Key Takeaways

• High-end car buyers don’t think like us – they add to their collections without debating “this vs that.”
• CEOs of hypercar companies don’t compete for customers – they sell to the same elite group.
• Rich folk in car segments maintain friendly relations despite competing for highest top speed.

There’s an interesting thing we poor folk do whenever a new supercar or hypercar is introduced, and you’ll spot it in most comment sections. Ferrari launched the all-new 12Cilindri (pronounced as dodi-chi chilin-dri unless you want some hardcore Ferrari fanboy to freak out), and almost immediately somebody commented that they’d much rather have a Lamborghini Revuelto. I’ve long suspected this approach is completely wrong because if you can afford to drop $600k on one (before options), surely you have enough money to buy the other one? As Rod Stewart once reportedly said, “You’ve gotta have both, darling.”

When it comes to the really high-end stuff, it gets even better. As you may know, Rolls-Royce famously doesn’t spend any money on adverts. Why would they, when most of their customer base could easily fit on a basic spreadsheet? Tesla also relied on brand cachet and word of mouth for many years, but it eventually caved last year and started advertising on Google. Basically, you really have to be a high roller, like Rolls, Pagani, Koenigsegg, Hennessey, Bugatti, and Rimac to not rely on a pop-up ad to remind you that they exist.

Bugatti famously supplied a breakdown of its average customer a few years ago; according to the French brand, the average Bugatti buyer has:

Comparatively, the average Bentley buyer was said to have eight cars in their collection. To put it bluntly, we’re talking about people who have eff-off money, and to these folks, it’s not about buying either-or. I know this because they told me so firsthand.

How I Ended Up Rubbing Shoulders Among The 1%

Red Bull invited me to the unveiling of the RB17 at the Goodwood Festival of Speed; such high-priced, limited-number cars are usually shown to clientele at private events months before they’re unveiled to the public, but that wasn’t the case here. The Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale was shown to prospective customers at the Italian Grand Prix a year before its official debut, at which time it was already sold out. Red Bull obviously likes to do things differently, so the first time its customers saw the car was the same day the rest of you first laid eyes on it.

That’s how I ended up in a room full of people with eff-off money, trying my best to blend in with a $500 watch. There were a few famous faces, but I won’t get into details. Let’s just say that one extremely sweary celebrity chef used the kind of colorful language he’s known for to express concern about how he’s supposed to fit in the thing.

How Car Buying Works At This Level

After the unveiling of the RB17, all the VIPs returned to Red Bull’s hospitality suite for roundtable discussions with Adrian Newey and Christian Horner. That’s where we found out the RB17 almost had a Ford badge, among other things. While waiting for my turn to interview the greatest F1 car designer of all time, I sat at a table with a bunch of average-looking guys. It’s true what they say. Once you reach true eff-off levels of wealth, you really don’t care about Armani suits and Rolex watches. These guys were rocking cardigans and Casios. Life lesson learned.

They all seemed to know each other, which I’m assuming is a side effect of the exclusive events and track days hosted by high-end automakers. You see, they don’t really need new clients. It’s nice if a new one comes along, but their money is better spent keeping the existing customer pool happy. But that’s beside the point.

The fascinating bit is the conversation they were having. We poor folk are out here debating whether the Golf R is faster around a track than a GR Corolla, but these guys don’t do that. Instead, they compliment each other on recent purchases. The topic soon turned to Gordon Murray Automotive, which also had its full range of cars running up the hill several times during the weekend. “Did you notice the difference in the engine noise between the T.50 and the T.33?” asked one. “Yes, that’s why I got both, and a T.33 Spider.”

It wasn’t said in a boastful sort of way, but more as a matter of fact. Like two people in the office discussing what they’re ordering for lunch. And it’s not just these one or two people that operate at that level. GMA’s Dario Franchitti recently told CarBuzz that most buyers didn’t just stop at one GMA car.

“There’s probably a third [of T.50 buyers] who’ve got both [T.50 and T.33]. Some of them have got all four.”

– Dario Franchitti, Director of Brand and Product

That means they didn’t stop at T.50, they bought T.50s, T.33, and T.33 Spider as well, and some bought T.50, T.50s, and a T.50 development prototype. These guys are probably already on the list for GMA’s next V12-powered supercar.

The discussion then moved on to when the order books for the Bugatti Tourbillon might open. All of this happened while they were being hosted by a company they had already paid $7.7 million to for the privilege of owning an RB17.

The bottom line is that these car collectors don’t think or operate the same way casual car fans do. While we debate which one we’d rather have in a this-vs-that fashion, the elite are simply adding to their collections.

The CEOs Of Hypercar Companies Are Just As Polyamorous

My time at the festival was not just spent staring at Niki Lauda’s F1 car and the McLaren F1 GTR. I actually did some work and met up with a few people you might know. I met up with Christopher Pagani, in charge of marketing for his dad’s famous company. During our talk, Horatio Pagani popped his head every few minutes, but his main mission seemed to be taking selfies with the crowd, which was a mighty cool thing for him to do. He has millions in the bank and owns a lucrative hypercar company. Why would he mingle with the peasants? Because it’s a nice thing to do.

The younger Pagani was also very complimentary about the Tourbillon, especially the interior. We asked him what he thought about Bugatti maybe borrowing some inspiration from Pagani, hoping it would lead to a feud, but no. These guys aren’t competing for customers. They’re selling their stuff to the same people. Their cars simply offer different experiences, which, in Pagani’s case, is a resolutely visceral and analog experience. Pagani knows his cars are no longer the most powerful and fastest, but it doesn’t matter.

That evening, we ran into Christian von Koenigsegg admiring the 355 by Evoluto, a restomod of the Ferrari 355 Berlinetta. It’s a sensational car, and the attention to detail is Singer-like. Wanting to sound smart, we told the automotive world’s most beloved bald man (sorry Vin Diesel) that Evoluto was only allowed to have the Ferrari badge on parts carried over from the donor car. That is why you’ll only find it on the lower front grille and the valve covers.

He wasn’t only there to see the 355 by Evoluto up close. As it turns out, the pub Evoluto had booked out for the whole week was also hosting a Koenigsegg after-party. So there I was, partying with (near may be a better word) Christian von Koenigsegg and the people from Evoluto. Boreham Motorworks was also in attendance, giving its customers a preview of its upcoming Ford MK1 Escort and RS200 continuation models, which are backed by Ford. Boreham asked if we also wanted to see and we said yes. Unfortunately, everything I saw and heard that night is under embargo, and you’ll have to wait a few months before I can dish the dirt on that.

The point is, there’s no animosity in this segment. Yes, some of them are competing for the highest top speed, but it just doesn’t matter. If the Hennessey Venom F5 becomes the first production car to top 300 mph, do you really think some dude or dudette is going to cancel their Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut order? Not a chance in hell.

Why We Shouldn’t Hate These Rich Folk

Not at all. Remember that unnamed celebrity chef we mentioned earlier? I’m still not going to name him, but he owns a company called Gordon Ramsay Holdings. If you’re a good enough online sleuth, you can discover his identity. The group owns 88 restaurants across the globe (and one of the first Aston Martin Valours) and reportedly employs between 501 and 1,000 people part-time and full-time. And that’s just on the restaurant side. On the entertainment side, you have producers, writers, camera operators, sound recorders, cable bashers, set swingers, and runners. These are just a few jobs associated with a TV show.

It’s safe to say that at any given time, Gordon Ramsay’s mere existence is responsible for keeping at least 1,500 families on the go. So why not let the dude have a Red Bull RB17, even though he might not fit in it?