Bill Gates's banned Porsche faces 13 years of taxes for not driving it.
There are those who would do anything to have the car of their dreams. And, lo and behold, among them we find a certain Bill Gates , so enchanted by the Porsche 959 that he embarked on a thirteen-year marathon of taxes, bureaucracy, and obstinacy. After all, the heart cannot be controlled, and that jewel, one of the fastest, rarest, and most prohibited models of the 1980s, short-circuited the synapses of many enthusiasts, including those of a man who made rationality his credo.
Why was it banned in America?It's 1988, and the head of Microsoft is already a young billionaire with a few Porsches in the garage—a 911 , a 930 Turbo—but the 959 is something else entirely. A car born as a technology laboratory on wheels: a 2.85-liter, 450-horsepower, twin-turbo boxer engine, a Kevlar and aluminum body, electronic suspension, and intelligent all-wheel drive. At the time, it was the fastest road car on the planet: 0-60 mph in under four seconds, with a top speed of 200 mph. And it was also incredibly rare: only about 300 were built.
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Gates buys it, unfortunately for a problem as serious as customs: the 959 isn't approved for use in the United States, having failed the required crash tests and violated emissions standards. When the car arrives at the Port of Seattle, the authorities seize it, and then something incredible happens: instead of giving it up, Gates pays $28 a day in taxes for 13 years , despite having to keep it there, idle, in a warehouse in the free zone, plus an annual $500 renewal fee to keep the legal restriction active. Do the math: over $133,000 in total, which would be equivalent to about $300,000 today, paid just to avoid having to say goodbye to a car "banned" overseas. Now the most ardent four-wheel fans will feel less alone...
A battle wonBut the vicissitudes have a surprising ending. Gates, along with other collectors, begins lobbying Washington for a change in the law, and after years of discussion, the famous "Show or Display" rule is born, allowing the import of unlicensed vehicles as long as they possess historic value and have driven fewer than 2,500 miles per year. In 2001, his 959 finally emerges from limbo: Gates can take it to his garage and "pamper" it. A fanatical gesture? Perhaps, but also an act of absolute love for mechanics, innovation, and—why not?—a challenge to the system because, let's face it, only a diehard would wage an all-out battle to hold on to a piece of German engineering.
Yet he's not the only one to lose his mind over a car. Justin Bieber, for example, mobilized his staff for weeks in search of a missing Ferrari, while Shaquille O'Neal modified interiors, seats, and chassis to fit into his supercars. Gates, however, has demonstrated extraordinary tenacity, having paid for and promoted a rule change before prevailing in his personal battle. When asked, "Was it worth it?" he'd probably respond with a smile and a gentle press on the accelerator. At 200 miles an hour.
