Bill Gates ended up paying $132,000 in penalties to keep a Porsche 959 that wasn't legal in the US

Bill Gates forked out more than $132,000 in penalties to keep his dream Porsche 959 in the United States.

The billionaire Microsoft founder has a reputation for being frugal when it comes to splashing the cash. 

However, back in 1988, he happily handed over $28 per day for more than a decade to keep his dream car on American soil. 

His persistence and cash literally paid off when he was finally able to drive the car.

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Why did Bill Gates Porsche 959 rack up so many penalities?

Although he reportedly drives a very modest Fiat 500e these days, there’s no denying that Bill Gates has expensive tastes when it comes to cars. 

Gates has got himself an enviable car collection, which is packed with several Porsches, including a 930, a 911, and a Taycan, as well as a Ferrari 348.

And back in 1988, he paid to have a Porsche 959 imported into the United States.

However, the 959 had never been crash-tested in America, and it didn’t conform to emission standards, meaning that the car was not legally allowed on US roads. 

So, when Gates’ new ride arrived at the Port of Seattle, it was swiftly impounded by US Customs and taken to a Foreign-Trade Zone warehouse.

Now, while many of us would cut our losses and have the car sent back to Europe, Gates agreed to pay a daily fine of $28 to keep hold of the 959. 

Alongside that, he also had to cough up for a $500 annual bond renewal fee. 

This went on for a staggering 13 years, with Gates handing over more than $132,000 in penalties. 

Ouch. 

But it all paid off in 2001, when a change to regulations meant that some cars, like the Porsche 959, could be imported into the US under special circumstances. 

This clause became known as the ‘Show or Display’ rule, which allowed for non-compliant cars to be imported under the condition that they wouldn’t exceed 2,500 road miles a year.

It wasn’t the only time a Porsche saw him hit with a fine

Not quite content with handing over upwards of $132,000 in penalties for his 959, Gates also admitted to being hit with three speeding tickets in a single day after getting behind the wheel of another Porsche from his collection. 

He took his 911 out for a 21-hour journey from New Mexico to Washington, where he had multiple run-ins with officers.

“It was driving from Albuquerque up to Seattle that I got three very serious speeding tickets,” he said.

“On that one trip. But, it’s a long trip!”

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