Elite Profile: Roman Abramovich

Total Net Worth: $12.1 Billion
Age: October 24,1966 (Age 45)
Sign: Scorpio
Born In: Saratov, Russia
Marital Status: Divorced, duh.
Occupation: Owner of Millhouse Llc., Chelsea Football Club

Roman Abramovich might not be the only billionaire on the planet, but his lifestyle is the epitome of what we envision Elite luxury to be. Roman Abramovich was born to humble beginnings in Southern Russia on the banks of the Volta River. The onetime orphan would rise to become the richest man in Russia at one point and is currently listed as #68 among the world richest billionaires.

Roman’s business career began when he was drafted into the Soviet Army, where he would sell stolen gasoline to officers in his unit. After his brief military stint with an investment of about 2,000 rubles (around $2,000 at the time), Roman began smuggling black market goods and other contraband into Russia. As his initial investment began to grow, he started dealing in everything from plastic toys, to automobile parts and even traded commodities for the Swedish company Runicom; Abramovich was a multifaceted businessman.

In the late 80’s, the Perestroika political movement swept Russia and opened up opportunities for Russian entrepreneurs, finally allowing Roman to legitimize his dealings. He set up a small doll manufacturer with his wife at the time, Olga, and upon seeing it grow successfully he began to diversify his business ventures once again; he got his hands into everything from tire retreading and pig farming, to bodyguard recruitment and Oil conglomerates. It is said that between the 80′s and 90′s he set up and liquidated more than 20 companies.

In 1995, his partnership with Boris Bereszovsky and an investment of $100 million dollars brought him half of the controlling interest in Soviet Oil giant Siberneft. The company was valued at $2.7 Billion at the time and they are believed to have used backdoor business practices, as the company was acquired for 25 times less than market value. The company today is worth more than 75 times the original 200 million it was purchased for.

Today, Roman lives in London, where he is the proud owner of Chelsea F.C.–which he acquired in 2003; Chelsea F.C. is one of the world’s premier football clubs. He is an avid collector of fine items from Modern art to Sports cars, with his crowning jewel being the 533 “Eclipse”, which is currently the world’s largest mega-yacht.

The Woman

Girlfriend: Dasha Alexandrovna Zhukova

Dasha is globally known as long-term girlfriend of Roman Abramovich, Russian businessman and the primary owner of the private investment company, Millhouse LLC.However, she is a high-profile billionaire heiress herself. Born in Moscow in 1981, Dasha is the daughter of Alexander Radkin Zhukov,who is the prominent Russian oligarch, oil-magnate and arms dealer. In either situation, it would be easy for this gorgeous woman to sit down and enjoy the entirety of her lifetime in luxury.

The Estates

Lowndes Square Mansion

Price: $210,000,000

Location: The grand villa is located in Knightsbridge, London

Accommodation: Abramovich first bought himself two apartments at 39 Lowndes Square in 2000–$4 million and $5 million respectively. Later, he bought another flat in the same street for $3 million. Shortly after in May 2006, he paid another $10 million for two more grand apartments. Today he has combined all of his five distinct apartments/flats to build a grandiose eight-bedroom mansion which has living a area of close to 30,000 sq feet.

Spread across two stucco-fronted properties, the mansion has three underground stories and is five stories above the ground, totaling eight floors. One can surely understand why he would need two private elevators. The palatial property features cinema/entertainment room, an indoor pool, steam room and sauna, a children’s study, and entertainment room. The six family bedrooms and two guest suites will be equipped with en suite bathrooms.

Neighborhood: Knightsbridge is one of the posh areas of London; hence many celebrities have houses in the area. From Madonna’s mansion in Marylebone to Jamie Oliver’s two-homes-into-one conversion in Primrose Hill, London boasts more celebrity houses than most cities.

Gouverneur Bay Estate

Price: $90,000,000

Location: The property is located in Saint Barthélemy, French West Indies known as Gouverneur Bay estate.

Accommodation: The 70-acre Gouverneur Beach estate boasts fabulous ocean views. The estate includes four Balinese-style bedroom bungalows, a spacious catering kitchen for large parties, a main living room salon called the Lizard Lounge, and an entertainment complex that includes a swimming pool with in-water speakers and a swim-up bar. The magnificent piece of property also has two tennis courts for the sporty types as well as a caretaker’s cottage; there is also an area for garages and mechanical equipment. The owner’s suite includes a bay-view bedroom with a wrap around veranda and a behemoth–and air-conditioned–bathroom having a free-standing soaking tub.

Wildcat Estate

Price: $36,000,000

Location: The mansion is located near Aspen, Colorado

Accommodation: The 14,300 sq ft house sits on 200 acres of land. It has 11 bedrooms and12 bathrooms. The house is decked with mink upholstery and a wine-tasting room along with a media room and spa. The mansion is perched at an elevation of 9,200 feet on Wildcat Ridge, offering views for miles. The self-sufficient home is powered by 60 geothermal wells and has a dramatic folded plate roof with a large moss rock wall dividing the east and west wings of the building.

Neighborhood: Abramovich also spent more than $11 million earlier that year for a 5600 square feet home in the same area, which apparently did not fulfill his requirements.

Chateau La Croe

Price: $46,500,000

Location: The mansion is located in the south of France and was purchased for £30 million in 2001.

Features: Roman Abramovich’s Cap d’Antibes mansion comprises all luxuries and comfort in itself. The home was built in 1927 in strict Victorian style for the English aristocrat Sir William Pomeroy Burton. It has also been a home to King Edward VIII following his marriage to Wallace Simpson when he abdicated the throne. Roman Abramovich bought the home in 2001 and spent over $100 million to renovate it.

Flying Estate

Price: $20,000,000

Location: The estate is located in the Chichester district of West Sussex, England situated in the Western Rother valley.

Features: The estate is spread over 300 acres and includes a twenties mansion, a second house, six cottages, a staff flat and four guest rooms; it also boasts three polo grounds. The estate also has formal gardens, a lake, a 50ft outdoor swimming pool, a tennis court, a go-kart track, a clay-pigeon shooting site, a trout lake, a rifle range and an equestrian centre.

Kensington Palace Garden

Price: N/A

Location: Kensington Palace Garden is located in West London, United Kingdom

Accommodation: Termed as one of the most expensive residences while simultaneously located on Britain’s most expensive street, this mansion boasts 15 luxury bedrooms and expansive gardens.

Features: Featuring unparalleled security and expansive lush gardens along with the world’s richest neighbors, Roman and his girlfriend Dasha Zhukova are now expected to renovate this mansion and will make it their main residence. The couple is no stranger to extensive building work; as part of the renovation process, the basement will be converted into spa and gym–including a tennis court and an exclusive guitar to showcase Abramovich’s six vintage Ferraris.

Neighborhood: In proximity to Kensington Palace Garden, Late Princess Diana’s former home is within the hailing distance. Other notable neighbor includes steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal, Leonard Blavatnik and Foxton founder John Hunt.

The Private Island

New Holland Island

Price: $400,000,000

Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich spent $400 million on buying New Holland Island, a collapsing ex-military base in a St. Petersburg canal. He intends to transform the island into a cultural center. The bid to run the island was won by Abramovich and is the latest of Abramovich’s lavish spending sprees. The newly formed company will now invite architects to bid for the contract to transform the 18-acre island, which will take about six years to complete. New Holland Island was created in the 18th century through the construction of two canals and gains it name from its resemblance to areas of Amsterdam.

The World’s Largest Mega-Yacht

Eclipse

Price: $800,000,000

Although Roman owns several yachts, no other yacht in the world compares to his 163.5-meter (536 feet) mega-yacht. Eclipse is the world’s largest yacht and reportedly cost over £700 million. It is also the most expensive yacht to date. Delivered in December 2010, the yacht was constructed by Blohm + Voss from Hamburg, Germany. Mr. Roman Abramovich bought this sea-based behemoth at a time when most of the world’s working population—including him–was reeling under severe financial crisis,. He lost a portion of his wealth, but this wasn’t a deterrent for him.

Features & Toys: Due to the veils of secrecy that surrounds the yacht, not much is known about its design and interiors. However, as is the case with most of the expensive private yachts, the cruise boat comes with plentiful of toys which include its own helicopters with three landing pads, six tenders and the not-so-common fleet of three-man leisure submarines.

The yacht is fortified with advanced technology and has been embedded from all possible angles with armor plating, bullet proof windows, advanced missile detection system and a provision to escape via submarine located at the bottom end of the yacht. Since it’s a luxury boat, there are ample opportunities for the passengers to enjoy themselves in the 5000 sq ft master suite,the wellness center and the private theater. For those that might want to enjoy water sports, there are 2 swimming pools and 20 water-jets that would take them close to aquatic wonders.

Accommodation: The yacht has numerous ultra-luxurious VIP suites and guest suites. When one considers the crew of 60, this yacht can house a staggering 115 people at a time.

Specifications: This outrageous yacht has a displacement of 9,150 tons, yet has the muscle to reach a maximum speed of 26 knots, which is quite a feat. The worldwide-capable yacht has a range of 8,500 miles at 25 knots also lives up to the hype of the yacht.

Charter: Initially, this super-yacht was meant exclusively for Roman Abramovich’s pleasure alone; however, due to maintenance expenditures, even he was inclined to think the other way. The Eclipse takes close to $50 million each year to keep it running and a single re-fueling costs around $650,000. But taking the facilities into consideration, the uber rich could only be too happy to hire this vessel.

The Aviation Collection

Eurocopter Helicopters

Abramovich owns three Eurocopter helicopters: EC-145, EC-135T1 and EC-155B. He has one helicopter on one of his yachts, another at the Blackbushe airport, and another at his house Fyning Hill in the UK.

Airbus A340-313X

Price: $200,000,000

Abramovich became the first owner of a private Airbus A340, largest personal plane ever built. His plane is reported to have a gym, turkish bath, conference rooms, jacuzzi, bar and a restaurant.

Boeing 767-33A/ER

Roman Abramovich flies in his private Boeing 767-33A/ER, which is also called the Bandit due to its cockpit paint detail. The plane was originally commissioned for Hawaiin Airlines, however, later it was customized for Abramovich’s personnel fleet. It is reported to contain an anti-missile system. This 767 may look simple on the outside, but its interior is outfitted with chestnut and decorated with gold. The plane has a 30-seat dining room on board, and all other luxury amenities that make it a perfect meeting place away from all the disturbances of the world.

The Car Collection

Porsche 911 GT1

Price: $1,500,000