedload of cash.

It's not a definitive list. And they're not all billionaires. But they all have more than enough cash to fill a garage that the Stig would die for. We didn't bothered with gray-suited corporate nobodies, either. Instead, we've included some of the world's more colorful petrolheads.

But consider this: In 1986, there were only 140 dollar-billionaires in the world. Now, according to Forbes, there are more than 1,000. So there's hope for everyone. Keep your head down, work hard at school and in 25 years your name could be appearing below. And that One-77 might well be parked in the driveway of your palatial home, into which you've graciously allowed "Hello" magazine for an exclusive.

Ratan Tata
Jaguar/Land Rover's new owner
$66.5 billion

It's hard to be precise about Ratan's fortune, because it's tied up in about 100 companies. But bespectacled economists put it up there in the multibillions. Whatever, it's safe to say the man is, um, loaded. Loaded enough to buy 28 million of his own Nanos. That's enough to supply every person in Uzbekistan. Lucky things.

Sultan of Brunei
A byword for wealth
$38 billion

The Sultan likes cars. Likes them a lot. Enough to have nearly 6,000 of them, actually. They include 367 Ferraris, 362 Bentleys, 185 BMWs, 177 Jaguars, 160 Porsches, 130 Rolls-Royces and 20 Lamborghinis. Shame his palace only holds 110 of them. He likes his rare stuff, too — he's got a Dauer 962, a Mercedes CLK-GTR, a Diablo SE Jota, a Jaguar XJR-15 and the last ever Rolls-Royce Phantom VI.

Susanne Klatten
BMW
$18.2 billion

Stefan Quandt
BMW
$14.4 billion

Johanna Quandt
BMW
$4.4 billion

We've got a bit of family fortunes going on here. The Quandts are the reclusive family behind BMW — the majority shareholders since the '80s. Rarely seen in public, we can only assume they've got a secret lair under the 'Ring. And that they keep Chris Bangle as their man slave, only letting him out on occasion to design awkward-looking cars that we somehow come to love. Hmmm...

Bernie and Slavica Ecclestone
Motorsport
$4.6 billion

No list of billionaires would be complete without Bernie, F1's miniscule overlord. And he's self-made, too, having started out as a motorcycle mechanic and then working up to an F1 team owner. Respect, Bernie. He could probably do with a "Yellow Pages" when he snogs his glamorous missus, though. Still, he's a bit of catch for a 78-year-old shortie. Respect (again).

Sir Anthony Bamford and family
JCB
$3.7 billion

Diggers. Joseph Cyril Bamford first painted his initials on the side of one in 1945. Since then, his rugged yellow machines have become as iconic as John Deere tractors or Eddie Stobart lorries. His son, Sir Anthony, runs things nowadays. So we can thank him for the Dieselmax land-speed car, then. Good for doing 350 mph. Bad for digging.

Ferdinand Piëch
Volkswagen
$3.2 billion

Ferdinand's grandfather went by the name of, uh, Ferdinand. Ferdinand Porsche, actually. So as part of his inheritance, little Ferdy landed a big share in a small German firm called Volkswagen Group. He later became the company's chairman. We're guessing he punts around in a Veyron (he was behind it), but we're not counting out a Golf.

Bob Edmiston
Subaru importer
$988 million

Who, you ask? OK, so we've never heard of him, either. But the man's done a good job getting the WRX to our shores.

Bill Ford Sr.
Ford Motor Company
$950 million

Like Piëch, Bill Ford had a famous grandfather — he was named Henry. You might remember a small car called the Model T. Bill inevitably became the largest shareholder, along with his son, um, Bill.

John Bloor
Triumph Motorcycles
$903 million

Bloor bought Triumph Motorcycles in 1983, after it went bankrupt. He made his cash in construction, and according to the "Sunday Times" Rich List 2008, his company, Bloor Holdings, is worth $855 million. Bloor owns it all, and we're adding $48 million for other assets.

Ron Hobson
NCP
$893 million

Don Gosling
NCP
$855 million

Ron and Don's first car park was an old bomb site in central London. They bought NCP in 1959 and immediately patented a new shade of piss-stained concrete. They went on to develop pay machines that reject anything bearing the Queen's head, and a kind of magical parking space that was precisely an inch narrower than any car in production.

John Madejski
"Auto Trader"
$760 million

Chairman of Reading FC, founder of "Auto Trader" and sugar daddy of Cilla Black.

Martin Birrane
Lola A1GP
$274 million

You could make Birrane's life into a nice cheesy movie. Son of a tailor, he left home in Ireland at 17 and traveled the world as an actor before becoming an estate agent in Canada. So what's he doing here? He's a motorsport hero, that's what. He saved Lola cars in 1997 and also owns the Mondello Park racing circuit in Ireland.

David Beckham
Celebrity with sideline in football
$238 million

Beckham is the original chav done good. And this is reflected in his car collection, ruining exotica with unnecessary add-ons. His list of automotive faux pas includes a Hummer H2, a Lincoln Navigator and a Rolls Drophead with huge black wheels. Come on, Dave, get some taste innit.

Eddie Irvine
Playboy and F1 driver
$228 million

Irvine's jet used to fly around Europe picking up his mates and lots of gorgeous models. He'd then fly them to his private yacht in St. Tropez for a big old booze-up. "What's the point of being rich if you don't share it with your mates?" he said.

Flavio Briatore
Fashion, football, F1
$228 million

Flavio used to be a T-shirt salesman. OK, so he ran Benetton clothing in the U.S., which made him lots of cash. As did F1, where he built his Benetton team around a young, chinny German chap called Schumacher. Flav can now be found in the pitlane wearing Renault merchandise, or at Loftus Road on Saturday afternoons, chewing on a Pukka Pie.

Ron Dennis
Chairman of McLaren
$209 million

The number next to Ron's name would be bigger if it weren't for a small, tin-pot organization known as the FIA. Bigger by about 95 million bucks, to be precise. But that would make him richer than the owner of a rival team. And we couldn't have that.

Frank Williams
F1 team founder
$150 million

Sir Francis Owen Garbatt Williams is a bit of a legend. He funded his early racing with a part-time job as a traveling grocery salesman, gradually working his way up the motoring food chain. He started his own racing team in 1966, which became Williams F1 in 1977. Last year's GP at Monaco was Frank's 600th. Legend, see.

Jody Scheckter
F1 champion
$143 million

Usually, F1 world champions don't become organic farmers. Jody did — he now owns Laverstock Farm in Hampshire. In F1, he had a reputation as a crash-prone wildman, famously bringing the 1973 British GP to a halt, having caused a huge pileup. He drove for Ferrari, McLaren and Tyrrell, where he piloted the weird six-wheel P34. Rumor has it he's a big inspiration for Lewis Hamilton, who's considering producing his own range of plump, tasty sausages.

Valentino Rossi
Motorcycle champion
$143 million

Some say Rossi models his hairstyle on Clarkson's. Either that, or he's a professional Leo Sayer impersonator. We say, who cares? He's got the fastest perm in the business. And besides racing stuff, business is his thing. He's made a fortune from sponsorship and image deals. Just don't mention the Inland Revenue. In 2002, his Italian tax return recorded earnings of "500 euros." The authorities were all over him, forcing him to make a deal. This February, he coughed up 35 million euros. The case is now closed.

David Richards CBE
Motorsport
$137 million

When it comes to motorsport, Richards is your man. He's run everything from F1 teams (BAR Honda, Benetton) to the Subaru World Rally team. He owns Prodrive, which even builds satellites, and he now runs Aston Martin. He flies his own helicopter, too. Can we be your mate please, D.R.?

Nicola Foulston
Racing circuits
$133 million

Foulston was the woman who nearly brought F1 back to Brands. Except she sold it after signing the deal with Bernie, so it never happened. The circuit changed hands for $228 million. According to the "Telegraph," Faulston's share was at least $66.5 million, and she has "other assets." We'd like to see them.

Nick Mason
Pink Floyd
$105 million

After deflating his flying pig and hanging up his drumsticks, Mason turned to cars. And seeing as he had a few million quid laying about, he kind of went to town. He owns lots of classic racing cars, including a rare Ferrari 250 GTO, worth more than a small African country. He was one of the lucky few to get his hands on an Enzo, which he lent to "Top Gear" in 2004, on the condition we promoted his book. "Inside Out: A Personal History of Pink Floyd" is probably still available in some shops near you.

Nigel Mansell
F1 champion
$91.2 million

Rumor has it that our Nige's old tache is worth $38 million, and that it's in storage somewhere in a Birmingham lockup. Look out for it on eBay, when his fortune starts to run dry.

David Coulthard
F1 driver
$85.5 million

If D.C. had a quid for every square inch of his chin, he'd be a billionaire. Sadly, he never put it into business, so he'll have to settle for mere millions from his racing career. And his hotel. And his naff aftershave range.

Chris Evans
Ginger Media mogul
$85.5 million

Evans is probably the most successful ginger person in history. And he likes his motors. Particularly Ferraris. Particularly the 250 California Spyder, for which he recently paid $9.5 million...Quite a lot more than his $6 million Surrey mansion, then.

Jackie Stewart
F1 champion
$78 million

After retiring from racing (with three F1 world championships to his name), Stewart has dedicated most of his time to improving driver safety and coaching new talent. He's sunk a lot of cash into various charities, too, so he's an all-around good egg. In 1973, he was the "Sports Illustrated" Sportsman of the Year. Cool, eh?

Jay Kay
Jamiroquai
$76 million

In many ways, Jay Kay is the anti-Beckham. He has rather more taste when it comes to cars, and his roster of motors runs like that of a proper connoisseur. Think F40, F50, Enzo, Diablo, DB5 and original Abarth 500. Oh, and the 300SL Roadster and Maserati A6G (Google it now — it's absolutely stunning). He has a fleet of 37 altogether, most of which he refers to as "staff cars." Can we have a job then please, Mr. Kay?

Jenson Button
F1 driver
$66.5 million

You can take the boy out of Frome, but you can't take Frome out of the boy. Actually, that's rubbish. 'Cause Jenson has about as much to do with rural Somerset as he does with the suburbs of Beirut. Anyway, he's loaded. Though he could've had even more, if that Williams contract hadn't gone tits-up — he had to buy himself out to the tune of over $19 million. Ouch! Drives an NSX as a company car, too, which he probably didn't pay for. Seems the richer you get, the less you pay for...

Jay Leno
TV star
$30.4 million per year

Like D.C., Leno could have made good money out of his chin. But he chose to host a rather popular American TV show instead. And thanks to astronomical viewing figures, he's earned a few dimes to spend on cars. So he's got a Los Angeles garage full of stuff like a McLaren F1, a Porsche Carrera GT, an SLR, an Atom and a Ford GT. None of which are as cool as his MTT superbike, which is powered by a helicopter turbine. His leathers are a little tight, though.

Max Mosley
President of the FIA
$1.1 million (at least)

Ah, Max. Max, Max, Max. Where do we start? Somewhere safe and nonlitigious, probably. Remember, he was a lawyer. So we'll tread quite carefully around the hookers in a basement and dirty old perv jokes. In fact, we won't even mention them. To be fair, Max has done a hell of a lot for safety in motorsport and helped make NCAP ratings mainstream.