The Top 10 Richest People in the World in 2012

The renowned Forbes Magazine announced just a couple of weeks ago in their new, 2012 list of World’s Billionaires, that there are a total of 1,226 billionaires worldwide, with a stunning networth of around $4.6 trillion – which is a bit bigger, for example, than the total GDP (Gross Domestic Product) of India and way more than the combined GDPs of the 127 poorest countries in the world.

Things have changed too much since last year, with the Forbes list being dominated by mainly the same people, with three new entries in the Top 10 this year -  the richest person in Asia, Li Ka-Shing, Karl Albrecht and Stefan Persson of H&M. Stefan Persson is up five notches from No.13 last year, Li Ka-Shing re-entered the top10 for the first time after many years and Karl Albrecht wraps up the top 10 th is yearafter he was the 12th richest in the 2011 list.

Let’s start the list of the top 10 richest people in the world in 2012, shall we?

1 – Carlos Slim Helu – $69 billion

It’s the third year of domination for Carlos Slim Helu, although this time his total net worth equals $69 billion, a whopping $5 billion lower than 2010. This is due to the lower price of America Movil shares, totaling around half of its entire wealth. Mexican regulators fined the brand for monopolistic prices with a stunning $1 billion, but they’re currently appealing the fine. A good thing is that Mr. Helu spends more time with the Telmex and Carlos Slim Foundations. Aged 72, he currently lives in Mexico City.

2 – Bill Gates – $61 billion

Bill Gates is an idol for many – he has donated a huge part of his fortune, $28 billion so far, becoming the most generous person alive. He played a hugely important role in the eradication of polio in India – the country announced the first year without polio, in January. He keeps donating $200 million per year to the countries that fight the terrible disease, like Afghanistan, Pakistan and Nigeria.

The Bill & Melinda Gates foundation, founded by Mr. Gates, is undergoing intensive research in developing an already promising vaccine against malaria. There’s also the GAVI, an organization that deals with distributing the vaccine at a worldwide level, founded by him, which raised a whopping $4.3 billion in pledges whose main purpose was to counter malaria, a severe pathology that manifests with pneumonia, meningitis and diarrhea.

One of his new aims is to reestablish an agricultural traditionalism, as he has already donated $2 billion to small farmers. Microsoft, as you probably knew, still holds a quarter of this total wealth in shares, with the highest share values in the last 10 years. The rest of his fortune coves private equity, bonds and stocks like Ecolab and Televisa. Aged 56 he lives in Medina, Washington with his family.

3 – Warren Buffett – $44 billion

Now aged 81, Warren Buffett has finally made his strong-awaited decision of whom to follow him, without revealing an exact name of the respective individual. By the end of the previous year, he named his son, Howard Buffett, the future non-executive chairman and “guardian of the firm’s values”.

The “Buffett Rule” is one of his ideas, stating that the rich folk should contribute much more than the average man, requiring them to pay at least 30% tax rate. The Berkshire stock value has gone down 7%, and, as a consequence, his net worth was diminished by $6 billion in one year – he later admitted taking some bad decisions that caused the stock value fall.

4 – Bernard Arnault – $41 billion

Currently residing in the superb Paris, the famous French magnate has known yet another great year for his business, the world renowned LVMH. The brand’s profits went up by 22% because of the record sales achieved by Louis Vuitton, plus the blooming integration of Bulgari. They’ve realized a joint venture with the world’s best crocodile leather tanneries, the Heng Long.

There’s also a downside to Mr. Arnault’s business values, as the turnover of the supermarket chain Carrefour which he invested in was recorded $1 billion lower. He is the proud owner of Indigo Island in the Bahamas, which he rents for $300,000 per week, plus the Cheval Blanc, a ski chalet in Courchevel. Aged 63, he is married and the father of five.

5 – Amancio Ortega – $37.5 billion

The Spanish tycoon resigned from the chairman position of Inditex, his global fashion brand, during July 2011. The company, though, is flowering – its shares are up by a quarter. This has had positive consequence on Mr. Ortega’s net worth, raised by $6.5 billion. He bought the Torre Picasso, a 43-story skyscraper in the middle of Madrid, for $536 million, from Esther Koplowitz, in December.

He is also the happy owner of a stake in a soccer league, a horse-jumping track and the Epic Residences & Hotel – a 54-story luxury condominium and hotel currently under development in Miami. Starting up as an employee in his father store, he is 75 years old.

6 – Larry Ellison – $36 billion

The IT domain tycoon, CEO of the Oracle Corporation, has been undergoing serious fluctuations with his business for months. The company’s profit went down, as the sales of Oracle have slightly decreased – this brought Mr. Ellison a $3.5 billion decline of his wealth. Trying to get out of Oracle’s bad period, he purchased Taleo in February for $1.9 billion and RightNow in October, for $1.5 billion.

He is always willing to buy the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team, among a few other billionaires. During 2010 he won the America’s Cup and contributed to bringing the America’s Cup 2013 Finals to the San Francisco Bay. Aged 67, this father of 2 divorced three times but has recently remarried.

7 – Eike Batista – $30 billion

The richest man in Brazil, Eike Batista, still goes on profitably in the mining and oil fields. The OGX Petroleo e Gas, his gas and oil driller, started producing the first oil during a test in late January, offshore. He owns 61% of the company, worth a staggering $19.8 billion, which mathematically means 2/3 of his entire fortune.

During February 2011 he started venturing into the gold business, having spent $1.5 billion to purchase the private Ventana Gold, a very promising mine in Colombia, Canada. The 55 year old divorced father of two currently lives in Rio de Janeiro.

8 – Stefan Persson – $26 billion

The 8^th on our list is the owner of H&M. He has purchased Marni and Versace last year, opening its first stores in Romania, Singapore and Croatia. He is currently the owner of 2,500 shops in 43 countries all over the world. The chairman of H&M bought 5 million additional shares of the company and later gifted 4 million, worth around $150 million, to an employee stimulating program.

The father of Mr. Persson, Erling, founded the H&M brand in 1947. Stefan later took over, in 1982, resigning from the CEO spot in 1998. He promoted his son, Karl-Johan, to CEO in July 2009. During the same year, he acquired the 21-cottage village of Linkenholt in Hampshire, England. Aged 64, he is married and resides in Stockholm.

9 – Li Ka-Shing – $25.5 billion

Since 2007, it’s the first time we find the Hong Kong-based tycoon within the Top 10. He was named the richest person in Asia for the first time since 2004, even though his net worth is down by $500 million. Hutchinson, his main business, employs 270,000 people around the globe, in 53 different countries. One of 7 residences in Hong Kong was built by his brand, while the Hutchinson Port – Holdings deal with around 13% of the world’s total container traffic.

He recently purchased Northumbrian Water, which provides sewerage services to 2.7 million people in England and supplies drinking water to another 4.5 million. Aged 83, he has personal investments in Spotify and Facebook. He is widowed and has two children.

10 – Karl Albrecht – $25.4 billion

Aldi Sud, his discount supermarket giant, knew estimated sales of $39 billion lately. Owning 4,500 stores worldwide, the brand holds 1,200 only in the US. The first Aldi Sud stores in New York City were opened during last year, in Bronx and Queens. The chain of stores doesn’t accept credit card payments, to keep costs as low as possible.

Along with his brother Theo, they started the ventures in the world of business at their mother’s corner grocery store, after the Second World War, turning it into an absolutely huge retail chain, with low prices and no-bling as the main politics. The brand was split between the two – Karl has taken the more profitable stores in Southern Germany and the rights in the US, UK and Australia.

The Top 10 Most Expensive Cities In The World in 2012

You’ve probably wondered which are the most expensive cities to live in right now, and, thanks to the new Economist Intelligence Unit Worldwide Cost of Living Survey we have an answer to that. The survey compares the cost of living in 140 cities from 93 countries and it looks at the prices of goods and services such as food, transportation, schools, domestic help and so on.

New York is used as the base for the Economist survey with a score of 100. The first two cities from this year’s list, Zurich and Tokyo have a score of 170 and 166 respectively which means they’re 70% and 66% more expensive to live in than New York city. The top ten costliest cities were divided equally between Europe and Asia-Pacific.

No city from US broke the top 10, with New York dropping on 47th place tied with Chicago and below Los Angeles. We’re now presenting the top 10 most expensive cities in the world in 2012, according to the Economist survey.

1. Zurich, Switzerland

For the first time in the last 20 years, one of Switzerland’s most beautiful cities, Zurich, ranks as the most expensive city in the world, overtaking Tokyo which held this spot for most of the last two decades. The Swiss city had a swing of 34 percentage points and went up four places from last year to take the first spot.

2. Tokyo, Japan

Tokyo is still 66% more expensive than New York, and was just slightly overtaken by Zurich in this year’s survey. Its index score is almost the same as it was last year.

3-4. Geneva, Switzerland

Third and fourth places are split between Geneva, Switzerland, and Osaka, Japan. The Swiss town rose from ninth to third place, thanks to a 30 percent point rise. These major ups came because the Swiss have one of the strongest currencies in the world and thus life in Switzerland costs way more.

3-4.  Osaka, Japan

Same thing could be said about Osaka and Japan as well. The Japanese currency is also really strong at the moment and even though Osaka is the second most important city of the country, it’s still pretty close to Tokyo in terms of cost of living.

5. Oslo, Norway

The Fifth place on the list is occupied by Norway’s capital, Oslo. The northern life just got more expensive, or so it seems but it’s definitely a price to pay to live in one of the most beautiful cities from Europe.

6. Paris, France

Speaking of beautiful cities in Europe, on the next spot, the sixth, lies one of the most renowned cities in the world, Paris. France has it put here thanks to its exquisiteness and unique style and probably because it’s one of the best travel destinations in the entire world.

7. Sydney, Australia

Sydney is now almost 50 per cent more expensive than the glam and glitz of New York. The coast of bread has almost doubled in the last decade, while petrol prices have risen three times and rice and other expenses even four or more times

8. Melbourne, Australia

The second city from Australia to make it in this top 10 is Melbourne, which has almost the same prices for everything as Sydney. Maybe Sydney is a bit more expensive because it’s a bit more popular, but they’re definitely close.

9. Singapore

The city state is still one of the most expensive cities in the world, 42% more expensive than New York and over cities like Hong Kong and even London.

10. Frankfurt, Germany

The last in this list but not last in the survey is Frankfurt, one of the most important cities from Germany. Frankfurt is the financial and transportation centre of Germany and the largest financial centre in continental Europe with the headquarters of seven major banks in here.

As a surprise, Hong Kong, renowned for its prices in the past, is now ranked 22^nd, knowing a fall of 19 spots, 10 years ago occupying the third spot.

The overall number of cities that took part in the survey is 130, sharing 400 individual prices throughout 160 types of products, from clothing, private schools, transport and food to rents. There’s also a known petrol price variation per liter, from $0.96 in Moscow to $2.17 in Paris. In spite of all these, Western Europe has 24 major cities scattered in the first 50 of the list, while Asia shares a more modest number, of 14.

The Top 10 Richest People in Africa in 2012

Ever wondered who are the richest people on the Black Continent? Well, before proceeding with the list, there are a few facts that you should know. The 25^th year of global wealth checklists from Forbes has brought us two records. There are 1,210 listed people, the greatest number ever reached, with a combined wealth of $4.5 trillion.

The Gross Domestic Product of Germany is lower than this sum, one of the very few countries to have fewer people in this list. The new names that joined Forbes’ Richest People list mainly come from Brazil, Russia, India and China, 108 of the 214 new names.

With 16 representatives among the list, Africa features billionaires from Morocco, Nigeria, Egypt and South Africa. The first 10 African Billionaires are ranked as followed:

No. 1 – Aliko Dangote

In November 2011 his net worth was evaluated to $10.1 billion, an increase from last year. He made fortunes from interests in flour, sugar, milling and salt processing, cement, real estate, gas and oil. Aged 54 and residing in Lagos, this father of 3 is currently the richest man in Nigeria.

Currently ranked 51st in the world’s richest men list, he witnessed a 557% fortune increase during the last year, due to the Dangote Cement listing. Constituting 25% of the Nigeria Stock Exchange’s total market cap, Benue Cement is the company within which he integrated his investments throughout Africa. His latest purchase we should really mention – a $45 million bombardier aircraft, as a gift to himself on the occasion of his birthday.

No. 2 – Nicky Oppenheimer & Family

This South African father of 1 currently owns $6.5 billion, being the richest person in South Africa, as researched in November 2011. Aged 65, he currently lives in Johannesburg. Knowing an increase in net worth, he made this fortune by being named chairman of De Beers diamonds, inherited from his father, plus important interests in the gold-mining company Anglo American plc. He’s also the owner of the largest private game reserve in South Africa, the Tswalu Kalahari Reserve.

No. 3 – Nassef Sawiris

The richest man in Egypt, Nassef Sawiris, was listed in November 2011 among the richest men in the world. With a decreasing net worth of $4.75 billion, he is the son of Onsi Sawiris. Owner of Orascom’s construction and fertilizer division since the late 90s he sold the business to Lafarge during 2007. He currently owns part of the company, also being the largest shareholder in Texas Industries.  This charismatic figure is aged 50 and resides in Cairo.

No. 4 – Johann Rupert & Family

The fourth spot on our board is the second richest person in South Africa. With an increasing net worth of $4.7 billion, this 60 year old businessman currently lives in Stellenbosch, being the father of 3 children. Ranked among the first 500 richest men in the world, his income derives from the Swiss luxury group Richemont, owner of Dunhill, Chloe bags, Cartier and MontBlanc pens.

Their latest acquisition is Net-a-Porter, an online fashion portal, while his holding company in South Africa, Remgro, purchased VenFin at an earlier time during 2010. Other brands under his name are the L’Ormarins wine estates, an exclusive golf club in South Africa and Rupert & Rothschild.

No. 5 – Mike Adenuga

Currently ranked second in Nigeria, this owner of $4.3 billion is currently enjoying a marital status. Living in Lagos and aged 57, he made a fortune with Globacom, telecommunication brand that recently launched its 4G network. One of the main investments of the company is the submarine cable that connects Nigeria to the world. He started from scratch, selling Coca-Cola and lace, eventually managing to build military barracks in the late 1980s. He also owns shares in the Equitorial Trust Bank, also being the current chairman of Conoil.

No. 6 – Miloud Chaabi

Owner of a “puny” $3 billion, this 82 year old magnate lives in Morocco, being the richest man in the country. Married, he started the climb in 1948 in house developing, meeting an expansion through Ynna Holding into hotels and supermarkets, plus renewable energy. He used to be a member of the Parliament, being named the “red capitalist” after making an alliance with the socialist party.

No. 7 – Naguib Sawiris

The eldest son of Onsi Sawiris, and brother with Nassef, Naguib is currently 57 and lives in Cairo. Ranked second in Egypt, he is the father of 4, with a net worth of $2.9 billion, as researched during November 2011. The chairman of Wind Telecom, a mobile service provider in Africa, South Asia, Canada, Middle East and Europe, he attempted to sell the company to MTN group sometime in the past, but with no success.

No. 8 – Christoffel Wiese

With an estimated net worth of $2.7 billion, Christoffel is the third richest man in South Africa. Aged 70, he is currently married and father of three. Commonly known as Christo, he made the fortune as head of Shoprite. Furthermore, he owns shares in Pepkor – discount shoes, clothes and textiles store in South Africa -, being also renowned for restoring and remodeling a South African farm estate into a five-star resort. Other acquisitions are the Lourensford Estate wine producer plus a game reserve in the Kalahari.

No. 9 – Onsi Sawiris

The father of Nassef and Naguib, Onsi Sawiris is the owner of $2.6 billion. Following his sons, he is the third richest man in Egypt, as ranked in November 2011. Residing in Cairo, he’s the father of three. He made the astonishing fortune by founding and developing the Orascom telecom, plus all sorts of hotels and construction businesses worldwide. While being a teenager, he was pushed from behind towards studying agriculture. He didn’t enjoy the domain, thus opening his personal contracting firm that needed revision after nationalization in the 1960s.

No. 10 – Patrice Motsepe

The last on our list is the 4^th richest man in South Africa. This father of three currently resides in Johannesburg, with a net worth of $2.5 billion. Aged 49, he made the sum in mining business, by purchasing low-level gold mine shafts in 1994, making them very profitable. Thereon, he has built the African Rainbow Minerals company that’s drawing benefits from South Africa’s Black Economic Empowerment (BEE); additionally, he also owns shares in Sanlam Financial Services and Investments.

The Top 10 Most Expensive Paintings Ever Sold

We are completely amazed by the amounts of money art-lovers and collectors would pay to own a unique piece of art and call it theirs. We are aware of the fact that these carry a huge value behind them and should probably cost even more, although we wouldn’t consider them as sellable items.

In the following article, we’d like to point out the 10 most expensive paintings ever to be purchased. They range from extremely well known artists to more obscure ones, and from privately sold ones to others that were purchased from famous auctions.

On terms that aren’t related to us, the sums may differ, but we’ll present the official numbers for which the pieces of artwork were each sold, and not taking in consideration any supplementary inflation or estimation values. We’re going to start from the cheapest up to the most expensive. So, here goes:

Number 10 – Bal Au Moulin De La Galette, Montmartre

Painted by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, it was sold to Ryoei Saito for $78.1 million dollars during the 1990s. This painting was then sold to an undisclosed private collector. It describes a particular area of Montmartre and features faces that apparently were important to the artist. Estelle, the sister of one of Renoir’s models, is presumed to be the girl wearing a striped dress, while the dancing couple would be represented by Margot, one of Renoir’s models, and Cardensa, Cuban artist.

Number 9 – False Start

This particular piece was bought by Kenneth Griffin for a staggering $80 million. Painted by Jasper Johns, it was originally sold anonymously, the name of the buyer being made public after some time the painting spent at Matthew Marks Gallery. The artist belongs to a contemporary current, the painting being finished in 1959, and is currently considered a major influence on the nascent pop art movement. The interesting feature of this piece is the fact that colors are used as words, being painted in different colors than what they actually mean, this attitude being called by some to be “utilitarian”. So, the word “red” is painted in orange, white in red, orange in white and so on.

Number 8 – Portrait of Dr. Gachet

The art-work was painted by Vincent Van Gogh, one of the most renowned of all times. It was purchased by a Japanese businessman, Ryoei Saito, for the sum of $82.5 million in 1990. He placed the piece in a climate-controlled vault after purchase. Three years after buying it, the Saito was charged with bribery and received a three-year sentence. By that time, he was almost bankrupt. In an excess of selfishness, he said that the painted was to be cremated and buried with him, statement that was later infirmed as to be a joke. The businessman died in 1996, the current location of the painting being unknown.

Number 7 – Triptych 1976

The famous Roman Abramovich bought this piece for $86.3 million, on the advice of Daria Zhukova, his girlfriend. Painted by Francis Bacon, the artwork wreaks of macabre. It’s one of the pieces he painted after his lover committed suicide. With influences from Greek mythology, mainly the story of Prometheus, it can also be considered an interpretation of The Orestia, Aeschylus’ trilogy. The painting was displayed in Russia in 2010, in Moscow, at the CCC Gallery.

Number 6 – Adele Bloch-Bauer II

Gustav Klimt finished it in 1912, the work being considered a fine proof of the Symbolist Movement. The girl the painting was named after was the only model that the artist painted more than twice. Sold for $87.9 million to an undisclosed buyer, the painting was commissioned by Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer, Adele’s wealthy husband and then donated to the Austrian State Gallery within the 1920s. It was later seized by the Nazis during the Second World War. The descendants of the Bloch-Bauer family had been returned five of Klimt’s paintings after long lawsuits. They have auctioned them all, and now this painting’s whereabouts are unknown.

Number 5 – Dora Maar Au Chat

It’s finally time for a Picasso. Pablo Picasso is the author of the weird piece and represents one of his favorite muses, being involved with her in a passionate relationship between the 1930s and 40s. Bought buy an unknown customer for $95.2 million, this incredible piece of art was finished in 1941, in the middle of the Nazi occupation of France. Dora Maar used to be a native Parisian, but grew up in Argentina. That’s how she could easily get along with Picasso, both speaking Spanish. As a proof of the reverence for his lover, he took extreme care while realizing it, with immense attention to detail. The artwork went to private display at auction in 2006 after being privately held during the early 21^st century.

Number 4 – Garcon A La Pipe

The second Picasso-signed painting in our top 10 was bought by another undisclosed customer for $104.1 million. It owns the record for the most expensive painting ever sold at an auction. Finished when Picasso was only 24 years old, in 1905, during the artist’s “Rose” period, the painting emanates an androgynous quality, contrasting between the pipe and the flowers. Even though many art critics say that the price was way too much for its actual value, it finally got sold, in spite of their opinion.

Number 3 – Adele Bloch-Bauer I

We’re now penetrating the top 3 with another Gustav Klimt piece, sold for a mind-boggling $135 million to Ronald Lauder, cosmetics magnate. The reason for which he bought it was the desire to collect Jewish-owned artworks rescued from the Nazis, displaying them in his Neue Galerie in New York, where it currently resides. The painting consists of gold, oil and silver on canvas and was the most expensive painting ever sold for a short time.

Number 2 – Woman III

The work of Willem de Kooning joined Steven A. Cohen’s collection of artwork at a cost of $137.5 million. It’s the only de Kooning painting owned privately, bought from David Geffen in November 2006. The artist numbered his whole series of “Woman” paintings, 6 in number – a superb example of abstract expressionism, finished in 1953. He was declared the leader of the movement at that time, but passed away in 1997 after a long Alzheimer’s Disease-dominated period.

Number 1 – No. 5, 1948

The winner.. the most expensive painting ever to be sold is Jackson Pollock’s No. 5, 1948, based on his famous “drip” style. Bought by David Martinez for a whopping $140 million, it’s the piece that proves contemporary-style is currently the most wanted within the high-class society. Although the owner is unconfirmed, just as the sum, they haven’t been disproven by anyone or anything. It was brokered by Tobias Meyer, Sotheby’s auctioneer, as a private sale. The seller was David Geffen, renowned for his private collection of artworks.

7 Luxury Christmas Gifts for Him and Her

Gifts for Her

The most anticipated movie of the year has finally been released and is already smashing box office records; The Twilight Saga, Breaking Dawn, loved by millions worldwide, is a fashionista’s fantasy world. Every woman will want to get their hands on a pair of Manolo Blanik’s gorgeous swan embellished satin pumps, worn by Kristen Stewart, as Bella on her wedding day. These sparkly creations will set you back a cool $1295.00. They come in white, black and hot pink. Buy a woman a pair of these and she’ll forget Edward, and be yours forever!

Forget buying a bouquet of flowers, why not send your lovely lady on an International Flower Show Tourinstead. In fact, she could take 9 of her friends too, for the ultimate ladies holiday.

Organised by the exclusive private jet-chartering company, Jetway private air, the journey begins on May 12, 2012. For a mere $450.000, the group will spend their days, accompanied by a JetWay representative as the group’s guide, concierge, and wine aficionado.

The tour starts in Merges, Switzerland, at The Tulip Festival, then on to Athens, Greece, home of the Kifissia Flower Show. Next stop: Avignon, France, where the Altera Rosa Festival awaits. Finally, on to London, to visit England’s renowned Chelsea Flower Show. This exclusive package includes two nights and three days at each destination, gourmet in-flight meals, private ground transportation, and flower show tickets.

Treat a special lady and her best friend, to a Champagne weekend in France, Sex in the city style. For £1110.00, they will experience three days in La Champagne in France, home to the world’s most celebrated wines. Staying for two nights in a three-star hotel with champagne buffet breakfast, with tours and tastings at some of the great champagne houses and lunch in a champagne house. What more could a lady want?

Gifts for Him

Rent an Elite Supercar for 4 days for £2838.00 and treat a guy to the ultimate driving experience. Let him choose between a Ferrari 430 Spider, a Bentley GTC Continental or a Lamborghini Gallardo Roadster. He can enjoy 4 days of motoring bliss, although picking between these three breathtaking cars taking will be tough, there is no doubt the hardest part will be handing the keys back to then drive home in his old but reliable Vauxhall vectra.

Most men would love to try some of the super slick moves from the movie ‘Top Gun’ and I’m not talking about the moves on the ladies, I’m talking about the cool moves in the F-14A Tomcat. Treat any guy to a day ofaerobatic stunt flying and he’ll be sure to buy you those Manolo Blanik, swan embellished shoes from the new Breaking Dawn movie.

For only £500.00, the man of your choice will receive the ultimate adrenalin rush. The experience begins with an intensive flight and safety briefing from an ex-military instructor, before they get kitted out in a Top Gun-style flight suit and a parachute. Followed by a 40 minute flight with the instructor in an Extra 300, one of the premier aerobatic planes in the world. Accompanied by another Extra 300, they will experience an airborne tactic demonstration and formation manoeuvres. Back on the ground, they will get a full debrief and be presented with a certificate.

Neiman Marcus-Edition Hacker-Craft – or in plain English, a swanky speedboat. Hand crafted in the USA, this 27-foot, solid mahogany wonder will cost you a pretty penny, at $250,000. It has a  Mercury Marine 8.2 High Output 425-horsepower engine-CE, also compliant for use in Europe. A custom-designed bow burgee, underwater lighting and a gold-leafed waterline. You can name the boat whatever you like and it will be featured in 23-karat gold leafing.

The ultra-fancy, customized interior includes cream-colored seating with purple piping, a monogrammed humidor, GPS, topnotch refrigerator and premium stereo sound system. There’s even embroidered button-down shirts for the captain and crew. For every speedboat sold, Neiman Marcus will make a $3,000 donation to the Double H Ranch, a program that provides year-round support for families with children affected by life-threatening illnesses.

Every man needs a pool table, so why not treat him to the ultimate digital pool table by Obscura Digital. It comes with a cool price tag of $200,000 and transforms any pool table into a digitally-enhanced video experience. High-definition imagery responds in real-time to every shot. It has user selectable themes, yielding infinite possibilities. As seen in the Paradise Tower Penthouse, Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas!

The Top 10 Most Expensive Classic Cars

Oldies but Goldies. Classic cars are like wine, they get better and more valuable with age and high-end collectors from all over the world struggle to get their hands on a great collectors car battling with their bank accounts and other collectors interested in a rare opportunity to buy an amazing classic car.

History is the reason why serious collectors get excited enough about a classic car to pay huge amounts for it. Rarity and provenance are the most important factors when it comes to the value of a car, a car’s chain of ownership or its achievements in the hands of those who drove it will take a car’s price to the roof.

Today we’re going to share with you the top 10 most expensive classic cars of all time, cars with an amazing history and looks that are worth every single penny.

10 – 1956 Ferrari 860 Monza -> $2.5 million

During the ‘50s, car racing was dominated by three big names – Maserati, Aston Martin and Jaguar. Ferrari needed to get back between them, and they did it using this 4-cylinder beast, the most powerful 4-cyl engine ever produced by Ferrari. Its driver was the reputable Juan Manuel Fangio, at Sebring, winning the race. Given the fact that three cars model 0604M were ever produced, this particular one was auctioned in August 2003.

9 – 1933 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Monza Spider Corsa -> $2.53 million

One of the greatest models ever produced, the 8C 2300 was even being driven by the drivers from competing factories. The Italian manufacturers were extremely proud of their creation, which came out extraordinary both on the outside and inside, even the engine being worked out for power and beauty.

A powerful model by the standards back then, it was powered by a 2.6-liter motor. Driven by Captain George Eyston, it placed third at the French Grand Prix in 1933, belonging to no team. The successes of the model didn’t end there. It has also won the Long Island race, at Bridgehampton, in 1949. The car was last sold by Terry Cohn in March 2002, for the upper-mentioned sum.

8 – 1937 Mercedes-Benz 540K Special Roadster -> $3.63 million

In a time when controlling a car was a challenge, Mercedes were succeeding in more than great control; they could also add a lot of power to their cars. This Mercedes Benz 540K Special Roadster was bought by Jack Warner after the Berlin Motor Show in 1937 and brought to America. Only 26 models were ever produced, and from these, only 6 featured the original spare tire. This is one of the 6. The convertible was bought by a veterinarian in 1949, while in 1984 it featured only 11,000 miles onboard. Its latest price was established in January 2002.

7 – 1937 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900 -> $4.07 million

Triumphant in 1935, this 2.9-liter 8-cylinder engine was a result of the collaboration between Enzo Ferrari and Vittorio Jano. It got placed third in the Pontedecimo-Giovi climb in 1938, drove by Piero Dusio, and just a little bit later it won the Stalvio. After a long history which included California in 1989, the 412012 model got completely restored in 1992 and was auctioned in Monterey, at Christie’s.

6 – 1964 Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe -> $4.4 million

This is a car that needed some time to show its true potential. It was built in 1963 on a Cobra Roadster that has been given better aerodynamics and a new Ford V8 289 ci engine. It first got into the world of racing at Daytona, but eventually, three weeks later, it won at Sebring, ending the Ferrari 250 domination in the United States Road Racing Championship.

Designed and built by Carol Shelby, in 6 units, they have helped American Racing to achieve the 1965 brand title. The Cobras were then retired, and Ford hired Shelby to race GT40s. Phil Spector was one of the owners of the CXS2287 Cobra, while also going through a long list of ownership disputes. Finally, Dr. Frederick Simeone bought it in 2001.

5 – 1932 Alfa Romeo Tipo B -> $5.6 million

Made on the principle of more torque at low revs, the formerly known as Monoposto or P3 Alfa Romeo Tipo B was crafted for the 1932 Grand Prix. It was the only car with one seat on the tour, powered by a 2.6-liter 8-cylinder motor. Alfa won 5 important races during that year, and, after building another 5 cars of the same model, Ferrari took over the racing part. This car was recently purchased for the upper-mentioned amount.

4 – 1962 Ferrari 330 TRI/LM -> $6.5 million

The Testarossa series dominated the 1950s racing with their front-engine masterpieces. In addition, the Le Mans officials limited the racing cars engines to 4 cylinders. Therefore, this 330 TRI/LM Ferrari became the most powerful and last of the Testarossas.

They’ve won the 1962 Les Mans with the 0808 model, afterwards being sold by Ferrari. Furthermore, it was damaged during a race and acquired by Hisashi Okada, restoring it and driving it through New York for around 10 years. The car resurfaced in 2002, after a 100% restoration and stood in a French collection, and then auctioned.

3 – 1931 Type 41 Bugatti Royale -> $8.7 million

Weighing at around an incredible 3.5 tons and measuring almost 14 feet, this car was purely meant for the rich. Bugatti weren’t thinking of power and speed at that time, only on using the finest materials, like woods, rare leathers and precious metals to give their cars a stunning appeal, and price.

With 6 models ever built, the car used to cost even up to 100 times the cost of common vehicles in 1931, an incredible $42,000. This specific model was sold out at an auction at Christie’s in London, in 1981.

2 – 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO -> $16.6 million

The fittest word that can be attributed to this car is “sexy”. With a beautiful shape and great performance, the 250 GTO was the perfect combination between pleasure to drive, and pleasure to look nice. Winning a lot of races for Ferrari, the 300HP engine needs constant refurbishing, simply because reliability wasn’t the name of the game for it.

With poor endowments, the car was produced in 40 exemplaries, making it the one of the rarest Ferrari models on the market. This particular model was purchased by a Japanese in 1990 from a small British company.

1 – 1954 Mercedes W 196 -> $24 million

This car used to dominate the racing championships back in 1954 and 1955. It was first introduced to public at the 1954 Grand Prix at Reims. The main feature of this model was its innovative valve system that didn’t use springs.

Before being exposed in a museum in 1980s, the car used to be driven by Stirling Moss and Juan Manuel Fangio. The renovation of the respective museum was paid from the money they acquired from selling the car in 1990 to a French industrialist. For less than $10 million it was lately sold to a German businessman. Now, the value of the car rises up to $24,000,000.