Bill Gates has never hidden the fact that he likes to drive fast. Long before he became one of the richest men in the world, he was behind the wheel of Porsches, testing their limits on open roads and often finding himself in trouble with the law. His driving record is as much a part of his legend as the story of Microsoft’s rise, and it is full of tales that reveal both his appetite for speed and the patience of those around him, most notably his co-founder Paul Allen.
During Microsoft’s earliest years in Albuquerque, Gates found release from the intensity of programming by racing around in a used Porsche 911. The car was a symbol of both freedom and rebellion, and Gates was unafraid to push it hard through the New Mexico desert. This recklessness sometimes had consequences. One night, after what was described as a “midnight escapade,” he ended up in jail, and Paul Allen had to bail him out. It would not be the last time that Gates’ love of cars intersected with authority figures.
The most famous chapter came in 1979, when Microsoft was relocating from Albuquerque to Seattle. Instead of shipping his Porsche, Gates drove it himself, tearing across the highways. He later admitted in a 1994 Playboy interview that he had a “penchant for driving fast,” and that move north cemented the point. On that single trip, he was pulled over three times.
The detail that makes the story unforgettable is that two of the tickets came from the same police officer who had been trailing him. Gates has clarified this himself, both in that Playboy interview and more recently in 2025 on CBS Sunday Morning, where he referred to them as “three very serious speeding tickets.” The anecdote is not an urban legend. A 1997 Time magazine profile recounted the same story, noting that Gates had a habit of outrunning common sense in his cars.
Over the years, Gates cycled through a small fleet of high-performance machines. He bought a Porsche 930 Turbo that was so quick he nicknamed it the “rocket,” then added a Mercedes, a Jaguar XJ6, and a Carrera Cabriolet 964 that cost around $60,000.
His most ambitious purchase was a $380,000 Porsche 959, a technological marvel that sat impounded in a customs warehouse because it could not clear US emissions rules at the time. There was even a Ferrari 348 that earned the nickname “dune buggy” after Gates lost control and buried it in the sand. In the Time Magazine article, Walter Isaacson mentions that Gates chose not to wear his seatbelt during the interview despite his poor record with traffic violations.
The lore around his driving even extends to the famous 1977 mugshot, often mislabeled as a speeding arrest. In fact, it came from running a stop sign and driving without a license in Albuquerque. The mugshot has become iconic, but the truth reflects a broader pattern: Gates was often impatient behind the wheel, and the police seemed to know it.
As his wealth grew, so did his car collection. He became known for buying exotic Porsches, none more famous than the legendary Porsche 959. At the time when Gates imported his 959, US import rules kept the sports car off the road because it failed to meet emissions standards, nor was it crash tested in the country’s regulations. The billionaire paid a fee of $28 every day for 13 years to keep it parked at the impound yard of the US Customs.
Gates and other enthusiasts lobbied for change, and after years of effort, the “Show or Display” law was passed, allowing the 959 to be legally imported under strict limitations. The fact that Gates’ lobbying played a role in changing American car culture shows just how deep his obsession ran.
Even now, decades after those desert escapades, Gates’ Porsche story continues. Today he drives a Porsche Taycan, the German automaker’s all-electric sports car. It is a fitting choice for a man who has spent his later life advocating for cleaner energy and sustainability, yet who still cannot resist the thrill of Porsche engineering. From three tickets in one weekend to lobbying for a car once banned in the United States, Gates’ driving history is proof that his need for speed has always matched his hunger for innovation.
