This $13 Million Car Collection Is About to Be Auctioned off for Charity
In just a few short months, the world will get to experience a car auction unlike any before. Seized as part of a political investigation, the auction is set to include an airplane hanger full of exotic, expensive cars. Including some of the greatest cars ever produced. This collection of cars is every car lover’s dream.
The collection has an estimated worth of around $13 million, according to Fox News. Here’s what is included in that car collection and how it came to auction.
What’s in the $13 million car collection
It includes 25 total vehicles, ranging from limousines to unique, luxury cars. And even though the collection was created by a corrupt politician, the auction will guarantee retribution and new, quality homes for some amazing cars. Some of the cars from this collection include the following:
- A Lamborghini Veneno Roadster– one of only nine ever made in the world. According to CNN, it has a valued sticker tag of $5.1 million and is adorned with colors of the Italian flag to celebrate Lamborghini’s anniversary. It has an incredible, 740 hp V12, with a top speed of 221 mph.
- A limited edition Ferrari LaFerrari, worth $2.5 million.
- One of the world’s first hybrid supercars, the McLaren P1. It’s expected to sell for more than $1.5 million at auction.
- A 1,300 hp Koenigsegg One:1– One of only six built, with an estimated worth of $2 million.
- The fast Bugatti Veyron 16.4, that can reach a top speed of 250 mph with more than 1,010 hp. Brand new, the price tag for the Veyron 16.4 catches around $1.7 million.
- One of 77 ever-produced Aston Martin One-77, with a V12 engine and a top speed of more than 220 mph.
The auction for these one-of-a-kind cars will take place in September of 2019, in Geneva, Switzerland. It will be handled by the auction company Bonhams, with no reserves. All proceeds from the sale will go to various charities that benefit the betterment of the biggest victim of the crime, the African nation of Equatorial Guinea.
A politician’s extravagant lifestyle: the story behind the collection
This massive car collection was once owned by Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue. He is a politician from the African country of Equatorial Guinea. Mangue’s father took power over the country through a political coup in 1979 and has been the nation’s President ever since. He named his son Vice President of Equatorial Guinea in 2012.
But the politicians in charge of the nation’s government have been facing scrutiny for years for spending money on over-extravagant lifestyles. According to The Drive, Vice President Mangue himself has been the topic of accusations in multiple other countries. He has a 3-year suspended jail sentence in France for embezzlement. Plus a $30 million settlement in the U.S. to resolve accusations of using his country’s money to buy things.
After facing multiple charges of money laundering and corruption for actions in his own country, Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue was convicted in 2017. Mangue’s beautiful car collection, however, was first seized by the Swiss government in 2016, when investigations first began. The Equatorial Guinean government did try to save the cars from being taken into custody by stating that some did not belong to Mangue. Their effort was unsuccessful.
While the people of Equatorial Guinea suffered under this government’s misappropriation of funds, the world will be happy to have these beautiful cars back in its midst.