Autoblog

If you had a net worth in the billions of dollars, what would you drive? A bright red Ferrari? The million-dollar Bugatti Veyron? The super-luxurious Maybach 62? How about one of each? You may be surprised to find out what Forbes' Top Ten richest people in the world are driving. Not an exotic Italian supercar among them.

• Bill Gates drives a '99 Porsche 911 cabrio. He's also got a rare Porsche 959, for which he got President Clinton to sign a law legalizing it for road use. Now that's some serious clout, but with $50 billion at his disposal and a taste for Stuttgart's finest, wouldn't a Carrera GT or a new 911 Turbo have found a way into his garage?
• Billionaire investor Warren Buffett drives a Lincoln Town Car Signature Series, complete with landau roof.
• IKEA founder Ingvar Kamprad has a '93 Volvo 240 GL, but prefers taking the bus. Seriously. And he uses his senior-citizen's card, too.
• Like his pal Bill, Mircosoft co-founder Paul Allen has a Porsche 959 (how original), but drives around Washington State mostly in an '88 Mazda B-Series pickup.
• Saudi Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Alsaud, meanwhile, has got the Infiniti FX45, Hummer H1, Volvo XC90, Rolls Royce Phantom and Daewoo Matiz in his garage. Two of each, so that his entourage can follow in identical wheels. (If the Daewoo seems out of place, it's because the prince is part owner of the company.)
• Michael Dell (whose name is probably emblazoned on the computer you're using to read this) alternates between a 2004 Porsche Boxster and a 2005 Hummer H2.
• Larry "the Oracle" Ellison has got wheels with some style: a pair of new Bentley Continentals, a GT coupe and a Flying Spur sedan. (They go well with his fighter jet and America's Cup racing yacht.)
• Jim Walton, owner of Wal-Mart, has for a garage what you'll probably find at the local used car lot: a 2002 Dodge Dakota, '99 Chevy Silverado, '98 Mitsubishi Montero Sport and 2000 Acura Integra, all available at everyday low prices. (His '59 Cadillac is probably a sweet ride, though.)
• Jim's sister Alice Walton walked after killing a woman in '89 behind the wheel of a Porsche. Now she drives an F-150 King Ranch pickup. (More carefuly, we hope.)
• Like his colleagues Bill and Paul, Steven Ballmer made his billions at Microsoft, but he stays true to his motown roots at the wheel of a '98 Lincoln Continental.

We know what you're thinking. "If I had that kinda money...". But you don't. Neither do we. So we'll all just keep on dreaming. Follow the link to Forbes for pics of these millionaire-mobiles (not the actual ones owned by wealthy, just stock shots).

[Source: Forbes Auto]

As another sign of just how different the wealthy live, Autoblog sibling Luxist posted a report from Guardian Unlimited about Paul Dalton and his car wash service, Miracle Detail.

Dalton, according to the news source, charges over a staggering $9,000 for his top-of-the line Pinnacle car wash. The near two-week, 52-step program includes citrus degreasing, filtered water, and many sponges and buckets. The car wax alone, at $13,000 a tube, costs more than the service itself. Dalton, however, points out that the service protects the car for a year.

(Hats off to Dhiram and Noah!)

[Source: Guardian Unlimited via New Launches; Luxist]

The Bentley Boys have pulled the virtual sheet on their 2007 Continental GTC convertible. Based on the company's sensuous GT coupe, the new convertible will blow-dry hair all the way up to 195 mph, courtesy its V12 engine. Boasting AWD surety for foul weather (and getting all that power to the ground), the GTC would appear to be a plutocrat's transport of choice for sun-and-snow belters alike. Shame it isn't a folding hardtop.

Autoblog will bring you in-person photographs at the unveiling, but for now, sate your luxury jones with the images after the jump.