Bill Gates Fought a 13-Year Battle With the U.S. Government and Ended Up Changing the Law to Drive His Porsche 959

Written by Romário Pereira de Carvalho

Published on 27/10/2025 at 21:20

Updated on 27/10/2025 at 21:21

Imagem: Reprodução

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The Bill Gates Porsche 959 Was Held In The United States For 13 Years For Not Meeting Local Standards, Until It Inspired The Creation Of The “Show Or Display” Law, Signed By Bill Clinton In 1999

Multibillionaire and co-founder of Microsoft, Bill Gates has always been able to buy any car he wanted. However, the businessman faced a 13-year bureaucratic battle with the United States government to legally drive the Porsche 959 in his collection.

The case became a milestone because it ultimately motivated the creation of a new federal law aimed at automobile collectors.

The supercar was purchased in the late 1980s and, soon after arriving in the United States, was held at customs.

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW

The Stalemate With Legislation

At the time, the 959 was one of the most advanced vehicles in the world. Equipped with all-wheel drive and a 2.8 twin-turbo engine producing 450 horsepower, the model was produced in only 337 units.

However, Porsche refused to provide four units to the NHTSA, the American agency responsible for mandatory crash tests.

Without this certification and failing to meet EPA standards, the car was deemed illegal to drive on U.S. roads.

As soon as Gates attempted to import it, the vehicle was seized and sent to a storage facility in Seattle. The same happened with the unit owned by Paul Allen, his partner at Microsoft.

An Expensive And Prolonged Limbo

For 13 years, the cars remained parked, accumulating storage fees. To prevent them from being destroyed or returned, Gates paid about US$ 130,000 in fees, more than half the car’s value, which was US$ 225,000 when new.

Dissatisfied with the situation, Gates, Allen, and other famous collectors, such as Bruce Canepa and Jerry Seinfeld, launched a campaign in Washington to change the law.

The Victory Of Bill Gates And The Collectors

The effort paid off. In 1999, then-President Bill Clinton signed the “Show Or Display” law, allowing the importation of vehicles with historical or technological relevance, provided they drive no more than 2,500 miles per year (about 4,000 km).

As a result, Gates finally managed to release the Porsche 959 in 2001. Today, the model is a symbol of 1980s supercars and fetches prices exceeding US$ 1.5 million at auctions.

With information from Autopapo.

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Bill Gates Fought a 13-Year Battle With the U.S. Government and Ended Up Changing the Law to Drive His Porsche 959

The Bill Gates Porsche 959 Was Held In The United States For 13 Years For Not Meeting Local Standards, Until It Inspired The Creation Of The “Show Or Display” Law, Signed By Bill Clinton In 1999

The Stalemate With Legislation

An Expensive And Prolonged Limbo

The Victory Of Bill Gates And The Collectors

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Bill Gates Fought a 13-Year Battle With the U.S. Government and Ended Up Changing the Law to Drive His Porsche 959

The Bill Gates Porsche 959 Was Held In The United States For 13 Years For Not Meeting Local Standards, Until It Inspired The Creation Of The “Show Or Display” Law, Signed By Bill Clinton In 1999

The Stalemate With Legislation

An Expensive And Prolonged Limbo

The Victory Of Bill Gates And The Collectors

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He transformed an abandoned plastic water tank into an underground house in the “hobbit hole” style, using only repurposed pallet wood, without heavy machinery or expensive labor.

China transforms desert-devastated area into the world’s largest artificial forest, planting trees for 60 years, blocking sand that reached Beijing, and creating a “green lung” of 92,000 hectares in a region once considered lost.

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