The Sultan of Brunei and Jay Leno have one obsession in common – both have an impressive automobile collection. Granted, according to recent reports, the Sultan has around 6,800 more cars in his collection, but Jay Leno still has some of the most unique ones.
The Sultan of Brunei has the largest automobile collection of anyone on the planet, with an estimated number of around 7,000 cars. These include about 600 Rolls-Royces, 500 Mercedes-Benzes, 450 Ferraris, 380 Bentleys, and many more, resulting in an estimated value of over $5 billion. The Sultan has many cars which he and members of his family have commissioned just for themselves. Many of these were done in secret and almost all of them were either one-off models or were produced in minimal numbers. This means that the Sultan owns cars from famous manufacturers which have never been seen before.
By comparison, all of Jay Leno’s cars are usually not one-of-one models, but rather limited-run or mass-produced models – except for his Jaguar XKE V12 Short-Wheelbase. The most expensive car currently in Jay Leno’s collection is his 1994 McLaren F1, which costs somewhere between $14 and $26 million. The Sultan has 10 of them, including 5 road cars, three F1 LMs, one F1 GT, and one F1 GTR.
With such an extensive collection, there are most likely some models which Jay Leno would like for his collection, especially since he likes McLarens and big luxury cars. So, here are 10 cars in the Sultan of Brunei’s Garage that even Jay Leno wishes he owned.
10 Bentley Buccaneer
The Bentley Buccaneer, like many cars in the Sultan of Brunei’s collection, is a closely guarded secret. It exists – but we do not know any of the specifics of the vehicle. Bentley themselves do not acknowledge it as being one of their cars, but if it was not for the Buccaneer, Bentley as a company would probably not exist today.
What is known about the car includes that it is a 2+2 luxury coupe, of which 6 examples were built exclusively for the Sultan. It has a unique design, featuring much of Bentley’s styling language – including the front grille and quad-headlights.
9 Bentley Dominator
Like the Buccaneer, the Bentley Dominator was a one-off build, of which six examples were made in various colors. It was one of the first luxury SUVs ever built, using the Range Rover chassis as a base. The body and interior were completely custom-made, yet still looked like a Bentley.
The Dominator can be seen as the Bentayga – 20 years before the Bentayga became an official model. Technical specifications for the Dominator are unknown, although with the car being built on the Range Rover chassis and drivetrain, it is safe to assume that it is fitted with the same Rover V8s as in the P38A Range Rover.
8 Aston Martin V8 Vantage Special Series II
The Aston Martin V8 Vantage Special Series II was a series of vehicles commissioned by the Sultan of Brunei and his brother, Prince Jeffri. The body was unofficially designed by Zagato and was made to be a more modern interpretation of the classic DB4 Zagato from the 1960s.
The Special Series II used the V8 Vantage V600 as its base, resulting in the cars having the same 600 hp from a twin-supercharged 5.3-liter V8. There were most likely three cars commissioned and along with the V600 drivetrain, they featured upgraded brakes and suspension. The Special Series II inspired the official DB7 Zagato.
7 Ferrari 456 GT Venice
The Ferrari 456 GT Venice is a 4-door Ferrari station wagon. Unfortunately, because it was a special commission by the Sultan’s brother, it did not count as an official Ferrari – which still makes the upcoming Purosangue the first ‘official’ 4-door Ferrari.
The Venice is based on the 456 GT – which was Ferrari’s flagship grand touring car at the time – and featured the same 440 hp 5.5-liter V12. For comparison, the normal 456 cost around $215,000, while the 456 GT Venice cost $1.5 million each due to the development cost.
6 Ferrari F90 Testarossa
The Ferrari F90 Testarossa was a custom-built body and interior based on the 512 Testarossa of the 1980s. The F90 was designed by Pininfarina and was a more contoured and flowing design, as opposed to the 512’s more iconic boxy shape.
The F90 had no upgrades over the normal Testarossa, so it had the same 4.9-liter flat-12, producing 390 hp. As with his other commissions, the Sultan ordered six cars – one of which was spotted in Monaco for a short period of time.
5 BMW Nazca M12
The BMW Nazca M12 was a collaboration between the German auto giant and Italdesign. The purpose of the exercise was to create a new supercar that could viably be produced. The M12 was the first iteration in a line of three cars – with the other two being evolutions of the M12, called the C2 and C2 Spider.
The M12 was built mostly from carbon fiber, with the body and most of the chassis done in the material – an impressive feat for the early 1990s. The engine powering the curvaceous beast was the same 5.0-liter V12 from the BMW 850i. Thanks to the weight-saving materials, the gullwing-doored supercar came in at just 2,400 lbs.
4 Cizeta V16T
The Cizeta V16T was an incredible car. It was not more technologically advanced than any of the other cars in its class, but it did have a proper V16 engine. The V16 was made using the Lamborghini Urraco’s 3.0-liter V8, however, the Cizeta has a single-engine block, rather than two bolted together.
The V16 engine is mounted transversely instead of longitudinally, hence the ‘T’ in V16T and the wide rear of the car. The Cizeta V16T’s styling was inspired by the Lamborghini Countach and Diablo, but with much softer edges and unique design elements to make the car stand out among its inspiration. Definitely a car that Jay Leno would like in his collection.
3 Bentley Rapier/Highlander/Tornado
The Bentley Rapier/Highlander/Tornado (no one is quite sure which name goes with this Bentley) is another special commission by the Sultan of Brunei. It can be seen as the spiritual predecessor to the modern Flying Spur as it featured sportier styling.
The Rapier/Highlander/Tornado apparently has the same engine as another of the Sultan’s Bentley commissions – the Continental R Sufacon – which is a 6.75-liter V8 boosted to about 527 hp. This 4-door Bentley also wasn’t fitted with a catalytic converter, which must make it sound quite good.
2 Mercedes-Benz S73 T AMG
The last of the commissioned cars on this list is the utterly crazy Mercedes-Benz S73 T AMG. For anyone familiar with AMG’s naming strategy, the ‘73’ moniker would be a dead giveaway. The Sultan ordered AMG to stuff the massive 7.3-liter V12 – which produced 565 hp – into an S-Class sedan.
Just to top off the already cartoonish car, he asked AMG to make it a wagon. Just imagine, a 7.3-liter V12 wagon with Pagani Zonda sounds coming out of the exhaust. It is such a ridiculous idea that – thanks to a lot of money – became a reality. There are reportedly 18 of these in existence, with three still being owned by AMG.
1 McLaren F1 GT
Jay Leno has said on many occasions that his favorite manufacturer was McLaren, hence his love for the F1 in his possession. As such, it would only be logical that he would wish to have the Sultan of Brunei’s F1 GT – one of only three in existence.
The F1 GT was extensively modified from the normal road car and featured a long tail to improve aerodynamic stability and downforce, while the wheel arches were widened, and a permanent front splitter was fitted. All these modifications were done to comply with homologation rules for McLaren’s F1 GTR race car. The McLaren F1 GT is one of the coolest cars to exist and would be an excellent addition to any collection – another one Jay Leno would probably like in his.