Hot! List: Sultan of Brunei's complete car collection
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PININFARINA ARGENTO VIVO (QUICK SILVER)
Pininfarina the famous Italian design house have been involved with the design of all shorts of vehicles since its’ humble beginnings over seventy years ago. Locomotives, boats, aircraft among others, but famously, cars. Today the company has two manufacturing plants and research and development facility with its own wind tunnel.
The Company most closely associated with Pininfarina is Ferrari. Since 1952 a total of 163 different types of Ferrari are Pininfarina designs, including the 250 GT Coupe, Dino 246 GT, Daytona, Testarossa, F40, F50, 360 Modena and the fantastic Ferrari P4/P5.
The Aregento Vivo was initially a formal and technological research prototype built in conjunction with Honda. This car was presented to the International press at the Tokyo motor show in 1995 by Sergio Pininfarina and Nabuhiko Kawamoto, President of Honda. The car won the “Golden Market Trophy” awarded by the Japanese magazine “Car Styling” and the “Best in Show” from the American magazine “Auto Week”.
According to Pininfarina the “Argento Vivo represents a refined exercise in style, an image car that projects its personality into the world of automobiles. With innovative solutions, like that developed for the convertible hard top, which can slide back automatically and then be housed in a space behind the two seats leaving the luggage compartment unencumbered. Argento Vivo is an automobile that marries hot Latin passion; a love for sporty aggressive cars, so typical of the Italian tradition, with the rationality of a sophisticated brand… Argento Vivo evokes the concept of a sporty and technological elegance. There are few outstanding points of interest, including the return to the two-tone colour scheme, undertaken with a skilful blend of cutting edge fine materials. Aluminium, which with the basic structure constitutes the heart and spine of the new Spider Pininfarina, becomes a fundamental component in the two-tone interplay and in the enlivening of the cars surfaces. The engine and luggage compartments, the roof structure, the air intakes and the exhaust vents are all made of this material, which calls to mind sporty and competition vehicles of extreme class and, at the same time offers a sense of solidity, protection and functional refinement. The rest of the bodywork, on the other hand, is made of resin painted dark blue, a sort of support into which the aluminium parts are inset.”
The Argento Vivo evolved from the Honda based car into further cars based on brand new Mercedes SL600 chassis. Brakes, suspension and gearbox are all AMG as is the 7.3 litre V12 engine. Developing 655 hp, the performance of the Argento Vivo is devastating, 0-60 in less than 4 seconds and a top speed of over 175 mph.
The enterior is custom built by Pininfarina especially for the Argento Vivo and consists of carbon fibre door panels, dashboard, centre console and special leather and carbon fibre seats.
Four of these cars were built for the Royal Family of Brunei. The original cost was over $2,500,000 for each car. Two remain in the Royal Garages in Brunei; the other two are at secret locations in England. The intense secrecy surrounding the special automotive projects that the Royal Family commissioned means that the very existence of these cars is unknown to anyone except those closely involved in the projects, indeed no pictures or details of these cars have been made available. With the Royal Family cutting back on their lavish spending, the specialist workshop facility that Pininfarina used for the construction of the special “Brunei” cars has now been closed, meaning that Argento Vivo will probably be the last Pininfarina Mercedes designed and coach built car.
Pininfarina the famous Italian design house have been involved with the design of all shorts of vehicles since its’ humble beginnings over seventy years ago. Locomotives, boats, aircraft among others, but famously, cars. Today the company has two manufacturing plants and research and development facility with its own wind tunnel.
The Company most closely associated with Pininfarina is Ferrari. Since 1952 a total of 163 different types of Ferrari are Pininfarina designs, including the 250 GT Coupe, Dino 246 GT, Daytona, Testarossa, F40, F50, 360 Modena and the fantastic Ferrari P4/P5.
The Aregento Vivo was initially a formal and technological research prototype built in conjunction with Honda. This car was presented to the International press at the Tokyo motor show in 1995 by Sergio Pininfarina and Nabuhiko Kawamoto, President of Honda. The car won the “Golden Market Trophy” awarded by the Japanese magazine “Car Styling” and the “Best in Show” from the American magazine “Auto Week”.
According to Pininfarina the “Argento Vivo represents a refined exercise in style, an image car that projects its personality into the world of automobiles. With innovative solutions, like that developed for the convertible hard top, which can slide back automatically and then be housed in a space behind the two seats leaving the luggage compartment unencumbered. Argento Vivo is an automobile that marries hot Latin passion; a love for sporty aggressive cars, so typical of the Italian tradition, with the rationality of a sophisticated brand… Argento Vivo evokes the concept of a sporty and technological elegance. There are few outstanding points of interest, including the return to the two-tone colour scheme, undertaken with a skilful blend of cutting edge fine materials. Aluminium, which with the basic structure constitutes the heart and spine of the new Spider Pininfarina, becomes a fundamental component in the two-tone interplay and in the enlivening of the cars surfaces. The engine and luggage compartments, the roof structure, the air intakes and the exhaust vents are all made of this material, which calls to mind sporty and competition vehicles of extreme class and, at the same time offers a sense of solidity, protection and functional refinement. The rest of the bodywork, on the other hand, is made of resin painted dark blue, a sort of support into which the aluminium parts are inset.”
The Argento Vivo evolved from the Honda based car into further cars based on brand new Mercedes SL600 chassis. Brakes, suspension and gearbox are all AMG as is the 7.3 litre V12 engine. Developing 655 hp, the performance of the Argento Vivo is devastating, 0-60 in less than 4 seconds and a top speed of over 175 mph.
The enterior is custom built by Pininfarina especially for the Argento Vivo and consists of carbon fibre door panels, dashboard, centre console and special leather and carbon fibre seats.
Four of these cars were built for the Royal Family of Brunei. The original cost was over $2,500,000 for each car. Two remain in the Royal Garages in Brunei; the other two are at secret locations in England. The intense secrecy surrounding the special automotive projects that the Royal Family commissioned means that the very existence of these cars is unknown to anyone except those closely involved in the projects, indeed no pictures or details of these cars have been made available. With the Royal Family cutting back on their lavish spending, the specialist workshop facility that Pininfarina used for the construction of the special “Brunei” cars has now been closed, meaning that Argento Vivo will probably be the last Pininfarina Mercedes designed and coach built car.
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Kraftwagen König
Thanks for all these informations...but I have to say...I don't like all these special cars he drives. 
There was also an article in the AMS five or seven years ago! They said that the Sultan also uses new cars as a spare parts depot, and when they cannibalised these vehicles, they are going to add the car body to the sea.
There was also an article in the AMS five or seven years ago! They said that the Sultan also uses new cars as a spare parts depot, and when they cannibalised these vehicles, they are going to add the car body to the sea.
FasterHigherBetter
Precision Tuner
He was the richest man before Bill Gates, right?
Anyway, he has more money than brain. If I had all that money I would buy 20 cars and drive one every day, or buy 7 911s in different colors.
Anyway, he has more money than brain. If I had all that money I would buy 20 cars and drive one every day, or buy 7 911s in different colors.
rgbrowning12
VW Bug Starter
I used to audit Gulfstream Aerospace (HQ in Savannah, GA.)
I was working at their Long Beach, CA facility and was going through invoices and saw repair bills to some G500's that belonged to the Sultan - I was then told the Gulfstream's are like the VW's of his airplane fleet. He puts his extended family on the G500's and he sticks with his Boeing plane(s).
A 50 million dollar plane looked at like a VW (and I loved my Passat!).
I never knew how much money you had to have to own a plane, and after working on Gulfstream I saw that you have to have a LOT OF MONEY to own a Gulfstream (they are the best private jets in the world).
I was working at their Long Beach, CA facility and was going through invoices and saw repair bills to some G500's that belonged to the Sultan - I was then told the Gulfstream's are like the VW's of his airplane fleet. He puts his extended family on the G500's and he sticks with his Boeing plane(s).
A 50 million dollar plane looked at like a VW (and I loved my Passat!).
I never knew how much money you had to have to own a plane, and after working on Gulfstream I saw that you have to have a LOT OF MONEY to own a Gulfstream (they are the best private jets in the world).
Cashmere
RPM Ruler
888
Quattro Commander
if you ask me that guy is complete idiot and primitive, if he didn't get all that money by harity he would be able to earn a damn bycicle, his country have oil reserve for like next 80 years and than what ? they will became poor as Sudan or Somalia, not to mentine he was involved in series of raping and some other crimes which he was able to get away by paying millions to victims...
Mr. M
Tire Trailblazer
Thanks for those pictures. It's very intriguing - or rather ironic - to see such flashy cars in such a country. And to think Car Heaven is just a stone's throw away...
Actually, I think the British was quite happy to get rid of its colonies at that time... It couldn't keep up with the funding of these outposts and that's one reason why they pulled out of Singapore also. But yes, the UK would look back now and wished they kept Brunei because of all of its oil reserves.
888
Quattro Commander
It was interesting why thy wanted to keep Chagos islands so badly, these days is big trial in London where former citizens who were removed by force in some shit-hole around mauritius (Diego Garcia case )....well, usa was involved so its not surprise
tobajara
Tarmac Traveler
I meant Great Britain wasnt happy for loosing the oil reserves.Or at that time it wasnt known that Brunei had oil?Anyway,i remember Charles reactions at the ceremony when Britain gave the sovereignty of Sinangapore to the local goverment.He looked really depressed!
tobajara
Tarmac Traveler
I guess his hands must taste like chocklit
Or unleaded 100 octane
wltsm
Torque Titan
I see he's got a an ML63 AMG!
I've got to say this guy has gone way over the top on cars, while there are people in his country starving to death, he's buying any car he can get his hands on. I really don't see the point of him having the same car, but in loads of different colours!
I've got to say this guy has gone way over the top on cars, while there are people in his country starving to death, he's buying any car he can get his hands on. I really don't see the point of him having the same car, but in loads of different colours!
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