Custom Search

World’s Most Expensive Tires

In 2009, a British transportation museum paid a pretty penny for tires, but are they the most expensive tires in the world?

1929 Leyland Lion bus tires
$800 each

The Lincolnshire Road Transport Museum’s premier exhibit, a 1929 Leyland Lion bus, required new tires to make it roadworthy for the museum’s 50th anniversary. In order to replace the old and significantly cracked tires, the museum was eventually forced to order specialty tiles from America.

The Leyland Lion is the only surviving example of its model, the other three having been scrapped after serving as transport during World War II. This particular bus was used as a snowplow until it became the museum’s first acquisition around 1954.

Michelin PAX tires for Bugatti Veyron – $9,065 each

It makes some sense that the world’s most expensive car would have proportionately expensive tires. The car uses specialized Michelin PAX run-flat tires, which can be used for a short time after the tire has been punctured.

Michelin tires for Caterpillar 797 – $42,500 each

Truly the most expensive tires in the world, the Michelin 59/80R63 XDR tires required for the Caterpillar 797 dump trucks are a massive 13 feet tall and weigh 11,680 lbs. They are the largest tires in the world. These tires require 47 nuts to be attached to the axle. Six of these enormous tires can hold up to 1,375,000 lbs of truck and load.

Similar Posts:

• World’s Most Expensive Classic Cars
• World’s Most Expensive Classic Motorcycle
• Most Expensive Car Insurance
• World’s Most Expensive Porsches
• Most Expensive Ferraris
• World’s Most Expensive SUVs

Custom Search

World’s Most Expensive Christmas Trees

Nothing says “Merry Christmas!” like a Christmas tree. Every few years, it seems, the world’s most expensive Christmas tree is outdecked, outjingled and outpriced by the most expensive Christmas tree in the world.

Soo Kee Jewellery Diamond Christmas Tree, 2007
US $1,005,000

Bugis Junction, a shopping mall in Singapore, may just have had the merriest Christmas in the world in 2007.

Soo Kee Jewellery produced the expensive tree, decking it with 21,798 diamonds (913 carats total), 3,762 crystal beads and 456 lights. The tree is nearly 20 feet tall and weighs in at over 7,000 pounds. Just remember that Christmas isn’t about how much money you can afford to spend decking the halls and giving gifts. That’s what they’ve been telling me, anyway.

Ginza Tanaka 24k gold Christmas Tree, 2008
US $1.6 million

This golden tree is adorned with 240 jewels—diamonds and strings of pearls included—and weighs in at 46 pounds total. That’s a far cry from Soo Kee Jewellery’s 7,000-pound, 20-foot Christmas tree. The gold tree was on display at the Ginza Tanaka jewelry shop in Shinsaibashi, Osaka throughout the 2008 holiday season.

Emirates Palace Christmas Tree, 2010
US $11.4 million

In 2010, the merriest Christmas goes to patrons of the Emirates Palace hotel in Abu Dhabi, as their extravagant tree has smashed the previous record. While decked with over $11 million in jewelry from Style Gallery, the tree itself is merely a 13-foot faux evergreen. The jewels include 181 diamonds, pearls, emeralds, sapphires and other precious stones. This is certainly a fitting decoration for one of the most expensive hotels in the world.

Similar Posts:

• Most Expensive Christmas Tree
• World’s Most Expensive Christmas Ornament
• Most Expensive Christmas Cocktail
• Most Expensive Christmas Gift Basket
• 2009 Most Expensive Christmas Gift List
• Most Expensive Gift Card

Custom Search

China’s Most Expensive Rail Line

Considering the controversy over high speed rail in the US, it is significant that China’s most expensive rail line has just become operational.

The line crosses 234 miles from Yichang City, Hubei, to Chongqing’s Wanzhou district. It took 50,000 workers to drill the 159 tunnels and build the 253 bridges necessary for the line to traverse a stretch of mountains, and the overall cost came in at a staggering $3.41 billion.

The benefits of this line include a shorter trip between Yichang and Chongqing—from 22 hours to a mere 5 hours—and the increased opportunities that a shorter trip will provide to residents along the line.

Is it worth the price? Only time will tell. Considering China’s efforts to upgrade from standard to high speed rail, who knows how much higher the final cost of this line will be?

Similar Posts:

• Most Expensive Objects Ever Built
• World’s Most Expensive Business Jets
• America’s Most Expensive Ferry Boat
• Most Expensive Public Transit in the US
• World’s Most Expensive Vases
• Most Expensive Club Membership

Custom Search

World’s Most Expensive Vases

Some of the earliest pottery has been discovered in China, dating back to 9000 BC, and ceramic goods from the region can be traced back to the dynasties under which they were created. In fact, the first porcelain is believed to have been created under the Han dynasty from 202 BC to 220 AD. As China’s history is rich with beautiful ceramic art, it’s no surprise that the most expensive vases in the world are Chinese.

Ming dynasty vase – over US $10 million

The Ming dynasty ruled China from 1368 to 1644. That era in Chinese history saw the creation of a startling amount of carved lacquerwares, glazed porcelain wares, embroidered silks and works of art in a variety of other materials. The Empire of the Great Ming also produced a great number of forgeries designed to part unsuspecting purchasers from their wealth. This was such a problem, in fact, that guides were printed to help detect such forgery. We can be sure, then, that this vase is quite authentic.

Hailing from the time of Hongwu, the founder of the Ming dynasty, the expensive vase was most recently purchased at auction by Steve Wynn. The Las Vegas casino owner and insatiable art collector is often criticized by the art community for paying high prices for second-rate pieces, but this purchase is certainly an exception. The 14th century vase is decorated in copper red scrolling flowers and is, well preserved as it is, quite rare.

Mr. Wynn purchased the expensive vase at the Christie’s Imperial Sale in Hong Kong for 78,520,000 Hong Kong dollars. Rather than keep it locked away in his private collection, however, he returned the vase to China by donating it to a Macau museum.

Qianlong vase – over US $80 million

The Qing dynasty succeeded the Ming dynasty and ruled China until 1911. The Qianlong Emperor became the fifth emperor of the Qing dynasty in 1736 and, during his time in power, imperial supervisor Tang Ying authored an illustrated memoir called “Twenty Illustrations of the Manufacture of Porcelain.”

This 18th-century porcelain vase was inherited by a mother and son who, if reports are to be believed, have gone into hiding due to the £12 million in taxes they will be expected to pay after the vase, only expected to sell for £1.2 million, reached an amazing £53 million at auction.

The buyer was a wealthy Chinese industrialist and collector of antiquities.

Similar Posts:

• Most Expensive Stool
• Most Expensive Piece of Furniture
• Most Expensive Chair
• World’s Most Expensive Stove
• Most Expensive Trash Can
• Most Expensive Pool Table

Custom Search

Most Expensive English Furniture

England’s long and storied history has produced one of the most widely spoken languages in the world, various masterful literary works and some equally masterful pieces of furniture.

The Harrington Commode—no, not that kind of commode; it’s a chest of drawers—broke a record for English furniture when it was sold at a Sotheby’s in London auction in late 2010. The chest is thought to have been crafted around 1770 by London cabinet maker Thomas Chippendale, whose Rococo and Neoclassical works informed the style of the period. The most expensive piece of English furniture is made of gilt-lacquered fustic, rosewood and tulipwood mounted with brass.

The chest sold for £3,793,250—just under US $6 million. That’s ove three times its estimate and £1 million more than the holder of the previous record, another of Chippendale’s works.

Similar Posts:

• Luxury Children’s Beds
• Most Expensive Chair
• Most Expensive Pool Table
• Luxury Cat Furniture
• Luxury Dog Furniture
• Most Expensive Piece of Furniture

Custom Search

World’s Most Expensive Diamonds

Carat for carat, rubies and emeralds generally outprice the common diamond. Certain rare specimens of diamond, however, will eclipse even the priciest examples of those other gemstones. While some priceless gems exist, such as the world famous Hope Diamond, these are the most expensive diamonds ever sold.

The Wittelsbach-Graff Diamond – $23.4 million

The Wittelsbach-Graff diamond is a 35.56-carat blue diamond mined in India. The historic diamond was chosen by King Philip IV of Spain as part of the dowry for his daughter, the Infanta Margarita Teresa. Her suitor, Leopold I, later became Holy Roman Emperor and passed the diamond on to his heirs after she died in 1673. When the Archduchess of Austria married Bavaria’s Crown Prince in 1722, the diamond became known as “Der Blaue Wittelsbacher” (The Blue Wittelsbach) after the Crown Prince’s family. This diamond became the most expensive diamond in the world after being sold to London-based jeweler Laurence Graff in 2008. Graff immediately had the gem altered in order to enhance its color and remove some damage to its girdle, an action decried by some gemstone experts.

The Graff Pink – $46 million

Before this 24.78-carat “fancy intense pink” diamond was sold in 2010 to Mr. Graff at a Sotheby’s in London auction, it had last been sold by renowned jeweler Harry Winston. Pink diamonds are extremely valuable and only the rarest weigh more than 20 carats. It is unknown whether or not Graff plans to alter the Graff Pink. Sotheby’s made an additional $60 million on diamonds at the same auction.

Similar Posts:

• World’s Single Most Expensive Suit
• Most Expensive Chess Set
• Most Expensive Rug
• Most Expensive Diamond Necklaces
• Most Expensive Women’s Shoes
• World’s Most Expensive Bras

Custom Search

World’s Most Expensive Scotch Whiskies

Scotch whisky is produced and aged, as the name suggest, in Scotland. By law, Scotch must be made from malted grain, must be matured in oak casks for at least three years and must have an alcoholic strength of less than 94.8% by volume. The age statement on a bottle of Scotch is determined by the youngest stock used in its production. The most expensive scotch whiskies in the world were each produced in one of the regions traditionally considered part of the Highlands region.

The Macallan 1926 – $54,000

This whisky, bottled in 1986 and rebottled in 2002, was auctioned in 2007 at Christie’s in New York. The auction was the first liquor auction allowed in New York state since the prohibition in 1920, and the Macallan was only expected to sell for between $20,000 and $30,000. The Macallan was produced in Speyside, formerly considered part of the Highlands region.

Dalmore 62 – $58,000

This single Highland malt Scotch whisky from the Dalmore Distillery in Inverness, Scotland, was one of only twelve bottles produced in 1943 from four single malts dating from 1868, 1876, 1926 and 1939. Each was labeled with its own unique name, this one being called Matheson after the Dalmore Estate’s owner, Alexander Matheson. It was purchased for £32,000 at the Pennyhill Park Hotel in Surrey, where the anonymous buyer reportedly shared it with five of his friends. It has been speculated that the buyer and his friends are the only people to have actually enjoyed a bottle of the expensive vintage.

Dalmore 64 Trinitas – $160,100

Yet another product of the Dalmore Distillery, Trinitas is so named because only three bottles of this expensive whisky have been made. The whisky is a blend of rare stocks, including some that have been maturing at the distillery for more than 140 years. Two bottles were sold in Glasgow in 2010, one to a US-based collector and one to a UK-based investor. It is the first Scotch to sell for six figures.

The Macallan 64 Year Old in Lalique – $460,000

A bottle of 64-year-old Macallan, the oldest whisky ever bottled by the Macallan distillery, became the most expensive whisky in the world when it sold at a charity auction in November, 2010. The catch, however, is that the auction also included a one-of-a-kind crystal decanter.

The decanter was created by Lalique using lost-wax casting, called “cire perdue” in French. The decanter was created to celebrate the anniversary of master glassmaker René Lalique’s birth. It is based on a decanter from the 1920s, when The Macallan distillery was founded. The crystal decanter and its expensive cargo have toured twelve cities to raise awareness for charity: water, including Paris, London, Hong Kong and its final stop at Sotheby’s in New York.

The entirety of the sale price of this expensive whisky was donated to charity: water. In addition, US $145,000 were raised for charity: water during the Macallan’s “tour du monde“.

Charity: water is a non-profit organization that distributes water to developing countries.

Similar Posts:

• Most Expensive Whisky on the Market
• Most Expensive Whiskies (and Whiskeys)
• Most Expensive Bourbon Whiskey
• Most Expensive Wines in the World
• World’s Most Expensive Beers
• Most Expensive Tequila

Custom Search

World’s Most Expensive Beers

Beer is one of the oldest drinks known to man—and one of this writer’s favorites. While many people enjoy drinking light and less expensive beer, there are still some beer connoisseurs out there. If you don’t believe it, then check out the proof–the world’s most expensive beers.

Tutankhamun Ale – $52 per bottle

This expensive beer has a peculiar history. It’s brewed in a Cambridge laboratory from a recipe discovered in the Queen Nefertiti’s Temple of the Sun in Egypt. The beer is named after the queen’s stepson, more commonly known as King Tut. The temple, which housed a brewery, is believed to have been built by King Akenhaten, Tut’s predecessor and likely father. This beer is also limited and may be purchased for $52 per bottle.

Samuel Adams Utopias – $100 per bottle

Vintage No. 1 may be four times as expensive as Samuel Adams/Boston Beer Company’s Utopias, the former most expensive beer, but Utopias still holds a Guinness World Record for being the strongest beer at 50 proof.

Utopias was brewed with a blend of high-quality hops and sold in an ornate copper-plated brew kettle and offers a flavor unlike any other expensive beer or beverage in the world. The sweet flavor is richly highlighted with hints of vanilla, oak and caramel. The expensive beer is non-carbonated and should be served at room temperature.

Production of Utopias was limited to 8,000 bottles.

Carlsberg Vintage 3 – $348 per bottle

The Carlsberg Group, a brewing company founded in 1847 and named after founder J. C. Jacobsen’s son Carl, is best known for their light-bodied lager, Carlsberg Pilsner (also known as Carlsberg Beer or Carlsberg Hof). In 2008, however, Carlsberg introduced another beer guaranteed to be linked to the Carlsberg name in the public consciousness, Vintage 1.

Vintage 3 is the third in the trilogy of beers created from 2008 to 2010. At the time of its launch, the “pale barley wine” was the only available beer to have been aged in French Côte d’Or oak barrels in the Carlsberg founder’s original cellar. Only 1,000 bottles of this exclusive beer were hand tapped and labeled with art by Kaspar Bonnén and two artists selected from the Radiant Copenhagen project.

The price of Vintage 1, 2,008 Danish kroner, reflected the year it was introduced. The brewer introduced Vintage 2 in 2009 and Vintage 3 in 2010, priced at 2,009 and 2,010 kroner respectively.

Brewdog’s “The End of History” – $765 per bottle

Well, PETA is going to have a field day with this one. Scottish brewery BrewDog has produced a beer served in bottles as shocking as the beer’s extremely high alcoholic content.

Only eleven bottles of this expensive beer, named after a book by philosopher Francis Fukuyama, were produced. The blond Belgian ale, infused with nettles from the Scottish Highlands and fresh juniper berries, is 55 percent alcohol and will be BrewDog’s final high ABV beer.

The bottles, however, are the beer’s most striking aspect–each one is encased in a squirrel or weasel stuffed by a gifted taxidermist. The four grey squirrels and seven weasels selected were all roadkill, however, so their immortalization as beer bottles may actually be considered more respectful than ignominious roadside decomposition.

Antarctic Nail Ale – $800

If your conscience rails at the thought of drinking beer clothed in roadkill, perhaps you’ll find this entry on our list of the world’s most expensive beers more to your taste. Australia’s Nail Brewing Company has been brewing craft beer for nearly a decade, and their limited edition Antarctic Nail Ale sold at auction for a record-breaking price. Best of all, that money is going straight to charity.

This expensive beer was brewed with actual Antarctic ice. Only thirty bottles were produced, and the number one bottle was sold by the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society at an auction in Fremantle, Western Australia.

Sea Shepherd opposes whaling in the Antarctic sanctuary. They are also selling bottles numbered two through ten to support their cause. The number one bottle was purchased by the Elliot Syndicate.

Similar Posts:

• Most Expensive Six-Pack of Beer
• Most Expensive Wines in the World
• World’s Most Expensive Gin
• Most Expensive Sake
• World’s Most Expensive Scotch Whiskies
• World’s Most Expensive Sparkling Liqueur

Custom Search

World’s Most Expensive Yachts

The Jacht was originally a lightweight Dutch naval vessel used to pursue pirates in shallow waters. When King Charles II chose to sail in one on his return to England in what would later be known as the English Restoration, the Jacht became a symbol of important and, eventually, wealth and luxury. Today, that tradition is still quite alive and nothing demonstrates that fact better than the most expensive yachts in the world.

Octopus – $200 million

Owned by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, Octopus is the world’s eighth largest yacht. The 414-foot yacht was first launched in 2003. The yacht has two helicopters, a submarine with room for ten men and seven boats. For those who’d like to see the ocean floor, the yacht even includes a remote controlled vehicle to do so.

Rising Sun – $200 million

Co-owned by Oracle’s Larry Ellison and media mogul David Geffen, Rising Sun is 453-feet and five stories of oceangoing luxury. It was built with one goal in mind—to exceed the size of Paul Allen’s Octopus, above. This pricey yacht has 8,000 feet of living space with onyx countertops and Jacuzzi bathrooms, a spa and sauna, a gym and even a private movie theatre with an enormous plasma screen.

Lady Moura – $210 million

This 344-foot mega-yacht is owned by billionaire Nasser Al-Rashid. It features a pool with retractable roof, a 75-foot dining table crafted by Viscount Linley and a helicopter. Lady Moura’s most remarkable feature, however, is the beach resort that slides out of one side of the boat. The mini resort features not only sand and deck chairs, but even includes palm trees for a truly authentic resort experience.

Dubai – $350 million

This costly yacht has gone by three names since its conception—Platinum 525, Golden Star and, most recently, Dubai. The Platinum 525 was commissioned by Prince Jefri Bolkiah of Brunei in 1996, but a lack of funds caused the project to be abandoned a scant couple of years later. In 2001, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, then Crown Prince and now ruler of Dubai, took over the project and renamed it the Golden Star. Dubai is as expansive as it is expensive. The 525-foot yacht features an owner’s suite, five VIP suites and a number of guest bedrooms. The bridge features the captain’s quarters, an office and a lounge. The foyer and atrium connects each deck while lighting them from above via skylight. The luxury yacht is powered by four diesel engines with over 9,000 horsepower altogether.

Streets of Monaco – $1.1 billion

The amazing Streets of Monaco yacht will not only rival Roman Abramovich’s Eclipse (below) in price, but also in sheer audacity. Rather than being the largest or most secure yacht in the world, Monaco will feature scaled-down reproductions of landmarks from its namesake city-state. This 500-foot yacht will feature a go-kart track on deck inspired by the Monaco Grand Prix, as well as reproductions of the Hotel de Paris, La Rascasse and the Loews Hotel. It’s being designed by Yacht Island Design of Derbyshire County in England and will accomodate 16 guests and 70 crewmembers. For the owner, a 4,800-square-foot suite with three floors is planned.

Eclipse – $1.2 billion

Russian billionaire and Chelsea football club owner Roman Abramovich’s super-yacht will be a 560-foot monster requiring a minimum of 70 crewmembers and featuring eleven guests. Abramovich and his guests will be protected by a security system that uses laser bursts to foil digital paparazzi photography when activated, anti-bugging and anti-intruder systems and a missile detection system. They’ll also enjoy a swimming pool that can be drained and used as a dance floor, an additional swimming pool and an aquarium. The yacht holds two helicopters, three boats and a submarine.

Similar Posts:

• World’s Most Expensive Houseboat
• Most Expensive Yacht Charter
• Most Expensive Item on eBay
• World’s Top Three Most Expensive Marinas
• Most Expensive Swimming Pool
• Most Expensive Cruise Ship

Custom Search

World’s Most Expensive Classic Motorcycle

Lawrence of Arabia atop a Brough Superior SS100

Sure new motorcycles utilize technology that comes from NASA or the Air Force or whatever, but some people will always prefer the historical value of a classic motorcycle. Take, for instance, the most expensive classic motorcycle in the world–the Brough Superior SS100.

Each of these bikes was custom built and designed by George Brough in Nottingham, England. The SS100 was the fastest motorcycle of its time. The bike’s engine was a 1,000 cc twin-cam KTOR JAP V twin. In 1927, the SS100 achieved a record speed of 130 mph. In 1928, Brough broke that record by .6 mph. It was, as advertised, the “Rolls Royce of Motorcycles.”

Lawrence of Arabia owned one of the first SS100 motorcycles and it was a crash on an SS100 motorcycle that took his life in 1935. That bike is now on display at the Imperial War Museum in London.

The most expensive classic motorcycle was sold at auction at The Haynes International Motor Museum in October, 2010. Its final price was an astonishing £286,000 (US $442,000).

Similar Posts:

• World’s Most Expensive Motorcycles
• World’s Most Expensive Classic Cars
• World’s Most Expensive Tires
• Most Expensive Table
• World’s Most Expensive Watches
• Most Expensive Monopoly Set

Custom Search

World’s Most Expensive Calendars

Considering phones, watches, MP3 players and desktop computers are all too happy to tell you today’s date, it seems as if traditional calendars lack a place in the modern world. If your calendar is one of the most expensive calendars in the world, well, the form may be more important to you than the function.

Ginza Tanaka 2011 Gold Miffy Calendar – $655,000

Two-thousand eleven is the year of the rabbit, and Japanese jewelry house Ginza Tanaka is celebrating that fact with a solid gold calendar featuring Dutch artist Dick Bruna’s creation, a rabbit called Miffy. The calendar is made with 6 ounces of pure gold and measures 2 feet tall and over 1 foot wide.

Porsche Design Advent Calendar – $1 million

This ultra expensive calendar is truly the gift that keeps on giving. Not only is the calendar itself almost 6 feet tall and made with brushed aluminum with double-coat finished surfaces, it’s also filled with exciting Porsche items. Behind the twenty-four lit windows marking the days leading up to Christmas, Porsche Design has placed an array of goodies including a Porsche Design P’6910 Indicator watch in rosé gold, an individually customizable Porsche Design Kitchen P’7340 and a 27-foot motor yacht.

Only five of these calendars have been created and only one will be sold on any continent.

Similar Posts:

• World’s Most Expensive Porsches
• World’s Most Expensive Christmas Trees
• World’s Most Expensive SUVs
• Most Expensive Christmas Tree
• World’s Most Expensive Christmas Ornament
• Most Expensive Christmas Cocktail