Featured Image Credit: Gilbert Flores / Contributor via Getty
While Elon Musk is far and away the richest man in the world in 2025, it wasn't always this way. The Tesla overlord overtook Jeff Bezos in 2021, but long before that, it was Bill Gates who held the title for many years.
As the co-founder of Microsoft, Bill Gates amassed his wealth to become the world's youngest self-made billionaire, and was the world's richest man in 1995, 1996, 1998–2007, and 2009. He held that position until Bezos surpassed him in 2018.
More than giving over $100 billion to charitable causes, Gates is known for his love of cars, having driven everything from a Ford Focus to a Tesla Model X.
There's been much talk about Gates' fortune, especially because he's vowed to give away nearly all of his money and leave his children with just $10 million each.
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At the time of writing, Bill Gates is worth $116.6 billion, but it turns out he could've been far richer than Elon Musk if he hadn't made one crucial decision.
He could've also been a little bit richer if he didn't have to pay the same $28 fine...every day...for 13 years.
According to Supercar Blondie, Gates had to pay $28 a day when his Porsche 959 got stuck in the Port of Seattle for 13 years. He bought the vehicle in 1988, but it wasn't until 2001 that he'd be able to get behind the wheel.
It's said that Gates still owns the 'Komfort' 959, which boasts a 2.85-liter twin-turbo flat-six engine, a Kevlar and aluminium body, and electronically adjustable suspension. The fastest street-legal production car in the world at the time, it could reach 60mph in under four seconds and soar to a top speed of 200mph.
Sadly for Gates, he'd have to pump the brakes on driving his 959 due to it not having NHTSA and EPA approval in the USA. Although it's customary for forbidden automobiles to be destroyed, the Customs Service impounded it and slapped Gates with a $ 28-a-day fine.
August 1999 saw the introduction of the 'Show or Display' law that allowed the 959 to be limited to 2,500 road miles a year.
The car was finally released to Gates, but after 13 years, he'd splashed an extra $133,580. Let's not forget there was also an annual bond renewal of $500.
That's before you even get to the ticket price of the actual car, which was tipped to be $225,000 at the time and works out at about $613,000 in today's money.
Only 337 street versions of the 959 were built, with 37 of these being prototypes. Due to the car's rarity, some are now valued at well over $1 million, meaning Gates has made quite the investment. Well, it's not like he needs the money.
