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World-renowned innovators and revolutionaries in their areas include billionaire businesspeople. They are among the wealthiest tycoons, thanks to their innovative business strategies and successful execution. They are not only about business, though. These billionaires have made some expensive purchases, whether it be constructing a museum or purchasing an island.

Many people imagine being able to purchase whatever they like without having to worry about their bank account, but very few actually achieve this.

Some of the wealthiest men in the world today work in the technology sector, and they undoubtedly have some wild spending habits. They purchase unusual and expensive items to stand out from the crowd. Here are the 10 most expensive things in the world bought by billionaires.

1. ​Elon Musk And His James Bond Submarine Car: $1 Million

most expensive thing Elon Musk
James Bond’s Lotus Esprit Submarine Car | Photo Credits – Getty Images

Elon Musk recently surpassed Jeff Bezos as the richest man in the world. According to the BBC, the Tesla CEO is worth more than $185 billion. The largest automaker can purchase any vehicle anywhere in the world. 

But what really drove him to go well above the car’s original value was a James Bond submarine car. This car’s backstory is quite fascinating. A storage unit was sold in 1989 at a blind auction for $100 to a couple from Long Island, New York.

When they opened the locker, they discovered a 1976 Lotus Esprit sports car that was used in the James Bond movie The Spy Who Loved Me (the vehicle was known as Wet Nellie, a specially designed submarine). 

According to a CNBC story, they showcased the vehicle in a number of displays until finally offering it for auction at RM Sotheby’s in 2013. The car was bought by Elon Musk for $997,000. This car is absolutely one of the most expensive things in the world that was bought by a billionaire.

“Watching James Bond in “The Spy Who Loved Me” drive his Lotus Esprit off a pier, press a button, and have it turn into a submarine underwater was fascinating to me as a little child in South Africa. 

When I discovered that it could not transform, I was upset. According to CNBC, Musk said in a message to Jalopnik after purchasing the vehicle, “What I’m going to do is upgrade it with a Tesla electric engine and attempt to make it transform for real.” Tesla’s electric Cybertruck was modeled after this car.

2. Jeff Bezos Museum-Turned House: $23 Million

Jeff Bezos museum
GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY MUSEUM AND THE TEXTILE MUSEUM | Photo Credits – Respective Owner

The former Textile Museum, a 27,000-square-foot building, has been purchased by Jeffrey P. Bezos, the founder of Amazon and owner of the Washington Post, with the intention of turning it into a single-family home, according to a person with knowledge of the sale.

Ivanka Trump and her husband, prospective presidential adviser Jared Kushner, will be Bezos’ neighbors, as will President Obama and his family, who are renting a neighboring home for their post-White House residence.

The property has received attention due to both its huge size and its architectural history. The Jefferson Memorial’s architect, John Russell Pope, was hired by George Hewitt Myers, the creator of the Textile Museum, to create his home at 2320 S St. in 1912. 

Ten years later, Myers purchased the nearby estate that renowned Washington architect Waddy Butler Wood had constructed. The National Register of Historic Places [NRHP] highlights both properties.

3. ​Bill Gates And The Scriptures Of Leonardo Da Vinci: $30 Million

Most Expensive Thing Bill Gates
​Bill Gates And The Scriptures Of Leonardo Da Vinci | Photo Credits – Respective Owner

Bill Gates is not recognized for being a wasteful spender. He drives a Tesla (very humble, considering how costly cars can get), doesn’t like to buy expensive clothes, and can be seen calmly waiting in line for a burger at the same Seattle drive-in he’s been going to for years. 

He has committed to providing most of his income to charitable causes, along with Warren Buffett and a small number of other billionaires.

Not bad for a man whose estimated net worth is close to $100 billion, per Forbes.

Despite this, Gates couldn’t help but spend excessively in 1994, just before he became the world’s richest man, purchasing Leonardo da Vinci’s “Codex Leicester” for $30.8 million, making it one of the most expensive books ever sold. 

The 72-page manuscript, which was composed between 1506 and 1510, comprises Leonardo’s sketches and ideas on topics including astronomy, physics, botany, mathematics, and architecture.

4. ​Larry Page And His Luxury Yacht: $45 Million

Larry Page, the billionaire co-founder of Google, recently paid Sir Douglas Myers of New Zealand $45 million for the superyacht Senses. 

The elegant 194-foot adventure superyacht was designed by Kusch Yachts and constructed in 1999 at Germany’s Schweers yard, with a renovation completed in 2010. The interior of the superyacht was designed by Philippe.

Split-level decks offer private side pods, open and shaded sunbathing areas, covered outdoor dining places, and unorganized seating areas. There is a spacious, light-filled gym and a private beach club with a Jacuzzi pool and large sunbeds, both designed with Starck’s unique style.

The owner’s suite, which is large and covers the whole yacht’s beam, is the central focus of the yacht. Senses are designed to transport a range of toys and tenders and have a helipad. She can go 6,500 nautical miles at cruise speed, has a top speed of 15 knots, and is powered by two 1600 horsepower Deutz diesel.

5. Mark Zuckerberg And Two 700-Acre Properties: $100 Million

Mark Zuckerberg And Two 700-Acre Properties
Photo Credits – Flickr/Jeremy Hall

Land properties are always the most expensive things in the world. According to reports, Mark Zuckerberg paid more than $100 million for a plot of property in Hawaii, where he plans to build a private getaway befitting one of the richest men in the world.

The CEO of Facebook purchased a portion of Kauai, the fourth-largest Hawaiian island, according to Forbes magazine.

A spotless white sand beach, a former sugarcane plantation, and an organic farm will all be part of his 700 acres on the north shore. Since there are no private patches of sand in Hawaii, the beach must continue to be accessible to everyone.

The second Silicon Valley billionaire to buy a portion of Hawaii is Zuckerberg, who has a net worth of almost $33 billion. The sixth-largest island in Hawaii, Lanai, was bought by Larry Ellison, chairman of Oracle, last year for up to $600 million.

After Zuckerberg was seen on the island, eating at Bubba Burgers with his wife Priscilla Chan, speculation that he might be interested in real estate on Kauai increased last year.

6. ​Larry Ellison And His Hawaii Island: $300 Million

Larry Ellison Expensive Island
In 2012, Ellison bought 98% of the island of Lanai in Maui County, Hawaii. | Photo Credits – VW PICS/Universal Images Group v

In Hawaii, Larry Ellison doesn’t just own a house; he also owns an entire island.

Oracle’s billionaire founder chose to purchase the property in 2012 after visiting the isolated Hawaiian island of Lanai and falling in love with it. With a $300 million investment, he acquired 98% of the island, which has roughly 90,000 acres of land, a population of 3,200 people, and two Four Seasons resorts.

The island, known as Lanai, is almost half the size of Mumbai and covers an area of 90,000 acres. There are two luxurious “Four Seasons” resorts on the island as well.

7. Carlos Slim And His Museum Of Artworks: $800 Million

Carlos Slim And His Museum Of Artworks
The Soumaya Museum in Mexico City was designed by Carlos Slim’s son-in-law and houses Slim’s collection of more than 65,000 pieces. It is dominated by works from European and Mexican artists | Photo Credits – Walter Shintani/LatinContent/Getty Images

The billionaire unveiled a new museum in Mexico City to display his huge collection of European and Mexican artwork. Carlos Slim, a telecommunications billionaire, refers to the museum as a gift to his nation.

The sleek, contemporary structure is already being praised as a brand-new icon in Mexico City, but it is also being condemned as the pet project of a man who is more business-savvy than artistic.

A six-story, windowless, steel building with a surrealist hourglass shape is Slim’s new Soumaya Museum. Local critics have drawn comparisons between the structure, which was created by Slim’s son-in-law, and Spain’s Guggenheim in Bilbao.

It sparkles like the Guggenheim, but it’s squeezed within one of Slim’s commercial real estate projects next to a mall, an office building for Slim’s cellular company, and blocks of brand-new apartments.

The spacious, airy lobby is dominated by a bronze cast of Rodin’s The Thinker inside. Diego Rivera also painted a vibrant mural directing attention to the restrooms. Alfonso Miranda Marquez, the director of the Soumaya, claims that this is Diego Rivera’s final mural. The museum bears the name Soumaya after Slim’s late wife, who passed away in 1999.

8. Mukesh Ambani And His Sprawling Home: $1 Billion

Mukesh Ambani Most Expensive Thing
Photo Credits – Respective Owner

Mukesh Ambani has an estimated net worth of $43 billion because of the oil empire he inherited and currently runs. 

This richest home is one of the most expensive things in the world that was bought by a billionaire. The richest home in his native nation and the entire world was built by the Indian magnate with $1 billion of that fortune. Ambani’s home is a 27-story, 400,000-square-foot building, according to Forbes, with three helicopter pads and six basement parking levels. 

It is said to have a ballroom, a theater with 50 seats, and nine elevators in the foyer alone. It is named after the legendary island of Antilla. The mega-mansion owned by Ambani needs about 600 employees to keep it up.

9. Steve Cohen’s 14-Foot Preserved Shark: $8 Million To $12 Million

Steve Cohen's 14-Foot Preserved Shark
Damien Hirst, The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living, 1991.  | Photo Credits – Artist’s website

Numerous wealthy people have excellent fish tanks, but it is nothing compared to owning your own pickled shark. 

The world’s most unusual work of contemporary art, a 14-foot tiger shark, preserved using a mixture of alcohol and formaldehyde, was purchased by billionaire hedge fund manager Steve Cohen in 2004. 

Cohen bought the work, formally titled “The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living,” more than a decade after art tycoon Charles Saatchi first bought it for $93,000 in 1992. New York magazine stated that Cohen paid between $8 million and $12 million for the item.

10. The Sultan of Brunei’s Car Collection: $5 billion

The Sultan of Brunei's Car Collection
The Sultan of Brunei’s Ferraris and other cars are guarded by Gurkhas | Photo Credits – Respective Owner 

Owning the most expensive things in the world is still a dream for some billionaires, but not for this one. The reclusive Sultan of Brunei is the owner of the largest car collection in the world, which is thought to number 7,000 vehicles and be valued at more than $5 billion.

You won’t ever see his cars unless you are a close friend of the absolute monarch of this tiny, oil-rich kingdom on Borneo’s north coast because it is private. It’s unfortunate since there are some incredible vehicles, many of which were particularly ordered by the Sultan or his equally dedicated younger brother, Prince Jefri.

It’s believed that he kept Rolls-Royce and Bentley afloat during their most difficult times because he was such a big car collector and customer. In the early and middle 1990s, the Sultan and his family purchased about half of all Rolls-Royce and Bentley vehicles sold. Many were custom-made.

Six Bentley Dominators, the automaker’s first SUV, were among the vehicles particularly ordered by the Sultan (20 years before the Bentayga). 

It was a secret project, as are many Brunei cars, and only became known to the general public because a photographer captured a picture of the vehicle being put into a cargo plane bound for Brunei.

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