Illinois founder mortgaged it all for floor mats and later wrote an $80,000,000 check for a Ferrari
Published on Dec 03, 2025 at 3:08 PM (UTC+4)
by Molly Davidson
Last updated on Dec 03, 2025 at 3:43 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Emma Matthews
David MacNeil didn’t set out to change the world, he just rented a car in Scotland and got weirdly obsessed with its floor mats.
Back home in Illinois, he realized American mats were basically sad rubber pancakes.
Most people would’ve just complained and moved on.
But MacNeil took out huge loans and bet his entire life on fixing the problem.
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Why David MacNeil mortgaged it all for floor mats
It all started in the late ’80s when MacNeil yanked up one of those thick, high-lipped mats from his rental and thought, ‘Hang on… this is actually good.’
So he tracked down the British company that made them, ordered an entire shipping container’s worth, and mortgaged his house – twice – to pay for it.
He ran the whole operation out of his garage, answering customer calls at 3am and hauling boxes himself.
And the business kept growing… fast.
His first year brought in about $40,000, then around $160,000 the next year, and roughly $400,000 the year after that.
Suddenly, this idea was turning into something real.
So he leveled up.
Instead of importing, he invested in his own equipment and started building everything in the US.
That decision turned his little mat hustle into WeatherTech – what is now a massive operation with 11 factories and about 1,800 employees.
Today, WeatherTech’s floor mats are sold in 79 countries, which is wild considering this all started because one guy didn’t like dirt on the carpet.
His $80,000,000 Ferrari reward
Once WeatherTech exploded, MacNeil didn’t exactly stick to quiet hobbies.
He picked up an 89-foot Feadship yacht and then started flying his own Gulfstream G500.
And that energy then led him straight to a Ferrari 250 GTO – one of the rarest cars on the planet.
He bought his for around $80 million.
Only 39 exist, and this one has serious history – it raced at Le Mans, Germany’s Nürburgring, the Tour de France, and basically all the places car fanatics lose their minds over.
Think of it as the Beyoncé of classic Ferraris.
From noticing a rubber mat in a rental car to parking an $80 million icon in his garage, MacNeil’s story proves that the smallest idea can flip your whole life.
Or at least put you behind the wheel of a legendary Italian supercar.
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Molly Davidson is a Junior Content Writer at Supercar Blondie. Based in Melbourne, she holds a double Bachelor’s degree in Arts/Law from Swinburne University and a Master’s of Writing and Publishing from RMIT. Molly has contributed to a range of magazines and journals, developing a strong interest in lifestyle and car news content. When she’s not writing, she’s spending quality time with her rescue English staffy, Boof.
