Every auto enthusiast's dream come true, the world's most impressive gearhead pads seriously wow with everything from state-of-the-art car lifts, vehicle turntables and mega-garages, to their very own car museums and race tracks, while one prized property was even sold with a gold-plated Lamborghini and Rolls-Royce. Strap yourself in for an awesome ride and click or scroll through for the last word in F1-worthy real estate...
Described as “the Bond home of the future”, this spectacular five-bedroom, eight-bathroom modernist mansion by globally renowned architect Tom Kundig was six years in the making, and it's not hard to work out why. Tucked away on a hillside overlooking Los Angeles on a site that offers breathtaking vistas of the city, the heart-stopping mansion is a car fanatic's fantasy.
The almost 16,000-square-foot manse, which is arranged over three levels, has what could very well be the most stylish garage ever conceived. With ample space for 15 supercars, the swisher than swish auto gallery is a knockout with its skylight ceiling, reinforced marble and organic hardwood flooring and chillout area decked out with comfy seating and bold contemporary artwork.
The current owner, private equity mogul Kipp Nelson, who is big-time into auto racing, has even installed a humongous custom model race track in the space. There's also a cutting-edge F1 simulator that pits anyone lucky enough to get a go on it with the likes of Lewis Hamilton and other motorsport legends.
Elsewhere, there's an expansive indoor-outdoor open-plan living area with a wood-burning fireplace and glass walls that disappear at the touch of a button, a temperature-controlled wine room, a state-of-the-art kitchen loaded with Gaggenau appliances and an additional chef's kitchen, plus a primary suite with a floating bed and a gym crammed with the latest equipment.
The exterior is just as mind-blowing. The terraced entertainment area can accommodate up to 250 guests and has three infinity pools. There's also a hot tub, outdoor fireplace, firepit and a calming grove planted with 40 ancient olive trees. Needless to say, the pad doesn't come cheap – the pad was last listed for almost $55 million (£40m).
Without a doubt, the jaw-dropping penthouse atop the 60-storey Porsche Design Tower in Miami is the ultimate skyscraper residence for the ridiculously wealthy car connoisseur. Spanning four levels, the 20,000-square-foot property crowning the planet's first automated drive-in residential high-rise is nothing short of breathtaking. It was bought in 2017 by car dealer Terry Taylor for $25 million (£18.1m).
A collaboration between Porsche Design and developer Gil Dezer, the tower's major draw is its patented glass-enclosed car lift system dubbed the 'Dezervator'. An exquisite feat of engineering, the unique drive-in lift whisks residents and their cars from the street directly into a fabulous high-rise sky garage in as little as 75 seconds.
In fact, the penthouse has two sky garages measuring a generous 2,220 square feet with space for 11 vehicles, both enclosed by glass walls so the owner can gaze lovingly at their prized supercar collection from the comfort of their sofa. One resident likens the sky garage and its contents to a private art collection displayed in the living room.
In addition to up to six bedrooms, six-and-a-half bathrooms and those fantastic sky garages, the penthouse has a capacious open-concept living area with 20-foot-high ceilings and two summer kitchens, all of which are furnished by Armani/Casa. If that wasn't enough, there are two sweeping terraces outside with a pool a-piece.
The owner also has access to the building's superlative amenities, which include race-car and golf simulators, a dedicated vehicle concierge service to keep those supercars in tip-top condition, a gourmet restaurant, cinema, beauty salon and a spa and fitness centre. No wonder the building has attracted 22 billionaire buyers and counting, not to mention celebrities such as soccer superstar Lionel Messi.
Likely to smash Brisbane's home sale record and end up being one of the priciest properties sold in Australia, this “unrivalled” contemporary manse in the leafy suburb of Chandler has a slew of billionaire-friendly amenities you won't believe. First and foremost, the property's main garage is an absolute ripper, as they say Down Under.
Amazingly, the space is worth around six times the median home price in the city and more than some of the Queensland capital's most luxurious homes. The property has room for 35 vehicles and currently houses the seller's enviable collection of Porsches, Ferraris, Aston Martins and other coveted cars.
The grounds are equally feature-packed, with everything from a glass-framed in-ground pool, soccer field, championship-sized tennis and basketball courts, exterior gym and gazebo, to an outdoor cinema and amphitheatre, an outdoor kitchen and a Japanese teppanyaki barbecue. The current owner really did think of everything when kitting out this unparalleled property.
Recently on the market for just under $8 million (£5.8m), this sensational five-bedroom, seven-bathroom 'car haven' in Roanoke, Texas is a paradise for motorheads who enjoy tinkering with an engine or two and can't get enough of car memorabilia. Nestled on 10 acres, the compound takes the auto theme and tricks it out to the max.
For starters, the 7,419-square-foot ranch-style compound, which was originally intended as an 'innovation center' for automotive software company Solera, has a main garage with space for up to 10 vehicles. Additionally, a massive five acres of grounds are empty and can be used to park numerous other vehicles.
Adding to the property's auto allure, there's a bona fide full-service mechanic shop and glass repair space on-site boasting hydraulic car lifts, wheel alignment machines, a tyre changer and paint mixing and application booth. Imagine all the fun a creative car lover with some technical know-how could have in this place?
Consisting of a main residence and 'entertaining house', the entire property is jam-packed with auto memorabilia: think copious vintage gas station pumps, nostalgic signs, old traffic lights and rusty vintage cars that double up as plant holders. The designers even went as far as to upcycle classic vehicle parts as furniture and fixtures.
They include a sink, bar, breakfast nook and chairs all fashioned from upcycled car parts. What's more, the sprawling compound features several living areas, a media room, motor-themed kitchen and workstation, along with a gun range, firepit, four dog runs and a phenomenal tiered pool with a swim-up bar.
Former race-car driver Richard Perry, a grandson of the inventor of the Yellow Pages, revved up the real estate market in upscale Evergreen, Colorado in 2019 when he listed Thunder Ridge, his dazzling 79-acre estate, for just under $20 million (£14.5m). As if the 25,400-square-foot mansion isn't sizeable enough, the estate's mega-garage and auto museum is even bigger.
Perry eventually whittled down his collection to 30 cars but made sure he held on to his favourite Bugatti Veyron. On top of the carwash and gas station, the showroom has a mezzanine level for admiring the collection from above, along with a one-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment, where a mechanic could sleep after a hard day working on the vehicles.
There's also five miles of driveway that can be used to race cars. The mansion itself, which was built in 2004, features seven bedrooms, 14 bathrooms, a stunning living room with 27-foot-high ceilings, a marble-clad chef's kitchen and a Star Trek-themed cinema modelled after the USS Enterprise deck with captain-style seats that move in sync with the action on the screen.
Mega-mansion developer Nile Niami went all out with this contemporary Bel Air palace, which he christened Opus. Completed in 2017, the seven-bedroom, 11-bathroom stunner on LA's ultra-exclusive Hillcrest cul-de-sac was loaded with amenities and billionaire treats to justify its $100 million (£72.7m) price tag.
Designed by top architect Paul McClean with the showy auto-lover in mind, the over 20,000-square-foot property has an opulent car museum that's as flashy as they come. Gold mirror walls and slick flatscreens adorn the posh garage, and Niami even went as far as to throw in a gilded Lamborghini Aventador Spyder and Rolls-Royce Dawn.
Ritzy car museum aside, the billionaire mansion astounds with an immense open-concept indoor-outdoor living space with a retractable glass wall and a huge cinema screen, an art collection with works by the likes of Andy Warhol and Damien Hirst, a gourmet show kitchen and separate chef's kitchen and two mammoth bars.
There's a champagne vault in the property bulging with 170 bottles of Cristal, which cost around $300 (£217) each, plus a glass 'wine dining room' with 944 bottles of fine vino and flooring designed by Roberto Cavalli. Other highlights include the commanding master suite, two pools – one outdoor and one indoor – and a resort-style spa and beauty salon.
Despite its opulence, the property languished on the market and ended up being taken possession of at a knockdown price by one of the lenders who co-financed the project. According to public records, the property eventually sold last November for $48.4 million (£35.2m), significantly less of course than what it was originally listed for.
This wondrous French-Normandy château-style property near Tampa, Florida was built for RV multimillionaire Don Wallace, who put it up for sale in 2019 with an asking price of $22 million (£16m). Ensconced within 36 acres, the eight-bedroom, 26-bathroom manor is, like the other properties in our round-up, brimming with amenities for the auto-lover.
Connected to The Oaks, as the estate is called, is a beautifully designed 11,000-square-foot car museum, which was used to display Wallace's collection of vintage vehicles. At its peak, the collection consisted of 80 cars including a Ferrari 250 LM, McClaren F1 LM and 1967 Plymouth Barracuda Hemi.
Bolstering the château's auto appeal is an additional seven-car garage and most impressive of all, a proper eight-turn race track where the very privileged buyer can zip around Fast & Furious-style without worrying about getting pulled over by the cops for speeding. The grounds also feature a pool and guesthouse, horse barn, an artist's studio and a boathouse.
There's a 1950s-themed entertainment room and bowling alley in the property, an indoor heated saltwater pool and a lift. The property also offers what the realtor describes as 'a world-class men's lounge', a chef's kitchen with the finest appliances money can buy and a colossal master suite.
Also on the exhaustive list of rooms and amenities are a grand wood-panelled salon, a craft room, fitness centre, steam and sauna rooms and a massage area. Astonishingly given its plethora of features, the property sold in April for $800,000 (£580k) under its asking price of $17.5 million (£12.7m), meaning someone bagged themselves a very tidy bargain indeed.
The most expensive property in our round-up, this luxe mansion in Bel Air was sold in 2019 for $75 million (£54.4m) to a Chinese billionaire, who reportedly chanced upon the almost 25,000-square-foot property while browsing the Zillow app on his smartphone. The sellers, Arya Group builder Ardie Tavangarian and his wife Tania, went out of their way to crowd the fancy home with five-star features.
Top of the list is the four-unit car lift and turntable. A technical triumph, the futuristic vehicle elevator and storage contraption rises and sinks into the ground as if by magic and makes even the most impressive garages we've featured here look decidedly obsolete. And the icing on the cake is the rotating carousel to its front.
The eight-bedroom property has plenty of other billionaire-enticing amenities as well. There's a 4-D Dolby Atmos-Sound home cinema with plush, super-stylish seating, a 3,000-bottle wine room and a games room with pool and poker tables.
A popular feature of new-build LA mansions, the property is built for indoor-outdoor living and the sliding glass doors make for a seamless transition from the internal to the external spaces. The living area leads into a family kitchen, and there's also a catering kitchen complete with a walk-in freezer.
Among the dazzling estate's remaining USPs are a hidden powder room, a master suite with a jumbo-sized walk-in and sit-in shower, a hotel-quality spa, an indoor-outdoor gym, a 250-foot infinity-edge pool and infinity hot tub with an outdoor movie screen, and a garden lined with Tesla solar panels. Talk about the lap of luxury!
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