His Imperial Highness the late Shah of Persia, Mohammed Reza Pahlavi

His Imperial Highness the late Shah of Persia (Iran) was Mohammed Reza Pahlavi. Also known by his people as 'Shahanshah' (King of Kings), he was an extraordinary sportscar enthusiast, surely the most notable Royal car collector of all. In the early 70s he was certainly Lamborghini's most prominent client, and Ferruccio Lamborghini has been recorded in a magazine interview as stating that he delivered the Shah's Lamborghinis to him personally.

The Shah took a real interest in the manufacture of the one-off cars made for him, by contacting the Ferrari, Maserati or Lamborghini factories himself and special-ordering what he had in mind. He often paid the development costs for a prototype, for which other owners would go on to benefit from. He was the King of his country, but he was also a real sportscarcar enthusiast, the likes of which we will probably never see again. As a testament to his enthusiasm, his car collection numbered in the thousands, with hundreds of these being true exotics.