How lottery winner tore through record-breaking $50 million win including outrageous cars

  • A Scottish man won a record-breaking $257.6m EuroMillions jackpot in 2011
  • He burnt through $50m in the eight years before his death
  • He spent a massive $131,900 per week

Published on Jan 10, 2024 at 9:43 PM (UTC+4)
by Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones

Last updated on Jan 11, 2024 at 8:52 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones

What would you do if you won the lottery? Scottish lottery winner, Colin Weir, blew $50 million of his record-breaking winnings in the eight years before his death.

He bagged a record-breaking $257.6 million EuroMillions jackpot in 2011, according to The Independent.

That makes him officially one of the UK’s biggest lottery winners – and the second-biggest EuroMillions winner ever at the time he won.

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He invested in a soccer team, race horses, and extravagant cars – but soon after his luck ran out.

Hailing from North Ayrshire in Scotland, it’s said that Weir blew through a massive $131,900 per week.

As well as the big-ticket items, it also went on luxury items and investments.

The former cameraman was married to former psychiatric nurse, Chris.

The pair lived out their dream of buying a 55 percent share in Glasgow’s Partick Thistle Football Club – but his dream was, sadly, short lived.

His final years were lived out in style, with Weir investing in a stunning car collection – something most lottery winners do.

It included a vintage Bentley Arnage, Jaguar F-Pace SUV, and a Mercedes-Benz E Class Estate.

He added to his property portfolio with a $6 million home he spent millions more to renovate.

Weir bought three prized racing thoroughbreds, including geldings, Knighted and Felony, and an Irish mare named ‘If You Say Run’.

He also established a charitable trust.

The charity was called the Weir Charitable Trust and fell foul of a scam in 2015.

Hoax emails were sent offering cash.

Police Scotland were made aware of the scam and warned people to steer clear of suspicious emails.

It was reportedly the third time the Weirs had been targeted by fraudsters since their lottery win in 2011.

However, the rumored lottery curse really reared its head in 2018.

He divorced his wife of almost four decades – and she took her slice of his winnings, which is something that has happened to other lottery winners.

His wealth passed down to his two children following his death from sepsis and an acute kidney injury at age 72 in 2019.

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All Supercar Blondie contributors undergo editorial review and fact-checking to ensure accuracy and authority in automotive journalism. After gaining her BA Hons in French and English at the University of Nottingham, Amelia embarked on a vocational diploma from the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ). This led to numerous opportunities, from interning at Vogue to being on the small team that launched Women’s Health magazine in the UK, which was named the PPA Consumer magazine of the year for three years running. As Health, Beauty and Fitness editor, Amelia personally received a Johnson & Johnson Award and was shortlisted for both PPA and BSME titles. Since then, Amelia has created content for numerous titles and brands, including the Telegraph, 111 Skin, Waitrose, Red magazine, Stylist, and Elle, as well as being Head of Content at Vitality and Editor in Chief at INLondon magazine. “My superpower is translating technical jargon about the mechanical workings of a supercar into a relatable story you’ll want to share with your friends after you’ve read it.” After joining the SB Media family as a senior journalist in September of 2023, Amelia’s role has evolved to see her heading up the SEO output of the editorial team. From researching the most ‘Google-able’ key terms to producing evergreen content - it’s been a time of hard work, growth, and success for the editorial team and the Supercar Blondie website. “I like to think of myself as a ‘method journalist’. In other words: I live and breathe whatever I am writing about. When writing about fitness, I trained as a personal trainer, and as a beauty editor, I completed an ‘expert’ in scent diploma with the Fragrance Foundation. “During my tenure at Supercar Blondie, however, I did something I never thought possible: I passed my driving test at the age of 36. One day I’d love to train as a mechanic to better understand what happens under the hood, too. “My sweet spot is providing readers with a ‘takeaway’ (read: something new they didn’t know before) after reading every one of my stories. While I don’t claim to be an expert in the automotive world, I know the experts and bodies in the field to rely on to provide our readers with an informative and thought-provoking story every time they visit the site.”