Here Are (Some Of) The Cars You Can Buy For ₱15 Billion

On Tuesday, August 4, 2020, news broke out that a whistleblower claims that ₱15 billion was stolen by execs from the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (also known as PhilHealth) through fraud schemes. The aforementioned whistleblower is PhilHealth’s former anti-fraud legal officer Thorrsson Montes Keith. He resigned on July 23, 2020, due to “widespread corruption” within the office.

₱15 billion is a lot of money by any measure. Converted to US dollars, this amounts to about US$305,833,050 based on today’s exchange rate. As curious car enthusiasts, we wanted to find out what are the cars you can buy with an alleged ₱15 billion. Suffice to say, this is more than enough money to literally buy all of your dream cars.

1962 Ferrari 250 GTO: 4 Units

The world’s most expensive car ever sold is a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO, which was valued at £52 million (around US$70 million). The private sale was made between German racecar driver Christian Glaesel and US car parts mogul David MacNeil. Only 39 of these cars were made. With its excellent performance, 3.0-liter V12 engine, and racing pedigree, this car is highly sought after among enthusiasts. With ₱15 billion lying around, you can buy 4 units of these, assuming all units have the same value.

2020 Bugatti La Voiture Noire: 16 Units

Moving on to modern cars, the most expensive new car ever sold is the one-off Bugatti La Voiture Noire. Only one exists in the world at a price tag of US$18.7 million after taxes. Assuming this is a series production car, you can buy 16 units of the most expensive car ever sold brand-new.

Bugatti’s one-off hypercar uses the same quad-turbo 8.0-liter W16 gasoline engine as the Chiron, which produces 1,479 hp and 1,600 Nm of torque, with power sent through all four wheels via a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic. While it does share the same powertrain as the “ordinary” Chiron, the rest of the bodywork is bespoke.

2020 Pagani Huayra Roadster BC: 87 Units

As we move on to modern cars that are actually currently in production, the price tag lowers even more, though it’s still in the multi-million dollar mark. The most expensive series production car you can currently buy is the Pagani Huayra Roadster BC. Valued at US$3.5 million, this car has a twin-turbo 6.0-liter AMG-sourced V12 that produces 800 hp and 1,050 Nm of torque. Zero to 100 kph is achieved in just 2.5 seconds.

Pagani’s hypercars are constructed using its patented “Carbotanium,” which is a blend of carbon fiber and titanium. As a result, this hypercar is super light (weighing at just 1.2 tonnes) and super rigid. Pagani claims this car can achieve as much as 1.9 Gs of lateral force when going through corners.

Luckily for you, Pagani has an official distributor here in the Philippines. Through Autohub Group, you can use your fraud money to purchase as much as 87 units of these hypercars. Yes, that’s 87 of the most expensive series production car that you can give to your entire family tree.

2020 Rolls-Royce Cullinan: 282 Units

One of the most expensive series production cars we know that’s currently on sale in the Philippines is the 2020 Rolls-Royce Cullinan. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Manila is also operated by none other than the Autohub Group. The particular unit the distributor showcased to the media last year is valued at around P53 million. Of course, the price tag of Rolls-Royce’s vehicles varies depending on the amount of customization that the client has made. For the sake of standardization, we’ll be using the aforementioned estimated price tag. With an alleged ₱15 billion, you can buy as much as 282 units of this ultra-luxury SUV.

The Rolls-Royce Cullinan is the British ultra-luxury brand’s first-ever SUV. It is powered by a 6.75-liter twin-turbo V12 engine that develops 563 hp and 850 Nm of torque. Power is sent to all four wheels via an intelligent 8-speed automatic transmission.

2020 Mazda MX-5 Soft Top MT: 7,575 Units

Let’s move on to cars that most people can actually afford. One of the most affordable sports cars in the country is the Mazda MX-5. It’s a supremely fun convertible that the whole Go Flat Out PH team loves. With a base price of ₱1,980,000 for the MX-5 Soft Top MT, you can purchase a staggering 7,575 units of the world’s best-selling sports car.

The Mazda MX-5’s Skyactiv-G petrol engine was revised in 2019. It now produces 181 hp and 205 Nm of torque with a redline peaking at 7,500 RPM. As expected, all power goes through the rear wheels via a 6-speed manual or automatic transmission. This two-door sports car has also received an equipment upgrade for 2020. Automatic emergency braking and cruise control are now standard on select variants.

2021 Toyota Vios 1.5 G CVT: 14,204 Units

The Toyota Vios has recently been updated for the 2021 model year. It gets a more aggressive front fascia and a number of new features. The top-of-the-line G variants now get full LED headlights, while LED foglights are standard on most of the line-up. Other features unique to the G variant include passive entry with push-button start and automatic climate control. With a price tag of P1,056,000 for the G CVT variant, you can buy a whopping 14,204 units of the country’s best-selling car with an alleged ₱15 billion on hand.