Man with staggering $20 billion net worth put a car order in so big that Mercedes had to shut down its factory

A man with a staggering $20 billion net worth once placed a car order so enormous that it reportedly forced Mercedes to temporarily shut down part of one of its factories.

The extraordinary request came from Abu Dhabi royal Sheikh Hamad bin Hamdan Al Nahyan, better known as the Rainbow Sheikh.

Instead of buying a single luxury car, he commissioned an entire fleet of custom-built Mercedes-Benz S-Class sedans.

The colorful collection remains one of the most famous bespoke car orders ever created.

The Rainbow Sheikh shut down a Mercedes factory

The Rainbow Sheikh has built a reputation as one of the world’s most eccentric car collectors, with thousands of vehicles spread across several museums in the UAE.

But one of the most legendary stories from his collection dates back to the early 1990s, when he ordered a fleet of Mercedes-Benz W126 S-Class models unlike anything the automaker had produced before.

Rather than requesting multiple cars in the same specification, the Sheikh wanted seven separate S-Class sedans, each finished in a different color of the rainbow.

Every detail matched the exterior paintwork, including the carpets, seats, dashboard, steering wheel, and even the air conditioning vents.

He also requested an eighth car painted in every color of the rainbow at once, completing the unique collection that would later earn him the nickname ‘Rainbow Sheikh’.

According to longstanding reports, the order was so large and so time-sensitive that Mercedes temporarily halted production in part of one of its factories so workers could focus on completing the bespoke fleet.

Today, the entire collection is displayed inside the Emirates National Auto Museum, where visitors can still see the rainbow-colored Mercedes lineup exactly as it was commissioned decades ago.

His $20 billion net worth has bought some beauties

The rainbow Mercedes cars are only a small part of the Sheikh’s remarkable collection.

He also owns the world’s largest drivable Hummer H1, a gigantic creation complete with two floors of living space and its own kitchen.

Other highlights include the enormous Dodge Power Wagon, oversized custom trucks, rare American classics, and even one of the earliest automobiles ever built.

His collection is estimated to contain thousands of vehicles worth around $160 million, making it one of the largest and most unusual private automotive collections anywhere in the world.

While most wealthy collectors chase limited-edition Ferraris or Lamborghinis, the Rainbow Sheikh has always preferred something much more unusual.

And few purchases demonstrate that better than the legendary Mercedes order that was reportedly so ambitious it brought part of the German automaker’s production line to a standstill.