The secret cars of Brunei’s Royal Family

It's unknown exactly how many vehicles are hidden away in the Brunei Royal Family's automobile collection, but the best guesses place the number somewhere in the thousands. Many of the rarest, most powerful cars ever produced sit, stowed away in expansive garages, belonging to various members of the esteemed family. 

The Brunei Royal Family can be thanked for the vibrant range of high-end cars available today

In addition to some of the most historically lauded production cars of all time, many factory-produced specially-commissioned models that top automakers have constructed specifically for the Royal Family exist within the collection. During the 1990s, when many high-end automakers were facing financial difficulties or came close to bankruptcy, the Brunei Royal Family's commissions kept many of these brands afloat thanks to their contributions and expensive orders. 

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As a result, many aspects of these special-commission vehicles such as styling, tech, and performance characteristics found their way into later, publicly available production models. We'll take a deep dive into some of the most unique, factory-produced models made specifically for the Brunei Royal Family and analyze what lessons were learned by the manufacturers who created these stunning works of art.

The Ferrari Mythos inspired the F50's styling

During the 1989 Tokyo Motor Show, Ferrari unveiled a concept car named the Mythos that used the chassis and powertrain of a Testarossa. This meant the two-door supercar possessed the same 390 horsepower, naturally-aspirated 4.9L flat-twelve engine mated to a gated five-speed manual transmission and rear-wheel drive. 

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Although the Mythos was only ever intended as a concept vehicle, the Sultan of Brunei commissioned Ferrari to produce three examples for his collection: one painted in red, one painted black, and one painted an eccentric purple over a blue leather interior. Unlike the original concept version, which was a convertible, these were configured with fixed roofs and right-hand drive operation. 

A few years after the extremely limited production of the Mythos, Ferrari blessed the motoring world with the creation of the F50 – a 512 horsepower, F1-derived V12-powered successor to the biblical F40. Many of the styling elements from the Mythos were integrated into the F50's design, such as the prominent rear wing that flows naturally into the fenders, and the overall shape. Of course, both the Mythos and the F50 were penned by the same design team at Pininfarina. 

The Aston Martin AM4's styling was over a decade ahead of its time

Like many of the Brunei Royal Family's specially-commissioned vehicles, Pininfarina is also to thank for the elegant design of the Aston Martin AM4. Styling elements of the AM4, which was developed for 1995, such as the twin power domes on the bonnet and unique headlights, found their way into the design of the 2008 Aston Martin DBS over a decade later. Even though the thirteen-year-old AM4 inspired the DBS's design, it was still stylish enough to be driven on screen by James Bond in Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace. 

Although its proportions are similar to those of the DB7, the Aston Martin AM4 used the underpinnings of the earlier Vantage V600. While not quite as agile as the DB7, this at least means that a twin-supercharged, quad-cam 5.3L V8 sits beneath the AM4's bonnet, producing a whopping 600 horsepower and 600 lb-ft of torque. Unfortunately, unlike the Vantage V600, none of the three AM4s built were equipped with manual transmissions. Regardless, it's a stunning example of a design that was vastly ahead of its time. 

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One of us: the Sultan of Brunei is wagon-obsessed

As wagons regain cultural popularity and German automakers finally bless North American shores with their ultra-powerful, super luxurious station wagons such as the Audi RS6 Avant and BMW M5 Touring, we can thank the Brunei Royal Family's obsession with massively powerful and opulent estates. The collection is littered with insane, factory-commissioned super wagons like the AMG Mercedes-Benz 600SEC Estate pictured above, painted in bright yellow over red leather, the national colors of Brunei.

Although the Sultan's M120 V12-powered 600SEC Estates are unicorns in their own right as they were never offered to public buyers, they aren't the only V12-powered wagons in the collection, nor the rarest. Pictured above is the Ferrari 456GT Venice Estate, a five-door station wagon variant of the 456, equipped with a 436 horsepower 5.5L V12, rear-wheel drive, and a four-speed automatic transmission

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Only seven 456GT Venice Estates were ever built by Ferrari, all of which were originally delivered to Brunei. Each had a unique paint color, being offered in red, yellow, silver, black, grey, Emerald Green, and Forest Green. Vehicles rarely escape the collection, but the silver and Emerald Green examples of the Venice Estate have made their way into public hands and the Emerald Green example now possesses a gated, manual transmission. 

Pictured above is the Forest Green example of the Ferrari 456GT Venice Estate. It is one of seven Venice Estates ever produced and is the only one ever painted in Forest Green – arguably the most beautiful of all the colors produced for this model. If I were Indiana Jones, the Forest Green Ferrari 456GT Venice Estate would be my Ark of the Covenant, or the Holy Grail (with a gated manual swap, of course). 

The Brunei Royal Family made Bentley what they are today

It's no secret that during the 1990s, many premium brand automakers were struggling to keep the lights on. Porsche, thanks to the profits made from their more affordable Boxster, narrowly avoided bankruptcy, but more upscale brands such as Aston Martin and Bentley couldn't bet on a downmarket product to bring in profits out of fear of diluting the brand image. Thankfully, the Sultan of Brunei's wallet saved the day, but until recently, many details of the royal commissions were nothing more than rumors, as many of the models were developed and tested in secret, often late into the night. 

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By funding research and development costs and ordering seemingly endless special-commission factory-produced models, brands like Aston Martin and Bentley lived through the 90s and continue to prosper today. While some special-commission Bentleys are certainly more quirky, the Bentley Dominator, pictured above, was a massive savior for Bentley as we know it. Until Volkswagen purchased Bentley in 1999, the funding from Brunei kept the brand financially occupied. 

The Bentley Dominator, constructed on the period Range Rover platform, marked a major departure for Bentley. Faced with impending bankruptcy, Bentley did the unthinkable and produced a super-luxury SUV for the Brunei Royal Family. A total of six Dominators were produced for the collection, each with a unique specification. It is unknown whether they use a turbocharged 6.75L Bentley V8 or the standard Range Rover power plant. 

In addition to providing a temporary solution to Bentley's financial troubles, the development of the Dominator set a precedent for the brand that would later prove to be the most successful marketing strategy the automaker ever employed. Introduced in 2015, the Bentley Bentayga drew from the insights gained from the Dominator. Instead of a Range Rover, Bentley used the VW MLB Evo platform that was readily available to them, paired with an array of powertrain options including a twin-turbocharged W12 and a turbodiesel V8. 

The Bentley Bentayga is, by a long shot, Bentley's best-selling model these days. In 2023, the model accounted for almost half of the brand's global sales. Not only did the Dominator save the brand in the mid-90s, but its legacy and the precedent it set for Bentley have allowed the brand to reach higher sales figures than ever before in history, allowing Bentley to consistently turn a healthy profit in the modern era. 

The Brunei Royal Family car collection is a microcosm of the high-end automotive industry

The Sultan of Brunei's car collection is more than just an obscene quantity of expensive vehicles tucked away in a series of garages. The collection embodies an undying passion for automotive engineering and design, filled with examples of vehicles that were developed and crafted out of sheer passion with unlimited budgets. 

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Thanks to the Brunei Royal Family's love for all things automotive, the human passion for incredible automobiles survived the dire financial straits of the 1990s, and now flourishes beyond what anyone had imagined at the time. Are there any special cars from the Brunei collection that you dream about at night? Which is your favorite of the cars shown above? Let us know in the comments – we love hearing from you!